Arboretum Tours for Schools and Organizations

TOUR DESCRIPTIONS

Ecosystem Sampler Tour

Compare three different ecological communities — forest, wetland and prairie — and the characteristics of their inhabitants. Scheduled as a 1.5-hour tour unless a desire for more time within each community is requested.

Curtis Prairie Tour

The world’s oldest restored prairie provides the setting for discovering the many ways plants and animals have adapted to survive the droughts, winds and fires characteristic of prairies. Scheduled as a 1.5-hour tour unless otherwise requested

Greene Prairie Tour

Explore both a dry, sandy prairie as well as a wet prairie. Scheduled as a 2-hour tour. Note: the Greene Prairie is located some distance from the Arboretum Visitor Center, and no restroom facilities are available.

Woods Tour

Explore how physical location and seasonal changes affect deciduous woods and discover the interrelationships among members of woodland communities. Scheduled as a 1.5-hour tour unless otherwise requested.

Effigy Mounds Tour

Our 1000-year-old effigy and burial mounds invite discussion of the woodland Indians that built them and the woodlands and wetlands that provided these early inhabitants their sustenance. Scheduled as a 1.5-hour tour unless otherwise requested.

Horticultural Collections Tour

The Arboretum also tends the state’s largest woody plant collection, featuring traditionally arranged ornamental trees and shrubs of the world. Scheduled as a 1.5-hour tour unless otherwise requested.

Ecological Restoration Tour

Limited to schools who have participated in the Earth Partnership for Schools program, this hands-on tour emphasizes skills and techniques involved in restoring native communities. Scheduled as a 1.5-hour tour unless otherwise requested.

Winter Tour

Winter is a great time to look for clues that help identify animals that are adapted to staying in Wisconsin year-round. Scheduled as a 1.5-hour tour unless otherwise requested.

Special Theme Tour

Covering the ecological concepts you specifically requested, these tours are custom-made to provide field experiences complementing your curriculum. Scheduled as a 1.5-hour tour unless otherwise requested.

Tours for Schools and Organizations

A variety of tours are available to meet specific classroom and group needs and interests.

Arboretum tours are designed to introduce school children to the Arboretum as an outdoor teaching and research laboratory. Children learn about native Wisconsin ecosystems and ways to restore them.

We also offer private tours for other groups, such as garden clubs, service organizations or scout groups.

There are tours emphasizing special aspects of the Arboretum, such as the Effigy Mounds, built about 1,000 years ago by the woodland culture; birding excursions in the spring; and special tours for classes engaging in restorations at their schools. In addition, tours can be tailored to cover special themes according to your educational needs.

We need at least two weeks before the requested tour date to schedule our trained guides for your tour. Except for schools participating in the Earth Partnership for Schools ecological restoration program, there is a $39 fee per guide per 1.5-hours. Each guide is assigned a group of no more than 15 children, or no more than 8 children if they are preschoolers.

For those who have never visited the Arboretum, please feel free to stop by the Visitor Center, pick up a map, and walk the trails.

Thank you for considering a tour at the Arboretum and for helping us make the scheduling process as smooth as possible. We hope to hear from you soon.

Your can request a tour by:

Phoning Tour Coordinator Kathy Miner at (608) 265-5872
Sending an e-mail to Kathy Miner at <kdminer@wisc.edu
Faxing your request (PDF format) and information to (608) 262-5209
Mailing your request (PDF format) and information to Kathy Miner, UW-Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy., Madison, WI 53711-3726

Please note, we cannot guarantee your tour request will be filled. Tours cannot be confirmed until we have a proper number of guides available for your request. We will, however, work hard to meet your needs to the best of our ability.