Several times a year, the Morton Arboretum hosts “Dog Admission Days” and “Tails on the Trails” events. These are the only times throughout the year that non-service dogs are permitted in cars or on the grounds of the Morton Arboretum. In addition to the standard price of admission, it is $5 per dog.
Exploring the Arboretum with Canine Companions
“Today is the Dog Admission Day,” says Morton Arboretum Special Events Manager Jenelle Metcalf. “They’re one of a handful of days that we have here at the Arboretum that people can just come out and enjoy our grounds and bring that four legged, canine companion with them. If you look around me today, there’s already a bunch of dogs out here.”
“We have been doing Dog Admission Days or Tails on the Trails another one of our dog friendly events since about 2014, Metcalf explains. “We started including dogs on select days here at the arboretum because we wanted to attract a new audience to come and visit us and check us out. And unfortunately, before, we didn’t have these dog in mission days, so a lot of families had to leave, maybe a big part of their family at home every time they came to visit.”
Tails on the Trails
“Tails on the Trails, we do two of them every year, one in May and one in September. And those days are they are Dog Admission Days, but they’ve got a little bit more extra to them. We have dog friendly vendors and related vendors demonstrate options, pack games. We do a race that dogs can lick off peanut butter off of a spoon. It’s just a fun day that the whole family can enjoy.”
“So Dog Admission Days here, they’re really great because there’s something for everybody if you want to be around other dogs and activity, you’re going to want to stay around one of our core areas around Arbor Court, the visitor center, some of our key buildings. If you’re looking for more of a remote experience and you want to be a little bit more secluded, then we encourage you to explore our 1700 acres. Park in one of our remote parking lots and get on a trail and just explore.”
“People just really enjoy bringing their their dogs here to the Arboretum. It’s a full family. We’ll see folks come out or families meet up with other families dogs. So we love that these days that these days are important to our to our visitors.”
The next “Tails on the Trails” will be held on September 11th, 2022.
Justin Cornwell reporting for NCTV17.