South Arkansas Arboretum - El Dorado, Arkansas - Arboretum

South Arkansas Arboretum is located at Mount Holly Road and Timberlane in El Dorado, Arkansas and is managed by South Arkansas Community College. From Ark. 82B in El Dorado, turn north on Timberlane and go one mile to find the park, where visitors will find parking spaces available. This 13 acre site is situated adjacent to the El Dorado High School and is open daily from 8am to 5pm except on designated holidays.

Tucked between a residential neighborhood and the High School, the arboretum is Arkansas' only natural state park located within a city and opened back in 1965. A former biology teacher at the High School, James Riley was the driving force behind the project with funding received through federal education grants. Today the arboretum offers an educational experience for its visitors, trails, a pavilion with picnic tables, restrooms and a bulletin board.

At the arboretum visitors will be able to see exhibits of plants native to Arkansas's West Gulf Coastal Plain region as well as exotic species such as flowering azaleas and camellias. Initially the site was set up as an educational center to study and preserve the natural flora of the Arkansas West Gulf Coastal Plain. Now it is open to the public and guided tours can be booked in advance by contacting the college, or visitors can make their own way along two miles of paved foot trails.

The arboretum is split into three sections with the western area primarily used for education, scenic views and open spaces suitable for social gatherings and has many showy flowers, shrubs and trees. The next section takes visitors east towards some ponds, where the lowland terrain and the creek are allowed to grow naturally with plants such as the lizard-tails and ferns. The next area is committed to preserving the indigenous flora of the West Gulf Coastal Plain, with ground cover, shrubs and trees allowed to grow uninhibited.

The habitat is varied ranging from canopied woods to open grassland and encourages plenty of wildlife to the arboretum. Birds are the most common with a large array of species to be seen and heard here including Carolina wren, cardinal, red-bellied woodpecker, blue jay, wood thrush, fish crow, common crow, common grackle, Mississippi kite, tufted titmouse, robin and mockingbird. Mammals and reptiles are also seen in the Arboretum such as squirrels, rabbits, terrapins, lizards, snakes as well as deer, and the ponds are full of life too.

Visitors looking for overnight accommodation nearby will find a few hotels within a mile and a half of the arboretum, including La Quinta, Comfort Suites, Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express. There are some eateries within a short driving distance of the arboretum such as Applebee's and Good Times Grill both on North West Avenue in the city. A trip in to downtown El Dorado will offer visitors the chance to take a walking tour of architecturally significant buildings, many financed by South Arkansas oil boom and the timber industry.