Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens
48 acres of woodland gardens in Devon, PA, free every day of the year, with a nature-play space and borrowable Explorer Vests.
631 Berwyn Baptist Rd, Devon, PA 19333 · Roughly 35-45 minutes — our estimate, we haven't clocked it
Hours
9 AM – 7 PM
Show the week Hide the week
| Sat | 9 AM – 7 PM |
|---|---|
| Sun | 9 AM – 7 PM |
| Mon | 9 AM – 7 PM |
| Tue | 9 AM – 7 PM |
| Wed | 9 AM – 7 PM |
| Thu | 9 AM – 7 PM |
| Fri | 9 AM – 7 PM |
Last checked 2026-09-07
- Cost
- Free
- Best for
- Ages 2-10
- Indoor / outdoor
- Outdoor
- Typical visit
- An hour to 90 minutes — our estimate, not a published one
The Quick Version
- • 48 acres of woodlands and gardens in Devon, PA. Admission is always free, every day of the year.
- • The Explorer Garden is a nature-play space, and kids borrow a free Explorer Vest from the Education Center.
- • No dogs — service animals only. That's the rule that ruins the trip if you learn it in the parking lot.
- • No picking anything: flowers, leaves, fruit, seeds. Worth saying out loud to a three-year-old first.
- • The Education Center and Garden Shop close earlier than the gardens do.
Best Ages
Ages 2-10
Plan For
An hour to 90 minutes — our estimate, not a published one
Admission
Free
What to Expect
Jenkins is 48 acres of cultivated woodland gardens, and it behaves like a garden rather than a park. The rules tell you most of what the visit feels like: walk only on paved, wood-chip, or turf paths, stay out of the garden beds, and don't pick anything — no flowers, leaves, fruit, or seeds. Standard arboretum policy, but a real constraint for a kid who spends every other outing collecting things off the ground. Say it in the car.
The two rules you can't fix once you're there: dogs and other pets aren't allowed in the garden at all (service animals are welcome), and bikes, scooters, and sports equipment are supposed to stay home. If your plan involved the dog or the balance bike, this isn't the stop.
What Jenkins gives kids in return is better than most gardens manage. There's a nature-play space called the Explorer Garden, and you borrow a free Explorer Vest from the Education Center — a small thing that reframes the walk from "we are looking at plants" to "we are on a job." Older kids can work a Geocache scavenger hunt through the property or dig into the community-science projects.
The hours are the other quiet advantage: open every day of the year, and until 8 PM May through August. That's an unusual window for a free outdoor destination. The Education Center still closes at 6 PM, so the vests are a daytime proposition. One housekeeping note: Jenkins says a staff or volunteer photographer may photograph you, and that visiting serves as permission to use your image.
Who It's Best For
The Explorer Garden and the vests aim squarely at little kids. Older kids get more from the Geocache scavenger hunt and the community-science projects, and Jenkins runs hands-on youth and family nature programs (registration required). This is a walking-and-looking place, not a running-and-climbing one.
Highlights
The Explorer Garden
Ages 2-7Jenkins' nature-play space, and the anchor for a visit with small kids. Pair it with a borrowed vest.
Free Explorer Vests
Ages 3-8Borrow one at the Education Center at no charge — it closes earlier than the gardens in every season.
Geocache scavenger hunt
Ages 6+A hunt through the property — what turns a garden walk into something a six-year-old agrees to.
Picnic grove and Tree Canopy Deck
All agesThe two designated picnic areas. Picnicking elsewhere in the garden isn't allowed.
Logistics
Admission
Free admission
Jenkins says admission is always free, with visitation hours every day of the year. Programs are separate: most require registration, and posted prices don't include Eventbrite processing fees.
Membership tip: Nothing to buy at the gate. A caregiver accompanying a program participant with a disability registers free, but you have to arrange it by emailing programs@jenkinsarboretum.org rather than through checkout.
Getting There
Parking
There's a lot on site, but we haven't verified its size or whether it fills on nice weekends. Go early on a good spring Saturday.
Entrance
Head for the Education Center — that's where the Explorer Vests are, and it closes earlier than the gardens.
Parent Logistics
Jenkins asks visitors to walk only on paved, wood-chip, or turf paths, so paved surface exists. We haven't confirmed how much of the loop is paved or how steep it gets — bring the carrier as a backup.
Not confirmed. Assume the Education Center is your best bet, and remember it closes before the gardens do.
We haven't confirmed changing tables anywhere on site. Bring your own pad.
The property is described as natural woodlands and gardens, so expect real tree cover on the wooded stretches. We haven't walked it to say which garden beds sit fully exposed.
Food & Snacks
No food on-site. No food service we could confirm. There's a Garden Shop, but we don't know that it sells anything edible.
Snack strategy: Bring a picnic, and eat it in the right spot — Jenkins allows picnics only on the Tree Canopy Deck and in the picnic grove, not wherever you find nice grass.
Pro Tips
- ✓ Leave the dog home — pets aren't allowed in the garden at all. Same for bikes, scooters, and sports equipment.
- ✓ Brief the kids on "look, don't pick" before you get out of the car. That includes leaves and seeds off the ground.
- ✓ Check the season: gardens close at 5 PM October to mid-March, but 8 PM May through August.
- ✓ If you want an Explorer Vest, the Education Center's earlier closing is the real deadline.
- ✓ Program prices exclude Eventbrite fees, and cancelling fewer than five days out means no refund.
- ✓ No tripods and no drones.
Questions parents ask
Is Jenkins Arboretum free?
Yes — Jenkins says admission is always free, with visitation hours every day of the year. Programs are ticketed separately.
Can we bring our dog?
No. Dogs and other pets aren't allowed in the garden. Service animals are welcome.
What are the hours?
Gardens daily: 9 AM-7 PM March 15-April 30, 9 AM-8 PM May 1-August 31, 9 AM-7 PM in September, 9 AM-5 PM October 1-March 14. The Education Center and Garden Shop close earlier — 4 PM off-season, 6 PM May through September.
Do programs need registration?
Yes, unless a program says otherwise. Prices exclude Eventbrite processing fees, and cancellations fewer than five days before the start aren't refunded.
When to Go
Best Time to Visit
May through August the gardens stay open until 8 PM, which makes an after-dinner walk genuinely possible. Go earlier if you want the Education Center, where the Explorer Vests live — it closes at 6 PM in summer and 4 PM from October to mid-March.
Upcoming Events
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