Cylburn Arboretum is a 200-acre public garden and nature preserve located in Baltimore City. Wander through three miles of spectacular trails that wind through a mature piedmont forest. Enjoy award-winning gardens, including roses, daylilies, dahlias, and annuals. Following the walk, a lunch of soup and salad prepared by Atwater’s will be served in the Cylburn mansion. The soup and salad will reflect the season and walk. Cylburn mansion is a Renaissance Revival-style home designed in the 1860s by George Frederick, the architect of City Hall. Constructed of gneiss from the local Bare Hills quarry, the mansion is surrounded by 15 strikingly impressive tree and shrub collections. Participants will also visit the new LEED-certified Vollmer Visitor Center.

After lunch, the group will travel to Druid Hill Park in Baltimore for a guided tour of the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory, described by Frederick Rasmussen of the Baltimore Sun as “that wonderful whimsical-looking building from the age of Queen Victoria…a brilliant symphony of curved glass and light.” The Conservatory features year-round displays of plant material in five distinct areas of the facility: the 1888 Palm House, the Orchid Room, Mediterranean House, Tropical House, and Desert House.

Fee includes bus transportation, Soup n’ Walk lunch by Atwater’s at Cylburn Arboretum, and guided tour of the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory in Druid Hill Park. Registration required. Limit: 35

Fee: $85 members, $105 general public

Photo of Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory by Donna Stupski