Rooted Wisdom Walks
Audio Tours at Adkins Arboretum
Rooted Wisdom Walks, the free digital guide from Beech Works, reveals the people and places of the Underground Railroad and considers how their stories continue to shape our lives today. The guide, accessible on Bloomberg Connects, includes three audio-based self-guided walks at Adkins Arboretum that explore how self-liberators used their knowledge of nature to forge a path to freedom and ways we can honor this knowledge today by creating new connections to the landscape.
Accessing the Guide
Visit rootedwisdom.org/walks and scan the QR code or click the ‘Get Bloomberg Connects’ link from your mobile device to access Bloomberg Connects on a mobile browser, then follow prompts to download the app.
Or, search for 'Bloomberg Connects' in the App Store or Google Play. Once downloaded, search for Rooted Wisdom Walks. Arboretum staff will also be able to assist you in downloading the app.
Accessing the Walks
When you arrive at the Arboretum, you can dive right in by using the app or look for Bloomberg Connects signage for more information. Tour stops will be marked with the Bloomberg Connects magnifying glass and QR codes to help guide you. Brochures with printed maps are also available to further assist with wayfinding. We recommend using headphones. Arboretum staff will also be able to assist you.
The walks are led by historian Anthony Cohen of The Menare Foundation, who has personally walked routes of the Underground Railroad, including from Maryland to Canada. Visitors are guided through the woodlands, meadow, and wetlands with conversations that examine historic narratives of freedom seekers while also exploring our relationship to this history. Photographs offer additional context and aid visitors in identifying plants and animals they may encounter.
Rooted Wisdom Walks is a project of Beech Works in collaboration with The Menare Foundation. The walks at Adkins Arboretum were produced in partnership with Adkins Arboretum.
Bloomberg Connects is a free digital guide to hundreds of cultural organizations around the world that makes it easy to access and engage with arts and culture from mobile devices, anytime, anywhere. Participating organizations include botanical gardens, historic houses, outdoor sculpture parks, and world-class museums. Bloomberg Connects features expert commentary, engaging audio content, accessibility feature, interactive maps, and is available in over 40 languages through Google Translate.
Photos courtesy Beech Works, Inc.
This material is based upon work, assisted by a grant from the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, ASALH funded by the 400 years of African-American History Commission. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ASALH or the Department of the Interior. This project has been financed in part by Eastern Shore Heritage, Inc. with State funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, project contents or opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.
