Tree tours of Spiegel Grove arboretum offered on upcoming Saturdays
FREMONT — Take a tour that points out the unique trees of Spiegel Grove, an arboretum and estate of President Rutherford and First Lady Lucy Hayes, on Saturdays in August, September and October.
Tours are offered at 10 a.m. Aug. 13; Sept. 3; and Oct. 1.
Tickets are $10 for nonmember adults, $7 for nonmember kids ages 6 to 18 and free for kids 5 and younger. Tickets for Hayes Presidential Library and Museums members and their kids and grandkids are free.
Tickets are required for all tours and can be reserved online at rbhayes.org.
The tours will point out trees of interest, including the George Washington tulip poplar and bicentennial oak, on the property.
The 25-acre arboretum has more than 90 species of trees, some of which date back to President Rutherford B. Hayes’ time on the estate and even earlier. Varieties include chestnut, oak, holly, ginkgo, various pines and more. A seedling of the Oklahoma City bombing Survivor Tree also has been planted and is thriving on the property.
The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum named Spiegel Grove a level 1 arboretum for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. Level 1 arboreta have fewer than 100 species of trees. Spiegel Grove is close to reaching Level 2 status, which is for 100 and more species.
The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta at various levels of development, capacity and professionalism.
Spiegel Grove is also recognized as an accredited arboretum in the Morton Register of Arboreta, a database of the world’s arboreta and gardens dedicated to woody plants.
Hayes Presidential is America’s first presidential library and the forerunner of the federal presidential library system. It is partially funded by the state of Ohio and affiliated with the Ohio History Connection. The Hayes Presidential Library & Museums is at Spiegel Grove at the corner of Hayes and Buckland avenues.
For information, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Tree tours of Spiegel Grove arboretum offered on upcoming Saturdays
