Seasonal Exhibitions
Morris Arboretum & Gardens displays a rotation of innovative exhibitions that enhance the garden experience.
There's always something new to discover at the Morris! Throughout the year, seasonal exhibitions bring together plants, art, history, and hands-on experiences to offer fresh ways to explore the gardens. From interactive family activities to immersive displays and special garden features, each exhibition invites visitors to experience nature from a new perspective.
Current Exhibitions
ArBOOretum Month
OCTOBER 1 – OCTOBER 31, 2026
Celebrate fall at Morris Arboretum & Gardens with acres of colorful foliage and seasonal fun for the whole family. Snap a photo at the Pumpkin Cottage, stroll the imaginative Scarecrow Walk, and enjoy a month of spooktacular events—all included with general admission.
Exuberant Blooms
This year’s display weaves vibrant seasonal plantings with striking architectural elements created from wood reclaimed through our own arboricultural work—giving pruned limbs a thoughtful second life in the garden. Shaped into striking arches, trellises, and sculptural forms, these natural structures add height and movement, inviting you to explore nature in new ways and celebrating the beauty of responsible stewardship while adding structure and story to the landscape. Vines climb overhead, birds find places to rest, and in some areas, you can wander beneath and around these structures.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Holiday Garden Railway
NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 30
Make your holiday even more magical with a visit to the Holiday Garden Railway, as it is transformed for the season with thousands of twinkling lights! Free with general admission.
Want to see it at night for an even more spectacular experience? Get tickets for HGR: Nighttime Express on select evenings. Advance tickets required. Member tickets available November 2. General tickets available November 9.
Past Seasonal Exhibitions
Pursuit of Happiness: Finding Joy in Nature
JUNE 13 – AUGUST 31, 2026
As the nation marked 250 years of independence with large parades and public festivities, the Morris Arboretum & Gardens offered a peaceful alternative, a sanctuary where visitors could recharge, reconnect, and rediscover happiness through the restorative power of nature. The exhibition included tree swings, a sensory cottage, wind chimes in the trees, colorful Adirondack chairs, and more.
Bees, Butterflies & Blooms: A Pollinator Paradise
MAY 23 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2025
The Morris became a paradise for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators! Each month brought together people, plants, and pollinators in meaningful ways with fun workshops, engaging programs, and specialty guided tours, making this exhibition a delightful and eye-opening experience for all ages.
Summer of Dinos
MAY 25 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2024
Visitors were invited to discover Plants in the Age of Dinosaurs—a self-guided exhibition featuring plants in our collection with roots that go back to prehistoric times. There was also a brand-new dinosaur exhibition in the Garden Railway, Garden Railway: Dinos! Plus, a pop-up paleontologist’s cottage featuring hands-on “dig stations” and special family programming,
90th Anniversary
MARCH – DECEMBER 2023
We celebrated this historic milestone by unveiling a new name, a refreshed brand, and a renewed emphasis on colorful plantings. We reopened our popular Rose Garden and revealed Exuberant Blooms, and throughout the year we held events and programs in celebration of our anniversary. We also shared bits of our history every week on social media—check out #90yearsofMorris to get a glimpse into our past.
Summer of Swings
JUNE 24 – OCTOBER 2, 2022
Summer of Swings was a seasonal exhibit that invited visitors of all ages to experience the Morris in a totally new way—while perched on one of 10 swings placed strategically across 92 acres of spectacular gardens.