Fell Arboretum

Fell Arboretum is a botanical garden on the Illinois State University campus that spreads across a large area and holds hundreds of different tree and shrub species. The collection includes specimens from many distinct plant families arranged throughout the university grounds.

Jesse Fell envisioned transforming the campus into a green space in the 1830s after finding it largely barren of trees. His initial idea grew over the decades into the substantial botanical collection that exists today.

The arboretum features memorial trees that honor people and events important to the university and local community. These specimens carry plaques that tell their stories and connections to the place.

Visitors can walk freely through the grounds during any time of year since the arboretum has no fixed entry schedule. It helps to wear comfortable shoes because the area is extensive and best explored on foot.

Each tree on the grounds is digitally recorded and viewable online, allowing visitors to look up details about individual plants while walking around. This system makes it easy to learn more about the collection as you explore.