The 30 acre Mount Airy Arboretum is a magnificent collection of trees, shrubs, and flowers displayed alongside the beauty of nature. The Arboretum serves students, gardeners, and homeowners as a testing and observation area for plant growth, habit, and hardiness of plants in the Cincinnati area. Initially conceived in 1930, many individuals and organizations have contributed to the development and preservation of Mount Airy Forest and Arboretum. You will see some of their names honored in special plantings, particularly in the garden areas.

At almost 1,500 acres, Mount Airy Forest is Cincinnati’s largest park. It was established in 1911 out of several unproductive farms and was the first municipal reforestation in America. A crew of young African Americans was employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (a federal jobs program during the Great Depression) to build service roads, the large check dams in West Fork Creek and, along with more skilled laborers working for the Works Progress Administration, most of the shelter, service and restroom buildings. They also planted more than one million trees! Each recreational area typically included a shelter, comfort station, picnic tables, and a water source, either a fountain or a pump.