The Humber Arboretum, adjacent to the college’s North campus, has been listed among the most beautiful places to walk in Toronto. (Harmanjeet Singh Gurm/Humber News)
Harmanjeet Singh Gurm
Humber Arboretum on Humber College’s North campus has been named among the most beautiful outdoor locales in Toronto.
Blog TO, a website listing events and attractions in Toronto, placed Humber Arboretum on its list of the 10 most beautiful places to take a walk in the city.
“The Humber Arboretum is a public garden and conservation area which is jointly run by Humber College, the City of Toronto, and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority,” said Arboretum spokesperson Marilyn Campbell.
“During a single visit to the Arboretum, people can enjoy a wide variety of plant life and likely find a habitat to match their mood and interests,” she said.
Jimmy Vincent, coordinator of Education at Humber Arboretum, said the area is special in the fact that it is not only a public garden but also a conservation area and educational centre.
“Our woodland trails are very popular, I think the most popular trails are the garden trail, which runs through the garden area,” he said. “These are not huge trails but it’s a nice sunny area where [people] can enjoy the gardens.
“There are lots of places to sit and hang out,” Vincent said. “Then there are lots of places in here that are good for friends gathering … a lot of times you see students playing soccer or Frisbee.”
Campbell said the Arboretum has a wonderful mix of flowers and trees from around the world near the front entrance, where people can find three ponds with plenty of seating.
“The flower beds and ponds right by the front entrance are a very popular spot for casual visitors,” she said. “The Arboretum has trails running through naturalized woodlands and meadows. Individuals who are visiting the Arboretum on their own can download trail maps from our website and explore it.”
Campbell said many people including staff and students visit the quiet areas of the Arboretum to eat lunch, read or study.
“People bring their cameras either just to take photos for themselves or for educational projects,” she said. “We even have a group of painters who come regularly to try to capture some of the beauty on canvas.”
Vincent said Humber attracts a lot of people because of the huge community of Humber College and they spread the word about the Arboretum among their friends.
Campbell said the educational value of the Humber Arboretum runs through all age groups and experience levels, as thousands of young children take part in camps and school programs every year.
“The Arboretum is directly incorporated into many programs at Humber College,” she said. “It is used by horticulture, landscaping, and arbourist students to learn plant identification and hands-on skills.
“The Early Childhood Education Forest and Nature Pilot program runs at the [Arboretum] and many other programs incorporate outdoor learning as it relates to health, food, the environment and more,” she said.
“I remember when I first came in here, even though it was the winter, I was blown away by how beautiful it was in here,” he said. “I think I’m just really proud that people come here and see the beauty.”