When visitors enter the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska, they’re instantly surrounded by nature, from tall trees that shade the entranceway to golden glowing tall grasses.
But entering from busy Highway 5 isn’t always easy – and a new multiphase plan called “Building a Better Arboretum” aims to change that.
The Arboretum is starting construction this summer on projects to make it easier and safer to access the Arboretum, create a gorgeously landscaped entry corridor, and build the new Betty’s Apple House.
The new entrance will move west to a stoplight at the intersection of Highway 5 and Minnewashta Parkway to make it quicker than ever for visitors to access the joy of nature across the Arboretum’s 1,200 acres. The existing gatehouse will become a dedicated pedestrian and bike entry connected to the Highway 5 Regional Trail. The current entrance will be converted into an exit for drivers merging right onto Highway 5.
“The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, in partnership with the Department of Horticultural Science, has a long history of horticultural excellence, and this project will help showcase and celebrate the fascinating science behind our legacy of cold-hardy plant breeding and research here at the U of M,” said Peter J. Olin Endowed Executive Director Andrew Gapinski. “We’re excited by the opportunities this offers to increase educational opportunities while making it easier for visitors to access the beauty of the Arboretum’s gardens and natural areas.”
A corridor designed by landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates will wind from the new entrance through the heart of the 1,200-acre public park. It will offer new views, highlighting the natural topography, woodlands, wetlands, and meadows.
“We were very intentional in designing the slope, the roads, the curves, the landscaping, to ensure people are slowing down and taking in the long, expansive views,” said Rachelle Crosby, the Whitney & Elizabeth MacMillan director of facilities and project management. “We want to create an experience and immerse them in nature as soon as they turn off the highway.”
“There is a unique challenge in making additions to a place that is already so beautiful,” added Matthew Girard, associate principal at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc. “I see our role as expanding access to that beauty through thoughtful design. The hope is that the new routes will feel effortless and intuitive, as if they were always meant to be here.”
Betty’s Apple House – named in honor of longtime Arboretum supporter Betty MacMillan – will be built near Farm at the Arb, just down the road from its existing location at the other end of the Arboretum. Visitors will enter at 82nd Street off of Highway 41 and travel north along a new access corridor with gorgeous natural landscapes.
Betty’s Apple House will feature interpretive exhibits to share the science and history behind the U of M’s fruit breeding research at the Arboretum’s Horticultural Research Center – including the Honeycrisp apple.
It will replace the current location and continue selling U of M apples along with even more products, including Golden Gopher Ice Cream. Visits will still be free to the public. The current Apple House will remain open seasonally until the new location opens.
Building all of this will take a bit of time. Work on the first phase is expected to finish in 2027. The project was planned to coincide with county and state road improvements on adjacent Highway 5 to limit the impact of construction as much as possible.
The Arboretum will remain open throughout the projects, which shouldn’t affect the visitor experience here. Much of the work occurs away from the existing entry, visitor buildings and garden areas.
The multi-million dollar project is funded by generous donors.
A second, future phase will improve Arboretum parking, vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow, and gardens near building entryways.
Editor’s note: Lynette Kalsnes is the public relations strategist at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. She is keeping a close eye on when the 40,000 tulips will bloom at the Arboretum, and plans to spend her weekend doing what she can to prepare her gardens without disturbing any pollinators.
Kalsnes’ column on happenings at the Arboretum will appear periodically on the Eden Prairie Local News website. Contact her at arbpr@umn.edu.
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