FAQ

What’s unique about this park?
The Longview Arboretum is a master-planned, multi-use arboretum centrally located in East Texas, the only one of its kind. Beautifully situated near downtown to celebrate indigenous trees and native flora/fauna, it’s will be a place of leisure, reflection and peaceful pursuits.

Where is it?
The Longview Arboretum shares parking with Maude Cobb Activity and Event Center, it covers 26 acres of watershed from Grace Creek and borders the JR Curtis Garden for the Blind and The Green. With the purchase of a building at 706 W. Cotton Street, the renovated space will become the exhibition and administration building for the Longview Arboretum and a dedicated entrance for the gardens. 

Who manages it?
The Longview Arboretum is a public/private partnership with the City of Longview. The city will manage the park as part of its overall Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of the Arboretum will sponsor events, membership, and oversee special developments extending the uses of the park.

What makes it an Arboretum?
An Arboretum is a park that celebrates trees and native plants. The Longview Arboretum will feature cultivated forests, meadows, formal and informal gardens, waterways, and extensive walking trails. A pavilion and event center will accommodate meeting spaces. Learning nodes positioned in specific areas will teach residents about individual examples of indigenous flora/fauna. After cultivating what is already on the grounds, new elements will include: 50,000 new plants, 4 acres of intentionally designed formal gardens and graduated terraces, 14 waterfalls, a recirculation pond, meadows, 5 decorative bridges, 8’ wide walking trails, park benches, storage facility, and public restrooms.

How much does it cost?
It will cost $2.5 million to build the Longview Arboretum (infrastructure, terraces, plants, trails, restrooms, storage facilities, and water systems.) The Longview Arboretum Event and Nature Center is projected to be a multi-use teaching/event facility projected to cost $2 million. After construction, the City of Longview will manage the park.

When will it begin?
With initial funding and grants received, construction will begin in October, 2017, with basic infrastructure and Phase I plans completed by May, 2018. Additional work will continue as funds accrue. To date Gregg County Commissioners Court and the City of Longview Parks and Recreation department have begun initial clearing, pond creation, grass planting, and pest control.

How to help?
Financial donations are needed for the success of the Longview Arboretum. The Longview Arboretum is a non-profit, 501C3, accepting monetary and in-kind donations at:  

Longview Arboretum
PO Box 9906
Longview, TX 75608