TRULY, a gem!
Located in the middle of Picayune is this amazing place. It's sort of a nature center just FULL of trails that takes you thru quite a few different ecosystems. The trails take you thru pine savannah where you can find carnivorous plants and beautiful wildflowers in the spring and summer and trails that take you into old growth forest. In the northern part of the arboretum is a nice little gum pond where you can see fish and turtles, and they're also in the process of building a lookout there.
In about the middle of the arboretum is a giant pavilion that looks out over another pond. When you check in, be sure to get a bag of turtle food to feed to the turtles in this pond. I promise you, that's the best fifty cents you'll ever spend!
I'm not sure if they offer any sort of guided tours, but it's meant to just walk around at your own pace. There are lots of places that have boardwalk and seats to just sit and....enjoy nature. The arboretum DOES have events from time to time like lectures and specific field guides and even native plant sales. I tend to like it when there's no one else there, though, and it seems I have the whole forest to myself. ;)
The people who run this place are INCREDIBLY nice and they'll hook you up with a map and all that. They'll even offer bug spray if you forget your own. The daily entry fee of $5 is SO WORTH IT, and you might find yourself going often enough to sign up for a membership. A membership which is even pro-rated according to the time of year you join! They have a nice little gift shop with books and trinkets and all that related to nature stuff and even drinks if you're thirsty.
If you're a nature nut like myself, and even if you're a REAL trekker like myself who likes to trek out in the middle of nowhere, you STILL have to check this place out. It's managed well, and it's situated among several ecosystems like I said before and you won't regret it. You'll very easily spend several hours here walking around checking out things like their bee hives, their pollenator garden, the pavilion, the MANY little coves off the trails that lead to waterfront bulkheads that offer great views of the pond, and so many other "little" things that will delight you in so many ways. And of course, botanists will have a field day with the many different plant species to be found here, INCLUDING carnivorous plants like two species of pitcher plant and dwarf sundews!
Totally worth spending $5 and a good portion of your day to check it out! Truly a gem of a place. read more