Markham Nature Park & Arboretum
1202 La Vista Ave, Concord, CA 94521, United States
Who We Are
The Markham Regional Arboretum Society (MRAS) is a not-for-profit 501-c3 organization run by residents. MRAS works in good collaboration with the Department of Public Works of the City of Concord; the City is the real owner of the park and what keeps Markham Nature Park open is their superb effort. A Board of Directors oversees MRAS and is run almost exclusively by volunteers. MRAS raises funds, develops plans, and supervises the park's growth and maintenance.
Funds to establish the park comes from the sales of the MRAS Nursery farm, along with donations and grants. From seeds and cuttings, volunteers cultivate plants. These are sold throughout the year to the public for sale on select Saturdays.
AMENITIES
Park amenities include:
- Bud Hansen Wisteria Arbor
- Community garden plots
- Garden Center headquarters of the Markham Arboretum Society
- Summer day camp facility
Mission
For the benefit of all visitors, their mission is to safeguard and improve the park's plants.
Our goals are:
- Maintaining and cultivating a diverse range of plants that are particularly suitable for our local environment;
- Providing all tourists with a botanically rich and serene space to be proud of;
- Promoting public knowledge of plants and the natural world and their appreciation;
- Raising consciousness of how humans influence our world and what can be done by all to make it better for everyone.
Near the heart of downtown Concord, Markham Nature Park and Arboretum is a 17-acre island of natural beauty. The Markham is unique among local parks as the emphasis is on quiet discovery. The serene environment includes a very active nursery, stocked with the unique, unusual, and whimsical and staffed by people including landscapers, arborists, native plant enthusiasts, and master gardeners. People who visit for the first time are surprised that there is such a lovely, natural park inside the city limits.
The International Garden, a sprawling-yet-compact collection of demonstration gardens surrounding Bud Hansen Arbor, is not to be missed. This area shows plants such as climates like we have that empower and encourage you to try them in your garden;
Markham is the secret garden of Concord, always waiting to be found, like you, by many residents of the city!
This hidden gem in Concord, California is located near some other must-see places of interest:
- The Galindo Home
- Don Fernando Pacheco Adobe
- Historical Eichler Homes of Concord
- Salvio Pacheco Square
- Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial
- John Muir National Historic Site
- De Martini Winery
- Rodgers Ranch Heritage Center
All of these wonderful - but not so well known - attractions are located just a short distance from our location at 1261 Locust Street in Walnut Creek, California! Stop by for a visit anytime!
