Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum • Georgian Court University
An art museum in an arboretum.
Georgian Court's campus was once the winter estate of George Jay Gould, son of railroad tycoon Jay Gould — and it still shows. Walk our grounds today and you'll find century-old European statuary, marble fountains, and a genuine Japanese teahouse, all set among more than 2,200 woody plants representing over 190 species. It's not hyperbole when people call this campus "an art museum in an arboretum." The arboretum is free and open to the public daily from 8 a.m. until dusk, with no registration required for self-guided tours.
2,200+
woody plants on campus
190+
species represented
100
landscaped acres
8am–Dusk
free, open daily, year-round
GCU Special Event
Plein Air Sketching Workshop
Join us for a plein air sketching workshop with Eric Santoli of Eric En Plein Air on Saturday, October 24, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. at the GCU Mansion.
$25
Schedule: 11 a.m. Introduction to Plein Air Art • Noon Lunch with Eric • 1 p.m. Sketching Workshop. Register here.
For more information or to join the mailing list for other public GCU-sponsored events, email [email protected] or visit the Richey Center website.
Explore The Gardens
Five gardens, each with its own history.
Five gardens make up the heart of the arboretum, each with its own history, designer, and season of peak color. Three of the four historic gardens — the Italian, Sunken, and Formal Gardens — were designed by architect Bruce Price, who also designed the campus's original buildings, before 1910. The Japanese Garden was designed separately by garden designer Takeo Shiota.
Formal Garden
The Formal Garden is a study in order and artistry — an elliptical parterre-style flower garden laid out with geometric precision, its maze-like boxwood-lined paths leading to a bronze replica of a fountain cast in 1670 for the Gardens of the Palace of Versailles. Designed by Bruce Price in the late 1890s, the garden offers one of the longest color seasons of any garden on campus, with something in bloom from May through October.
Italian Garden
The Italian Garden is the grand centerpiece of the arboretum — a formal, sculpture-filled space inspired by the great gardens of Renaissance Italy. From a massive Apollo Fountain to centuries-old intricately carved dry fountains, urns, and life-size statues of the goddesses of the four seasons, every turn reveals something extraordinary. This garden was designed by architect Bruce Price in the late 1890s and has been a landmark of the GCU campus ever since.
Japanese Garden
Designed by the celebrated landscape artist Takeo Shiota and given to Edith Gould by her husband George as a birthday gift, the Japanese Garden at GCU is a place of genuine tranquility and horticultural artistry. From the entry gate to the teahouse to the hand-crafted wooden bridges, every element was chosen with intention. The garden is open from 7 am to dusk daily, and two seasonal peaks — spring blossoms and autumn color — make it worth multiple visits a year.
Native Plant, Pollinator, Rain, and Special Interest Gardens
Numerous small gardens, most fenced for protection from deer, reflect modern gardening trends and the university’s commitment to environmental sustainability and are found throughout the campus. Each has a different focus: some feature plants native to New Jersey, others are designed to attract pollinators, and one is a rain garden. Collectively, they offer a rich collection of hundreds of types of plants that provide seasonal color and support wildlife.
Sunken Garden
Of the three gardens designed by architect Bruce Price for the Gould estate, the Sunken Garden is the most spectacular. A 17th-century marble fountain from southern France anchors a brick esplanade above a shimmering lagoon that connects directly to Lake Carasaljo. Double marble staircases, carved benches copied from the Vatican Garden, and seasonal blooms that shift from spring crabapple to summer crapemyrtle make this garden unforgettable in every season.
Beyond these five, keep an eye out for the smaller plantings scattered across campus — the NJ Native Plant Garden, the Lopez Garden, the Chapel Garden, and several more tucked around the Library, Farley Center, and Mercy Hall.
Our History
From private estate to National Historic Landmark.
The Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey purchased the Gould estate in 1924, relocating their College of Mount Saint Mary here — the school that would eventually become Georgian Court University. The entire campus is now a National Historic Landmark.
The arboretum itself was established in 1989 and named for Sister Mary Grace Burns. It comprises roughly 100 landscaped acres of the campus, with a plant collection representing most of the native species of the New Jersey Pine Barrens alongside a large number of nonnative species — several of which are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, and several of which are the largest of their kind in Ocean County.
Our Mission
The Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum, acting in harmony and interdependence with all creation through sustainable landscaping practices, preserves and enhances the unique botanical heritage of the former Georgian Court estate and the historic landscape elements of its gardens, while promoting its use for education, research, enjoyment, and inspiration.
Right Now On Campus
What's in bloom.
Curious what's flowering on campus right now? Check our regularly updated What's in Bloom guide before your visit.
See What's in Bloom
Planning Your Visit
Everything you need to know before you go.
Hours & Access
- Open 8 a.m. until dusk, daily, year-round — no registration required for self-guided tours.
- Free personal guided tours are available for groups of 5 or more, by prior arrangement with the Arboretum Director.
- All visitors enter through the security gate at the intersection of 9th Street and Lakewood Avenue — let the security staff know you’re here to see the arboretum.
- The arboretum is closed to visitors on Commencement day each year.
A Few Things To Know
- Personal photography for casual, non-commercial purposes is welcome. Formal or staged photography (including weddings) requires separate arrangement with the Office of Conferences and Special Events. Please email the Office of Conferences and Special Events or Amanda McCarthy, or call 732-987-2263.
- Pets aren’t permitted, though trained service animals are always welcome.
- Buildings, including restrooms, are not open to self-guided visitors.
- The Japanese, Italian, and Formal Garden paths are gravel-covered and sometimes narrow; the Sunken Garden is accessible only by stairs — please plan accordingly if accessibility is a concern.
- The entire GCU campus, indoors and outdoors, is smoke- and tobacco-free.
Recognition & Affiliations
Nationally recognized, locally rooted.
The Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum holds Level II accreditation from the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program, and is a member of the following organizations:
Wildlife On Campus
More than a garden — a habitat.
~90
bird species recorded on campus
Since 2021
home to a nesting pair of bald eagles
Walk With A Doc
A free, health-focused walk through the arboretum.
Join us on the last Friday of every month, led by Dr. Sachiko Komagata and Dr. Cindy McVey (held indoors in inclement weather).
Support The Arboretum
Help preserve this landscape for future generations.
The arboretum relies in part on the generosity of donors who share our commitment to preserving this landscape. Tax-deductible gifts help fund ongoing conservation, restoration, and horticultural work across all five gardens.
Questions
-
Michael Gross, Ph.D. 732-987-2373
Title: Director of Arboretum; Professor of Biology
- [email protected]
- Jeffries Hall
BELONG. BELIEVE. BECOME.
Come wander the grounds.
Free, open daily, and unlike anywhere else in New Jersey — the arboretum is waiting whenever you are.
