Fullerton Arboretum

A little known gem in SoCal is this little arboretum located on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. The entrance fee is donations only, and the grounds are beautiful with a pond full of ducks and turtles and sometimes other wildlife. There's a cute children's garden, a historical building to tour, and a gift and garden shop. And there are fruit trees and plants galore.

Now, a few years ago, I was admiring the fruit on the trees when I noticed the do not pick sign nearby. But my friend tipped me off to the fact that that policy has been changed, and you are allowed to pick a few fruit. The day we came, the caretaker actually helped us pick some of these gorgeous persimmons. My middle son, J, and I went with my friend and her daughter, and it was fun for both adults and children. Here's our loot from left to right: pomello, pomegranate, a non-astringent persimmon, and an astringent persimmon.

I didn't pick them, but we also saw tons of oranges, chestnuts, and guava, and my friend told me there were apples there a week ago, but they were all harvested by the time we went.

These next two photos are from a previous visit, but here's the historical building next to the pond:

A bird getting its food from the pond (yeah, that's one dead fish):

This year's crop of pumpkins from their very own pumpkin patch:

The Fullerton Arboretum is located at 1900 Associated Road, Fullerton CA (714) 278-3579