Haverford College’s beautiful 200-acre campus, tucked off of busy Lancaster Avenue on the Main Line, is a hidden green haven that has been around since 1834. Like Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, the Haverford Arboretum covers the entire college campus. It’s a great spot for families—especially those with young children—to get outdoors in a safe, controlled environment, and it offers a surprising variety of quiet natural experiences.

Near the visitor parking area, signs mark a nature walk, a short but interesting natural footpath along a small, wooded stream. Elsewhere on campus, stroller-friendly paved paths wind through open grassy areas and between groves of trees. A large duck pond near the main entrance is a favorite spot for kids to explore; it is home to a giant snapping turtle. A small playground is next to a spectacularly twisted tree that looks almost human.

Encourage your kids to smell, touch, and even listen to the different trees around the campus. A pinetum—a grove of various pine trees—covers an 18-acre northwest corner.

There’s a historical scion (descendant) of the “Penn Treaty Elm,” the elm tree under which William Penn supposedly entered into a 1682 treaty with the Lenape Chief Tamanend.

Remember: Although there is plenty of room and open space for running and expending excess energy, this is a place of study. Supervise children. Also note that bikes are permitted on campus, but not on the nature trail.

Rolling Hill Park has a natural playscape for young children, and more extensive trails and creek access for older children.

The vicinity of Haverford in either direction along US 30 is a venerable commercial area, with plenty of food and beverage options.