Hilltop Arboretum

Mr. and Mrs. Emory Smith began laying out the ground in 1929 with a cathedral in mind: a central nave, hallways running in every direction, niches and passageways. The grassy plots were rooms. The walls were trees, shrubs, and bamboo. The pillars were old trunks. They donated it to Louisiana State University in 1981. Fourteen acres at 11855 Highland Road. Walking paths thread through longleaf pine, beech, and magnolia that predate the surrounding subdivision—one of the last intact fragments of the original forest cover. The collection includes bamboo, dogwood, camellia, live oak, sassafras, sweet gum, tulip tree, cypress, hickory, pecan, persimmon, and fig. LSU manages it as a teaching and research arboretum. Open to the public free of charge during daylight hours seven days a week. Completely overlooked by visitors.