The arboretum was founded in 1976 as part of the USA Bicentennial celebration. The College Station City Council designated that this area would be used as an arboretum, i.e., a place where trees and shrubs are cultivated for educational and scientific purposes. The arboretum emphasizes native Texas plants. Trails of the arboretum commonly follow old channels of Bee Creek. It is now confined to a recently deeply-dredged channel that forms the south boundary of the arboretum.
Water oak is probably the most common tree, with post oak and elms in drier portions.
Yaupon, an evergreen holly, is the dominant shrub. Rabbits and raccoons are common in the arboretum, and raccoon tracks can usually be seen in the mud near water. Several snakes, including copperheads, have been seen in the area, and a variety of birds and other animals have been observed here. A trail guide is available that lists the more common woody plants and a few herbaceous species of the Brazos County Arboretum. Many recently-planted species, and more than 100 species of grasses, sedges, and wildflowers are not included in this list.