Numerous hiking trails with scenic overlooks provide opportunities for a closer look. John Muir Grove lends cover to birds of prey and includes a songbird aviary. The Visitor Center has an overlook for wildlife, as well as a new walk-through bat cave exhibit in the museum. There is a butterfly garden nearby. The Pioneer Farmstead is located along the Wagon Trail Loop.
Visitors can see farm animals, a log cabin, and a one-room school house.
Overnight guests can stay at the park. Facilities include a Cabin On The Hill, Cottages By The Lake, Train Cabooses, Prairie Stables, or The Outback, which is handicapped accessible. All lodgings are equipped with refrigerators and coffee makers. Lunch and snacks are available at the Arboretum Cafe, which also serves a Sunday brunch. As untouched open spaces of land increasingly give way to new development, our daily connection to nature is diminished.