The Bismarck Rotary Arboretum offers ten acres and peace and solitude in the middle of the city.
The arboretum, co-sponsored by the Bismarck Rotary Club, Bismarck Parks and Recreation, and the Bismarck Forestry Department is located inside the Tom O'Leary Golf Course in northwest Bismarck. The entrance if off Ward Road, a short distance south of Divide Avenue.
The Bismarck Rotary Arboretum tree plantings were the dream, of George Bird and John Hjelle, both longtime Rotarians. Today the arboretum has 29 varieties of trees native to the state 100 years ago. A sixteen page brochure, which provides tree identification and classifications. There are many other trees and grasses, in addition to those native to the area, in the Bismarck Rotary Arboretum. In 2007 and 2008, Rotarians and Boy Scouts have spent hundreds of hours revitalizing the arboretum. Club funds and a matching grant from the park district have provided new plantings, new signs, and material for resurfacing pathways.