Community Calendar

Join us for our latest educational offering at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum in 2026! Horticulture classes will be taught by staff members of the Arboretum’s horticulture team. Each 3-hour class will be held monthly through October and will feature a different horticultural topic, from pruning to focusing on specific types of plants, such as oaks. Classes can contain indoor classroom presentations, outdoor walking tours, hands on activities, or portions of all the above.

This winter tree topic is a hands-on Pruning Trees and Shrubs Class, held on Tuesday, January 13, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Make sure to sign up quickly for this class, as there aren’t many educational pruning offerings around STL.

It is free to attend with a suggested donation of $15 per person. Space is limited and registration is required.

Please wear appropriate walking attire.
Please arrive at the main entrance between 15 to 20 minutes before class time for a prompt start.

Join us for a guided caravan tour! Drive along in your car and follow the caravan led by our Master Guide Cathleen. We will drive to a few different locations inside historic Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. At each location, we will all exit our vehicles and Cathleen will give us a tour through history!

The adventure begins with a drive to our serene Wildwood Valley Gardens. We will walk the Gardens and visit the impressive Cascade Mausoleum, our newest mausoleum. The next stop is Prospect Avenue. The “movers and shakers” of the 1900s are buried there. The last stop is the area surrounding explorer William Clark’s plot. This caravan tour is a unique way to explore the grounds and learn about some of the people memorialized at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum.

♦ Space is limited and reservations are required

♦ Please wear appropriate outdoor walking attire as we will explore different areas upon leaving our vehicles.

♦ Walking terrain is mild with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces

♦ We ask that everyone arrive 15 to 20 minutes before tour time for a prompt departure

♦ This is a rain or shine event except in the case of extreme lightning

The Wild Things conference is a celebration of nature, wildlife, ecosystem restoration, birding, botanizing, networking, and discovery – from the lowly mushroom to the high-flying falcon. The conservation community comes together to learn from each other and the best experts, and enjoys a day jam-packed with handpicked panels that run the spectrum in causes, complexity, and creativity. Spend a day with other people who care for the ecosystems of Illinois, and the planet, and find ways to help. We are stewards, advocates, and educators – volunteers and professionals – coming together with urgent hope to appreciate and protect prairies, woodlands, wetlands, wild yards, and wilder hearts.
For the first time ever, Wild Things is moving south for 2026 - join us in O'Fallon, IL on January 31, 2026!
Wild Things is an educational program of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves.

Join us for a guided caravan tour! Drive along in your car and follow the caravan led by our Master Guide Cathleen. We will drive to a few different locations inside historic Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. At each location, we will all exit our vehicles and Cathleen will give us a tour through history!

The adventure begins with a drive to our serene Wildwood Valley Gardens. We will walk the Gardens and visit the impressive Cascade Mausoleum, our newest mausoleum. The next stop is Prospect Avenue. The “movers and shakers” of the 1900s are buried there. The last stop is the area surrounding explorer William Clark’s plot. This caravan tour is a unique way to explore the grounds and learn about some of the people memorialized at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum.

♦ Space is limited and reservations are required

♦ Please wear appropriate outdoor walking attire as we will explore different areas upon leaving our vehicles.

♦ Walking terrain is mild with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces

♦ We ask that everyone arrive 15 to 20 minutes before tour time for a prompt departure

♦ This is a rain or shine event except in the case of extreme lightning

Eagle lovers of all ages are invited to the Audubon Center at Riverlands in West Alton on February 7, 2026. No advance registration is required.

Visitors are welcome to view eagles through spotting scopes staffed by trained volunteers, and explore activities related to bald eagles. The World Bird Sanctuary will be providing live Bald Eagle programs and chances to see Bald Eagles up close throughout the day.

Eagle presentations from the World Bird Sanctuary will be held at: 9:15 AM; 10:00 AM; 10:45 AM; 11:30 AM; 12:30 PM; and 1:15 PM. These eagle presentations have a capacity of 150 people and will be filled on a first come first serve basis.

Did you know the Mississippi River hosts one of North America’s largest concentrations of bald eagles? They are drawn to areas of open water in search of fish, their preferred food. The colder the weather, the better the chances of seeing them fish, ride ice floes, soar overhead and roost in nearby trees!

Join us for a guided caravan tour! Drive along in your car and follow the caravan led by our Master Guide Cathleen. We will drive to a few different locations inside historic Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. At each location, we will all exit our vehicles and Cathleen will give us a tour through history!

The adventure begins with a drive to our serene Wildwood Valley Gardens. We will walk the Gardens and visit the impressive Cascade Mausoleum, our newest mausoleum. The next stop is Prospect Avenue. The “movers and shakers” of the 1900s are buried there. The last stop is the area surrounding explorer William Clark’s plot. This caravan tour is a unique way to explore the grounds and learn about some of the people memorialized at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum.

♦ Space is limited and reservations are required

♦ Please wear appropriate outdoor walking attire as we will explore different areas upon leaving our vehicles.

♦ Walking terrain is mild with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces

♦ We ask that everyone arrive 15 to 20 minutes before tour time for a prompt departure

♦ This is a rain or shine event except in the case of extreme lightning

Join us for a guided caravan tour! Drive along in your car and follow the caravan led by our Master Guide Cathleen. We will drive to a few different locations inside historic Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. At each location, we will all exit our vehicles and Cathleen will give us a tour through history!

The adventure begins with a drive to our serene Wildwood Valley Gardens. We will walk the Gardens and visit the impressive Cascade Mausoleum, our newest mausoleum. The next stop is Prospect Avenue. The “movers and shakers” of the 1900s are buried there. The last stop is the area surrounding explorer William Clark’s plot. This caravan tour is a unique way to explore the grounds and learn about some of the people memorialized at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum.

♦ Space is limited and reservations are required

♦ Please wear appropriate outdoor walking attire as we will explore different areas upon leaving our vehicles.

♦ Walking terrain is mild with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces

♦ We ask that everyone arrive 15 to 20 minutes before tour time for a prompt departure

♦ This is a rain or shine event except in the case of extreme lightning

Join us for a guided caravan tour! Drive along in your car and follow the caravan led by our Master Guide Cathleen. We will drive to a few different locations inside historic Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. At each location, we will all exit our vehicles and Cathleen will give us a tour through history!

The adventure begins with a drive to our serene Wildwood Valley Gardens. We will walk the Gardens and visit the impressive Cascade Mausoleum, our newest mausoleum. The next stop is Prospect Avenue. The “movers and shakers” of the 1900s are buried there. The last stop is the area surrounding explorer William Clark’s plot. This caravan tour is a unique way to explore the grounds and learn about some of the people memorialized at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum.

♦ Space is limited and reservations are required

♦ Please wear appropriate outdoor walking attire as we will explore different areas upon leaving our vehicles.

♦ Walking terrain is mild with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces

♦ We ask that everyone arrive 15 to 20 minutes before tour time for a prompt departure

♦ This is a rain or shine event except in the case of extreme lightning

Join us for a guided caravan tour! Drive along in your car and follow the caravan led by our Master Guide Cathleen. We will drive to a few different locations inside historic Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. At each location, we will all exit our vehicles and Cathleen will give us a tour through history!

The adventure begins with a drive to our serene Wildwood Valley Gardens. We will walk the Gardens and visit the impressive Cascade Mausoleum, our newest mausoleum. The next stop is Prospect Avenue. The “movers and shakers” of the 1900s are buried there. The last stop is the area surrounding explorer William Clark’s plot. This caravan tour is a unique way to explore the grounds and learn about some of the people memorialized at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum.

♦ Space is limited and reservations are required

♦ Please wear appropriate outdoor walking attire as we will explore different areas upon leaving our vehicles.

♦ Walking terrain is mild with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces

♦ We ask that everyone arrive 15 to 20 minutes before tour time for a prompt departure

♦ This is a rain or shine event except in the case of extreme lightning

Join us for a guided caravan tour! Drive along in your car and follow the caravan led by our Master Guide Cathleen. We will drive to a few different locations inside historic Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. At each location, we will all exit our vehicles and Cathleen will give us a tour through history!

The adventure begins with a drive to our serene Wildwood Valley Gardens. We will walk the Gardens and visit the impressive Cascade Mausoleum, our newest mausoleum. The next stop is Prospect Avenue. The “movers and shakers” of the 1900s are buried there. The last stop is the area surrounding explorer William Clark’s plot. This caravan tour is a unique way to explore the grounds and learn about some of the people memorialized at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum.

♦ Space is limited and reservations are required

♦ Please wear appropriate outdoor walking attire as we will explore different areas upon leaving our vehicles.

♦ Walking terrain is mild with a mixture of hard and soft surfaces

♦ We ask that everyone arrive 15 to 20 minutes before tour time for a prompt departure

♦ This is a rain or shine event except in the case of extreme lightning