UC Davis Arboretum

The UC Davis Arboretum is a large public garden and green space on the university campus where music occasionally becomes part of the outdoor programming. Performances and informal gatherings take place in several areas of the Arboretum, surrounded by gardens, walking paths and the Arboretum Waterway.

Wyatt Deck is one of its regular music locations. Set beneath the redwoods near Lake Spafford, the wooden decks host weekly folk music jam sessions where musicians bring fiddles, guitars, mandolins, flutes and other acoustic instruments. The sessions draw on bluegrass, old-time, Celtic and other folk traditions, with musicians of different experience levels playing together.

Other music activities have included ukulele gatherings, acoustic jams and experimental sound events. With performances spread across the Arboretum's outdoor spaces, audiences can listen from nearby benches, gather beneath the trees or join in when an event welcomes participating musicians.