It provides a mix of habitats, including open meadows, shady woodlands, wetlands, and a large pond.

The garden also contains orchards and agricultural beds situated near honeybee hives and native bee "hotels."

They include a remnant of old-growth forest, the Hartley Wood, a rare native prairie, and Big Hollow.

An under drained valley called Big Hollow lies at the western edge of the Hartley Wood and the prairie.

The Bellefonte Rail Trail, which converted an old stretch of railroad into a walking and biking path, runs through Big Hollow.

Until automobile use escalated post-World War II, the railroad was the primary way that Penn State students traveled to the University Park campus.