On the first Monday in November, how late can you stand under a 30-foot steel root at Tyler Arboretum and watch the light change on it? The answer is 4 p.m. From November through March, Tyler is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. From April through October it stays open until 6 p.m.
That two-hour change matters this year. Tyler's new exhibition, STEVE TOBIN: IN THE LIGHT, opens Friday, October 16, 2026. That gives the sculptures 16 days of the longer evening hours before the winter schedule starts. The show stays up through October 2027, so you can come back many times. But this fall, the late-afternoon light depends on timing and a short list of scheduled tours.
A Show Built Around Light and Shadow
The exhibition has more than 50 works by Steve Tobin, set across 24 sites on Tyler's 650 acres of woodland, gardens and meadow at 515 Painter Road. The count has grown since it was announced. Tyler's August 28 release and the September coverage in the Delaware County Daily Times listed 15 sites. Tyler's current exhibition and ticket pages say 24.
The show draws on three of Tobin's series:
- Steel Roots are twisting towers up to 30 feet tall.
- Bronze Roots are life-size forms that show what root systems look like underground.
- Clouds are polished, mirror-like steel that reflects the visitor, the artwork and the trees around it.
Visitors are meant to interact with the work. Tyler's release invites you to touch the sculptures, lie down under them and sit inside them, and it points to "the play of light and shadow" as part of the experience. The release also says the show is meant to be seen "in autumn color, winter stillness, spring bloom, and summer canopy," which is why it runs a full year.
The artist grew up nearby. Tobin was raised on the Main Line, and this is the first time he has shown his work in the Philadelphia region. He described the project this way in Tyler's announcement:
"Coming home to do this, here with my neighbors and family, is a dream realized."
Kathryn Ombam, Tyler's Interim Executive Director, said she hopes the work will help visitors "reimagine our favorite vistas." The exhibition is supported by the Visit Delco Tourism Grant Program and other donors.
The Calendar From Opening Day to Winter Hours
Because the light changes so much with the time of day, Tyler's hours matter more than usual this season. Here is what the arboretum has posted as of early October:
| Date | What's happening | Hours or time |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 16 | Exhibition opens | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Sat. and Sun., Oct. 17 and 18 | Opening weekend | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | Guided tour | 10 a.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 1 | Extended tour, first day of winter hours | 1 p.m.; grounds close at 4 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Sunset tour | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Sunrise tour | 6 a.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Guided tour | 10 a.m. |
In October, Tyler is open nine hours a day. In November, that drops to seven, and the two hours lost are in the evening. If you want to see the Clouds reflect a low sun during regular hours, October 16 through 31 is the time to do it this fall.
The Two Tours Outside Regular Hours
After November 1, the sunrise and sunset tours are the only scheduled ways to see the sculptures in early or late light. The sunset tour on Saturday, November 7, starts at 3:30 p.m., half an hour before the winter closing time. The sunrise tour on Sunday, November 22, starts at 6 a.m., three hours before the gates normally open.
There are a few conditions. The tours are for adults, or adults with teens 15 and older, and you have to register in advance. That leaves out families with younger children, so plan those visits for the October evenings or a daytime weekend. Tyler says more exhibition programs and events "will be announced throughout the coming year," so more tours may be added. For now, these two dates are all that's posted.
Opening Weekend, Hour by Hour
Opening weekend, October 17 and 18, runs on regular admission. There is no separate registration. The schedule:
- 9 a.m. Gates open both days.
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibition guides are stationed around the grounds.
- 11 a.m. to noon and 1 to 2 p.m., Saturday only. Steve Tobin signs books.
- Noon to 4 p.m. Local food and drink vendors are on site.
- 6 p.m. Gates close.
Vendors and guides leave at 4 p.m., but the grounds stay open until 6 p.m. That gives opening-weekend visitors two quieter evening hours with the sculptures. You won't get that window again until next spring.
Standard admission is $18 for adults 18 to 64, $15 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for ages 3 to 17, and free for children 2 and under. Buying online saves $2 per ticket: $16, $13 and $8. Tickets are good on any open day within a year of purchase. Members get in free and don't need a ticket.
How It Fits With the Rest of Late October
With only a few weeks of longer hours, Tyler visits will overlap with other events nearby. The busiest stretch is the last full weekend of October.
Saturday, October 24 has two events in the same morning. Tyler's Halloween Walk is a drop-in, self-paced costume walk with volunteers dressed as nature characters and treats along the way. It runs 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is included with admission. Media Borough's Halloween Parade starts at 11 a.m. on State Street. The two overlap almost completely, so families will likely need to pick one.
Sunday, October 25 is busy too. Tyler's 10 a.m. guided tour is the first scheduled tour since opening weekend. Ridley Creek State Park runs its free "Go Batty with National Bat Week" program from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PumpkinPalooza takes place on the Borough lawn and patio at 3rd and Jackson Streets, with a jack-o'-lantern contest and stroll, yard games and fall treats. The morning tour and the borough's pumpkin event fit in the same day.
In Rose Valley, Hedgerow Theatre opens its 2026–27 season with Stephen King's Misery, adapted by William Goldman and directed by Catharine Slusar, running October 14 through November 1. Its fall Studio Series adds Tales from Poe on October 31 and November 1. It runs about 65 minutes and is recommended for ages 10 and up. Misery closes on November 1, the same day Tyler moves to 4 p.m. closing. That makes the last two weeks of October the only time this year when you can walk the sculptures until 6 p.m. and see either Hedgerow show in the same day.
Planning for November and the Rest of the Year
The exhibition's first fall overlaps with a few longer programs. Tyler's Trail Challenge, free to register, asks participants to hike all six trails, 17 miles in total, by December 31. Regular admission still applies for each visit. Family Explorers, a morning program that uses magnifying glasses and other simple tools to look at seasonal nature, meets at 10:30 a.m. on October 31 and on Saturdays through November 28. Both give you a reason to come back as the leaves come down and the Bronze Roots become easier to see from the trails.
Tobin has shown these series outdoors before. In 2023, Houston Botanic Garden placed his Steelroots, Bronze Roots and stainless-steel Clouds along its trails and among its plant collections. Tyler is the first time they've been shown in the area where he grew up.
At Maria Doyle, we pay close attention to how light falls on a room or a facade at different times of day, because that's what makes a listing photo work, and Tobin's Clouds will show the same effect across Tyler's meadows this fall. If you're thinking about how your Media or Rose Valley home would look in its best light, we'd be glad to walk through it with you. Schedule Your Private Consultation.
