Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden - Richmond, VA
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA is a very pretty, compact botanical garden. They offer formal gardens, Japanese gardens, a greenhouse, woodland paths, and a children’s garden.
Gardens
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA offers a variety of gardens to explore.
Fountain Garden
The first garden you see when you leave the admission building is the Fountain Garden. It is an English garden with structured stone paths, flower beds, fountains. One of the fountains had cute frog statues around it. There were many hydrangeas in bloom in this garden during my visit.
Conservatory
On the other side of the Fountain Garden from the entry the Conservatory. The Conservatory is a large green house that looks quite grand and stately from the outside. Inside there are four large rooms: palm room, a cactus and succulent room, and orchid room, and one under construction. The orchis selection was small but pretty. I enjoyed the massive aloe plants and cacti the most.
Rose Garden
If you walk out the side of the greenhouse there is a large field area that leads to the rose gardens. The rose gardens surround an area of gazebos often used for weddings and events. Additionally, the field is used for seating during concerts in the park. The roses were in bloom during my visit.
Asian Valley
The Asian Valley Section is to the side of the visitor building. It has several paths that lead through a relaxing pond area, a Japanese tea garden, and a bamboo cove. This section was lovely, relaxing, and relatively shady with many benches. Irises were in bloom in this section of the gardens. This area overlooks a lake. This section of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens was my favorite.
Woodland Walk
Beyond the Asian Valley and Childrens Gardens there is a Woodland walk area. This has many trees, bushes, and ground vegetation. A stream winds through the woodland area and there are many shady benches along the path.
Children's Garden
If you cross the bridge across the lake there is a children’s garden section. This section includes a small fruit and vegetable learning garden, a splash pad, a sand box, and a large tree house play structure. During my visit this area was the most popular section of the gardens.
Who Goes Here?
Most of the patrons were young couples with small children and elderly couples.
Venue
The facilities all look relatively new and high quality. The overall design is very structured, stately, and well-manicured. I think the overall style of these gardens is much more formal than some, thought customers are welcome to dress casually.
Also, the facilities are very clean, new, and well maintained for the most part. Though the restroom stalls were not quite as clean and nice as the rest of the facilities, but they were OK. Every area appeared well staffed. There were two staffed information and ticket counters in the entry with a gift shop on the side. There were also gardeners tending to the gardens. There were plenty of restrooms available in the visitor center as well as back near the children’s garden.
Additionally, the visitor center has a café available with indoor and outdoor seating. Their menu includes light fair such as soups, salads, and sandwiches. Additionally, they offer a wide variety of special events including concerts throughout the year that have additional food and drink offerings.
Location
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA is on the North side of downtown Richmond. It is close to I-95. There are quite a few shops and restaurants nearby but not within walking distance. There is plenty of free parking available.
Summary
Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. Fortunately, there were quite a few beautiful flower blooming during my visit. I thought the ponds and streams throughout the property were very pretty and relaxing to view. Additionally, the grounds looked well cared for. Moreover, these botanical gardens are on the smaller side and compact so you only need a couple hours to walk though all of them. You could go to an event, so that there is more to do during your visit.
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