This 1930s Botanical Paradise in Virginia Has 60 Themed Gardens & a Boating Canal

Norfolk Botanical Garden

Norfolk Botanical Garden isn’t just another pretty face – it’s 175 acres of pure plant paradise that started as a WPA project back in 1938, when 200 Black women and 20 Black men carved it out of the swamp.

Today it’s packed with 60 themed gardens, from massive rose collections to chill spots under ancient oaks. Here’s everything waiting for you in one of the most beautiful corners of Virginia.

This Rose Garden Has Over 250,000 Blooms In Summer

The three-acre Bicentennial Rose Garden opened in 1976 and now holds over 2,155 rose plants in 299 varieties. When you visit between May and October, you’ll see more than 250,000 blooms in their full glory.

This garden is special enough to be one of only 130 All-American Rose Selections Display Gardens nationwide and even got featured on a U.S. Postal Stamp in 2020. The garden stays beautiful thanks to volunteers who put in 140 hours of work in a single year.

Watch Butterflies From Egg To Flying Adult

Step into the seasonal Butterfly House and watch butterflies at every stage of life from tiny eggs to crawling caterpillars to hanging chrysalides to flying adults. Around this house, the 2.5-acre Bristow Butterfly Garden gives these creatures everything they need with special areas like a swallowtail nursery, nectar garden, and butterfly bush collection. T

he garden even helps track monarch butterflies through the Monarch Watch program as they get ready to fly all the way to Mexico.

A Japanese Garden In Virginia

Take a break in the Japanese Garden with its carefully placed plants, peaceful water features, and beautiful stones. When you get hungry, the Marigold and Honey Café offers spots to sit both indoors and outdoors right in this calm setting.

Make sure to check out Virginia’s only public Bonsai Display that started in 2009. You’ll see all kinds of styles from traditional Japanese designs to more natural looks. During summer they bring out amazing tropical trees and even rare bulbous succulents you won’t see anywhere else.

The Tower Where You Can See The Whole Garden

Head up to the NATO Tower Overlook with its massive redwoods and blue atlas cedars for a view of the whole garden. From this spot in the middle of everything, you can see the colorful Flowering Arboretum, bright Matson Garden, formal Renaissance Court, and winding canals throughout the property.

The tower got its name to honor NATO’s North American headquarters in Norfolk. Around the tower, plants that need less water show how gardens can work with nature rather than against it.

The Garden’s Seasonal Beauty

No matter when you visit, you’ll find something colorful. Spring brings walls of blooming azaleas, summer shows off blue and pink hydrangeas, fall offers rich changing colors, and winter reveals the beautiful shapes of the garden.

Some of the magnolias and rhododendrons you’ll see are 80 years old, among the oldest in Virginia. Don’t miss the Hofheimer Camellia Garden with one of the biggest camellia collections in the region, showing off more than 500 different types.

A Garden That Looks Like Old Italy

Feel like you stepped into 1500s Italy when you walk through the Renaissance Garden with its perfect geometric patterns. Lion fountains guard peaceful reflecting pools, surrounded by plants arranged in mirror images and classical statues that represent the four seasons.

Created in 1994, this garden stands out from the more natural areas in other parts of the garden. The main Vista pulls your eye along carefully planned sight lines that bring that old European feeling right to Virginia.

Take A Tram, Boat, Or Just Walk Around

Choose how you want to explore. Ride the free tram for a 25-minute tour with narration that stops at seven spots throughout the garden. From April through October, you can pay extra for a 45-minute boat tour through the canal system and Lake Whitehurst to see everything from the water.

If you prefer walking, there are 12 miles of paved trails with plenty of benches when you need a rest. Most paths work fine for wheelchairs and strollers too.

The Garden Runs On 100% Clean Energy

Norfolk Botanical Garden shows how to care for our planet by using 100% renewable energy. The Baker Hall Visitor Center has solar panels that cut down on energy costs in a big way.

Coming in late 2025, the new Perry Conservatory will show off four different climate zones including a tropical rainforest and desert areas. This modern facility will help protect threatened plant types like cycads, conifers, and cacti that need our help to survive.

Everything You Need To Know Before You Go

Norfolk Botanical Garden welcomes you at 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, VA 23518. It’s open every day from 9am to 5pm.

• Tickets cost: Adults $21, Seniors/Military/Students $19, Children (3-12) $16, Kids under 3 get in free. Members, AHS, NARM, and Medicaid cardholders also enter free

The garden is growing with the Garden of Tomorrow project, so you might wait for parking on busy weekends. Food trucks serve lunch most afternoons, and a new farm-to-table bistro will open in late 2025.

Located right by Norfolk International Airport with plenty of free parking, the garden makes for an easy day trip while you’re in the area.