Written by Brandy Centolanza
Local gardens offer plenty of opportunities for families to get active outdoors.
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Lewis Ginter Garden in Richmond also has a children’s garden where kids are invited to get up close and personal and touch, smell and taste what is around them. This area features an herb and vegetable garden that is part of a program called “Drop In and Dig” which allows children to actively participate in the planting, watering, harvesting and composting of the garden. Another popular program is “Kid Quest,” a scavenger hunt that enables kids and their parents to discover and learn more about the different plants on the grounds. In the children’s garden, little ones can also climb a tree house, read in the grass or create masterpieces in the “Stickworks Studio” using natural materials.
“A lot of our activities here are self-guided activities,” says Kelly Riley, children’s education coordinator for Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. “We provide loose materials and items for kids to manipulate themselves. We think it’s important for them to learn through self-created experiences, through creative play.”
Admission: $11 adults, $7 children; café on site; more info: lewisginter.org
Maymont
In addition to the beautiful garden landscaping, Maymont is home to a children’s farm with a feeding and petting area as well as a nature center with birds, fish and other marine life, so families not only can enjoy discovering new plants and flowers, but new animals as well.
“The emotional and mental benefits that children gain from being connected to nature are often forgotten,” says Kate Quarles, manager of environmental education at Maymont. “Kids learn by doing. Kids learn by experiencing. When a child is exploring an abandoned bird nest they found outside, they can use many of their senses. Whereas looking at a bird’s nest on the computer screen, they just use their sight. Many of the technologies of today minimize or eliminate the need for a child to use his or her imagination. The natural world embraces imagination. I strongly believe that the use of imagination can only improve problem solving skills and creativity.”
Young children can learn more about reptiles, birds and gardening during nature programs at Maymont planned later this spring, and families can also come out and hike the grounds. A popular annual family Easter celebration is also scheduled for April 7.
Admission: free, with monetary donations accepted at various locations; café on site; more info: maymont.org
Norfolk Botanical Garden
This 155-acre garden is home to thousands of plants and holds numerous individual themed gardens.
“We also have 12 miles of paved pathways, so it is a great place to get fit while enjoying the beauty of nature,” says Kelly Dierberger, public relations manager.
Here, families can find an entire section geared toward helping children discover nature. In the World of Wonders (WOW) Children’s Garden, boys and girls can learn about plants, cultures and habitats found on each of the continents, climb a tree house, plant seeds, play in the dirt, and hunt for bugs.
“It’s a great place to connect with nature,” says Dierberger.
Bike Nights return in April, allowing families to bring their bicycles into the garden and “pedal through the petals,” and in May, the garden will host an Eagle Festival full of family activities celebrating the eagles that are nesting on the grounds. Adult fitness classes are also available on site.
Admission: $9 adults, $7 children; café on site; more info: norfolkbotanicalgarden.org
Williamsburg Botanical Garden
The third Saturday of each month is devoted to nature programs for children ages 5-15 and their families. Spring topics include gardening and planting and bird identification with future programs on recycling and reusing natural materials, butterflies and bugs, and identifying plants and flowers in the works. Tours of the garden are also available, and families are encouraged to come out and visit on their own.
“Exposing children to their natural environment at an early age not only benefits them mentally, but physically and psychologically as well,” says Angela Cingale, a Master Gardener who volunteers with the garden. “They learn about the cycle of life as well as reaping the benefits from eating healthy food.”
Williamsburg Botanical Garden is situated in Freedom Park in James City County. Come tour the garden, then picnic with the family and explore Freedom Park’s various walking and bicycle trails, as well as a brand new interpretive center. County supervisors also recently approved a zipline that will bring some additional outdoor adventure.
Admission: free; picnic tables on site; more info: williamsburgbotanicalgarden.org