Such a great place! Any time of the year! Heaven on earth!!…read more A yearly must attend! If we are at the OBX, a trip to the Elizabethan Gardens is on the calendar!

My 5-year-old has talked about the Gardens for two years now, impatiently waiting to go back. We…read morewere able to this year again! It is such a beautiful place, with a cute fairy hunt for the kiddos. I was hoping to take a little more time looking at things again, but kiddos Looking forward to visiting every time we come back to OBX.

Cute and tucked away! I had a frog hop on my foot here. It's serene and pretty!…read more I really enjoy the little park down the road. If you go into the woods, you feel like you're really somewhere else and don't have a main road a few feet away.

What a beautiful, calm & serene garden that's a beautiful reminder of friendship & forgiveness…read more This park is a must visit when the azaleas are in bloom. I especially love the pollinator garden and seeing them buzz around.

The Garden was mentioned in a book that I'm currently reading "Virginia 100 Best Places to Visit"…read more According to the book the Garden is 175 acres of gardens. We get a membership annually and it is most certainly worth it. I love the many different gardens. You can walk the gardens everyday and find something new each trip. They offer classes, have activities and they even have a butterfly garden. They do not currently have a restaurant but they have visiting food trucks. I inquired. about the restaurant and was advised that they are hoping to open the restaurant in the fall.

This place is beautiful but crazy expensive. There isn't a whole lot of walking grounds for how…read moremuch it is for the tickets. A lot of the paved paths had serious drainage issues causing 1-2 inches of water build up when it rains and a huge construction site for the new greenhouse was definitely making it less worth the trip. Paying $21 per ticket (which would have been more expensive without the student discount, online ordering discount, and weekday discount) on top of the fact that everything in the gift shop wasn't even remotely worth the price ($40 adult T-shirt and $30 for toddler ). I would have actually gotten something from the gift shop or came here more if it was cheaper- why make it so expensive if you would actually make more money overall from it being cheaper

I can't recommend The Fred enough. We held our wedding here in September 2025. It's nestled in a…read morequiet, cozy area of Ghent, and we loved the natural gardens for our photos. Their pricing was also perfect for our tight budget. We felt so lucky finding this gem. Eleise was wonderful. She always answered emails or made herself available when I wanted to visit the venue twice more after signing the contract. We had just under 50 guests, and the space worked beautifully for the romantic and intimate setting we wanted. We had an outdoor ceremony and used both the indoor and outdoor spaces for our cocktail hour and reception. The only thing I wish had been different was being allowed to set up a little bit the day before. I was told it wasn't permitted due to past negative experiences. We were able to rehearse our outdoor ceremony the day before, but didn't have access to the indoor space. Because of that, there was a lot to do on the wedding day, and my crew simply didn't have enough time to get everything done. That wasn't The Fred's fault, I should've delegated things a little better and asked for more help. Looking back, even a couple of hours the day before just to walk through the space with my planning team and place stickies around the place explaining my vision would have helped tremendously. Just something to consider when choosing your venue.

I've been here many events ago and recently had my own event here. The guy running the place is…read morealways nice and accommodating. The center is in the beautiful part of the Ghent area. I wish they can do something about the landscaping because It looks like big bushy weeds growing everywhere but I'm sure that's part of the "look" For the inside there are 2 floors you can make use of that includes a kitchen on the first floor. The center itself is spacious and for what I needed it for, it fit the need. The place is dated and could need some major remodeling.

The Virginia Zoo is a great way to spend a few hours with the family. If you are local to Hampton…read moreRoads I highly suggest purchasing one of their memberships. The zoo offers discounted tickets to special events for members and even has an event where you can bring your dog! I really enjoy that this zoo offers plenty of different species of animals and wide open areas for kids to explore. A train is normally running and the exhibits have wide trails with plenty of viewing platforms and windows. The staff is always friendly and they have a robust gift shop. I haven't personally ever tried their food but they offer a few cafes and dipping dots throughout the park.

I was extremely eager to finally come to the zoo. It's been years since I've visited one. I came…read morehere on a Friday with my son, who was also excited to see animals for the first time. There were many children, which looked like they were on a school trip. Before coming, I searched the zoo's website and found out they had admission discounts for whomever had Medicaid. It stated that admission price was $7. Of course, they had to ID you to see if your name matched the card. To my surprise, admission was just $4.95, which was a steal. I brought in food and water for my son and I, as most people did. First stop was the Fountain Plaza, where I had to figure out which way I wanted to maneuver. I went left to Asia and Africa trails, as my son wanted to view tigers, lions, giraffes, and monkeys. Each exhibit had 1 or 2 animals. Very bare. The monkeys had 3 the most. Not too many animals were active, which is understandable because this is their normal wild habitat. I was expecting to see my favorite animal, the elephant. Apparently, they are no longer there, as well as gorillas. I enjoyed the giraffes, rhinos, and zebras in Africa. They had the most energy. The cheetah and lion were off the exhibit that day. Following those trails, my son wanted to ride on the train. It is $3/rider. They have a strict policy of having all hands and feet at all times during the ride. This all took 2hrs. I didn't bother checking the other side of the park because it was starting to drizzle. This zoo was just ok to do something with your kids so that they can get acquainted with various animals from other parts of the world or just a date. I've been to better zoos, it was just so bare. Be prepared for lots of walking, so bring water.

This was such a peaceful and unexpectedly lovely little stop…read more I pass this place all the time on Diamond Springs Road and have been curious about it for a while, so after an appointment, I finally decided to stop -- and I'm really glad I did. I had Lexi with me, the weather was beautiful, and it ended up being the perfect little walk for both of us. What I really liked is that this isn't just a place to look at flowers -- it's actually a really interesting garden and educational space. There were different themed sections throughout the property, including things like water-wise trails, native plant areas, perennial gardens, and herb/plant displays, which made it feel more interactive than just a basic garden walk. Everything was very well kept and thoughtfully laid out. It felt quiet, peaceful, and like a great place to just slow down for a bit. I also appreciated that it was dog-friendly, which made it even more enjoyable for me since Lexi got to come along too. I also loved learning that it's maintained through the Virginia Beach Master Gardeners / Virginia Tech Agricultural Research & Extension Center, because you can really tell there's a lot of care put into it. This was actually my first arboretum/garden stop in Virginia, and it definitely made a great first impression. If you enjoy plants, gardening, nature, or just finding little local hidden gems, this is absolutely worth checking out. Very peaceful, very pretty, and a nice little local gem. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area and want a quiet, scenic walk that feels both relaxing and educational.

Loved visiting this quaint garden with my fiancée. It was surprisingly larger than I expected and…read morehad a wide variety of trees and other plants! There were plenty of places to sit and this could be a nice spot to have an outdoor lunch outside.

I came here after going to a sports card show in Norfolk. It wasn't a planned visit but I was just…read morelooking for something interesting to look at since I had a lot of free time and the weather was nice on Saturday. I thought it would be a lot larger but the spot is quite small but it is very nice to walk around. There are also lots of nice areas adjacent to the garden and terrace as well. I parked in front of the garden went around it and then found the USS Wisconsin and the Naval museum just past the garden. I went around and finished checking out the other side of the garden after. The parking was free for 2 hrs in front of the garden and it seemed like parking in general was plentiful and open this weekend. It looked like college dormitories around the garden and some other residential areas around the middle of downtown Norfolk. There were many nice plants in the garden, the terrace was nice but not open as far as I could tell, and the koi pond was nice if someone would clean out the pond scum from the fish pond. There were small bridges over the water and multiple water fountains in the koi pond. There were a few benches to sit on if you wanted to just relax or meditate in the garden. Overall, it was a nice garden but it is not something to go downtown to see, but it is a nice additional thing to see if you are going to the USS Wisconsin and the Naval museum or if you staying in downtown area. Lots of people were exercising (walking and jogging) so it is a nice scene to pass by if you are doing that.

Great spot to walk around. There's ice cream inside too! Very yummy. Beautiful day to explore.read more

The Holiday Lights at Virginia Beach were a fun and festive activity, especially for the season…read more The drive-through experience was nice and long, with plenty of lights to enjoy right along the boardwalk--it definitely put us in the holiday spirit. Before entering, they offer hot chocolate, popcorn, and cookies for purchase. While it was convenient, I wasn't expecting the food prices to be so high, especially since the drive-through tickets were already in the $30-$50 range. That part was a little surprising. One cool touch was the dedicated radio station you can tune into while driving through, which synced music with the lights and made the experience more enjoyable overall. Despite the added cost, it was still a fun holiday outing and something different to do if you're looking to enjoy seasonal lights in the area.

It's kinda a VB tradition for many families, but ours prefers Norfolk Botanical Gardens…read more It's pricey, but kids like that you can drive on the boardwalk and see lights. It took our family over an hour one night and around 45 another arriving at dusk. Honestly I don't recommend if you gone before. It's always the same. However we had guest in town and it's something to do. 2.5 and I guess rounding up.