Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, VA

Photo: Photograph taken by Terren Peterson ( Terren Peterson ), CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorDate NightFamily FavoriteOutdoor Adventure

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

1800 Lakeside Ave · Richmond, VA

Why you should go…

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden grew from the bequest of Richmond philanthropist Grace Arents, who named it for her uncle, and was founded in 1984 as a community nonprofit garden. Today you can wander more than a dozen themed garden areas across 82 acres, including a Children's Garden and a kitchen garden that grows produce for area food banks. Inside the expanded Conservatory, the Butterflies Bloom exhibit runs all year, and winter brings the GardenFest of Lights.

  • #botanical garden
  • #conservatory
  • #butterfly exhibit
  • #holiday lights
  • #gardens

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, ordered by straight-line distance.

  • Museums
    Free

    Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

    Free

    Browse a state-run art museum with free general admission, from ancient and African art to Fabergé's Imperial Easter eggs.

    4.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums
    History Buff

    American Civil War Museum

    Under $25

    Two floors of Civil War exhibits and artifacts on the grounds of the old Tredegar Iron Works beside the James River.

    6.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Virginia Tourism Corporation

    Free

    Virginia's official state tourism agency, promoting travel across the commonwealth from its Richmond headquarters.

    6.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Jamestown Settlement

    Under $25

    Board full-size replicas of the 1607 ships, explore a recreated James Fort and Powhatan village, and see 17th-century artifacts.

    47 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Historic Jamestowne

    $25–$50

    Walk the site of the 1607 James Fort, see the 17th-century church tower and watch archaeologists at work.

    47 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Colonial Williamsburg

    $25–$50

    Walk an 18th-century capital where costumed interpreters work trades and restored buildings line Duke of Gloucester Street.

    49 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing