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    Chesapeake Arboretum

    4.1 (27 reviews)

    Chesapeake Arboretum Photos

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    Janice T.

    An unassuming park/arboretum in the middle of a neighborhood that spans quite a distance. There is plenty of parking and one port a potty that I saw. There's a beautiful gazebo, but no seating provided. I visited two days in a row. The first day, it was HOT! Thankfully there is plenty of shade on the trails across the street. But then there were bugs to be expected that were relentless. We were mobile feasts. So like others have mentioned, bring your bug spray in the summer. It ended up raining hard, but because of the canopy of the trees we didn't get drenched. There are a lot of bridges and entrances. At least five near the parking lot and three or four that spill out to the Oak Brooke neighborhood, I too got lost a few times. There are maps peppered throughout the arboretum, to help keep you on track. The trails all somewhat connect to each other, if not you just back track. The access to the lake isn't that wide. The ground is super soft so it's easy on the joints, however one needs to be mindful of the roots and uneven terrain. There is slight elevation, nothing remarkable. I only saw a couple of picnic tables in the trails area itself. Near the the parking lot there are a lot more. Overall, I wouldn't say this is my favorite place to walk. But it is nice and quiet and shaded well. I saw several people walk their dogs on the trails. Dogs are permitted as long as they are on a leash. The trails combined are roughly 3.5 miles. On the second day, we happened to see a master gardener. She was very nice and friendly and showed us the garden and explained some of the herbs and produce planted. It's wonderful to know that they bring whatever is grown to communities that don't have the access to such food. I also didn't realize one could use recyclable mesh bags to grow things in, if you have limited space.

    Best to loop back once you hit the lake
    Sylvie C.

    I went on a hike with a good friend of mine and I absolutely loved visiting. So much so that I failed to take all that many pictures at all. Parking is free and ample across the street from the entrance. I visited right before the trees and flowers began blooming. I have a feeling it looks glorious there now given the weather warming up. I really appreciated how clean the trails were too. No visible trash, dog droppings, or anything. The trails are in loops and hard to get lost in. Well, my friend and I are very directionally challenged so we still got lost. Once you hit the lake, it's time to loop back and every time we did, we somehow managed to end up at the same lake again. Like 3 times!! LOL I'm looking forward to trekking through with my beagles again in the future.

    Shebly K.

    Another great family time visiting the paths and having lunch at the picnic tables! Such a beautiful area to walk around and take in. If you cross the street for the path just don't forget bug spray they are bad during the summer! We love to grab some lunch eat at the picnic tables and them walk and enjoy the nature.

    Outside
    Angela W.

    Chesapeake Arboretum is quite small. The farmhouse was closed. However, the grounds and flowers were well kept. Not a lot of parking spaces. The trails for hiking is across the street.

    Morgan L.

    This place really is a hidden gem. The area of the arboretum itself is fairly small. There's a really nice gazebo and a few benches and tables that make for a nice area to have a picnic. It's nestled in between a quiet little suburb area and across the street is a hiking trail that I've never been down. I like to go here to play games like Pokémon Go or Wizards United as it's a nice little hot spot for those games. But the grounds are well kept and it's a great outdoor area to take a pet and just enjoy pretty flowers and trees.

    Carissa K.

    I thought I was familiar with just about every park in Hampton Roads as I have made it my duty to seek and find them all. So I was pleasantly surprised the other day when a fellow Yelper checked-in to the Chesapeake Arboretum. What is this? A hiking spot I am not yet acquainted with? This is why I love Yelp and am checking my feed continuously: to be introduced to places I might never discover otherwise. The first stop as you arrive is the amply spaced parking lot. According to the map, this is where the Caleb Williamson Farmhouse is along with some port-a-johns and special gardens. I did not check out this section today as I had my dog, Bug, along for the hike; I will be sure to do so next time. Additionally, there are some poop bag dispensers in the parking lot so be sure to grab one if you need it before heading to the trails. Across the street are where the trails are located; the road is not super busy and there are a couple of crosswalks so it's fairly safe crossing. The arboretum is 48-acres and has been at this current location since 1996. There are several trail maps throughout the area but I found it a bit confusing. It seemed like there were more trails than the map shows. Suffice it to say, if you walk all of the trails and little side paths, you will get in a decent hike. The left (north) side of the trails were far less crowded than the right (south). In fact, I think we encountered only one person on that section as opposed to several on the other. The trails are fairly flat but be careful for tree stumps. I think it would make a great area for trail runs as long as there aren't too many people to maneuver around. There are lots of bridges and benches throughout to keep things interesting. The arboretum is bordered by homes (how cool would it be to live behind this amazing spot and go hiking every day?!) so you are not fully ensconced in the woods, but it's still a real gem to find in the city. Come check out the Chesapeake Arboretum and enjoy some time walking through a mature hardwood forest--nothing is better for soothing the soul.

    Avery N.

    Perfect area to go on a picnic, there was alot of shade, so it's enjoyable even on hot days. There was also alot of maps throughout the trails. Also a great area to take photo's in because of the pretty trees. The only downfall was that there was only some parking spots, not alot.

    Sharon T.

    They have a 300 year old house and they supply all the trees for the whole city of Chesapeake. There are many snakes, deer and many animals. This place is also used for scientific purposes to test the water for the habitat . They lost 67 trees because of hurricane Matthew. They get their trees from the department of agriculture. They have just 50 acres of land and have about 135 species of trees. The Williamson mccoys family started it all. Caleb Williamson and family built the house and the property. It was in 1996 the place was donated. There are 45 acres of walking trails, lakes and wild life. Many benches were built from the pecan trees that were blown down from hurricane. This is an amazing place for field trips and a very educational experience. The people here were so generous to educate us about the place and we got to tour their garden as well. They have many volunteers and people that work here that keep this place running. They invest their time in making sure they maintain the outdoors. The trails are a must and it is a memorable experience in getting a taste of nature and the outdoors. There are many bridges on the trails. Unfortunately one was restricted. There are markings on the trees to indicate what color trail u would be hiking. We walked the white and yellow trail. I enjoyed the education experience. Seeing their ginkgo trees, fig trees and pecan trees had me learning more about the habitat and our ecosystem. My kids loved picking up leaves and finding interesting bugs and caterpillars. It's a nice serene location, a lot more smaller than the botanical gardens but nice place for nature exploring

    Nature trail!
    Destiny P.

    Perfect date spot if you and your partner love nature. It has lots of shade so you can come here even if it's really hot. There's also lots of maps throughout the trail so you will never get lost.

    Kathryn M.

    A true hidden gem in Chesapeake! There's a large parking lot. The trails are perfectly marked. There are several bridges within the trails and even many benches and picnic tables in case you want to have a picnic. I came here with my 4 year old after being snowed in for several days and it was much needed for both he and I. I even saw several people with their dogs! I'm sure they loved it! Even though it was cold the hiking kept you warm. I probably wouldn't want to come in the summer; it's probably sweltering and full of mosquitos. Anyway...GREAT FIND!

    Trail map
    Mark D.

    A hidden gem in Chesapeake! Trails: Clean, well groomed with plenty of wood chips making it a comfortable walk or run. There are also numerous benches and plant descriptions making it a great get-a-way for a picnic or enjoying the outdoors. Parking: More than enough room for visitors across the street from the trails. Overall: The trails are a little on the small size. I think the longest is 1.1mi so I have to give 4 Stars.

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    9 years ago

    Very well-maintained park. Plenty of picnic tables IN THE SHADE. There are hiking trails as well.

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    Ask the Community - Chesapeake Arboretum

    Review Highlights - Chesapeake Arboretum

    There's a really nice gazebo and a few benches and tables that make for a nice area to have a picnic.

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    Oak Grove Lake Park

    Oak Grove Lake Park

    4.6(93 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    Free Parking. Porta Potties available. This park has a cement walk way leading up to the…read moreplayground, porta potty, and a picnic area that would be great for wheelchairs. This park is great for adults, kids and dogs. The views are of a crystal clear lake NO swimming and NO boating. Plenty of trees. Great for bird watching. They have a nice size children's playground. Covered picnic tables throughout the park. a few fitness stations on the 1 1/2 mile hike. VERY easy loop hike. Starts out with a cement trail and turns into fine gravel trail around the lake. Lots of people running, kids playing and dogs walking. My favorite thing I found a bench dedicated to their sweet dog Savanna. And they offer doggy poop bags. Encouraging a nice clean park. Nice easy walk and if you time it right there are a lot of great places in that area to eat and a nice shopping area

    Nice little natural trail around a lake. It is about 1.5 miles for one rotation around the lake…read more There is paved parking lot for the park and there a relative decent sized playground for kids to play at. Only portapotty available for bathroom facilities which I guess is normal for the smaller parks in the area. The path is clean and nice but there are bicycles and other wheeled vehicles sharing the walking path. There were birds using the lake but I didn't see any sign of any fish or life in the lake so I am not sure if there are fish or anything else in the lake. I went to the right to start my walk and I am not sure if that was the wrong way but it seemed everyone was going the other way or it was just that I didn't catch up to anyone ahead of me so it looked like I was the only one walking my way. I took my walk on a supposed warm day but the weather changed and it was a little cold so I had to walk a little quicker than expected. There were people jogging the path, walking their dogs, and just sitting by the lake. There are lots of wooden pierlike structures that get you close to the water but like I said before, no signs of fish as far as I could see.

    Photos
    Oak Grove Lake Park - Mile post markers

    Mile post markers

    Oak Grove Lake Park
    Oak Grove Lake Park - Bald eagle!

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    Bald eagle!

    Chesapeake City Park

    Chesapeake City Park

    4.7(66 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    I took the grandkids out for a little adventure at Chesapeake City Park near the corner of…read moreKempsville Road and Greenbrier Parkway. They keep this place well maintained and the kids had a great time playing on the swings, and other equipment.

    Came here on a Sunday afternoon on a nice day in VA. It was about 15 minutes away from the hotel…read more My first impression was damn that's a huge flag! Then, I was like, where do I park? I ended up parking near the basketball courts. There were many people at the park but there was still lots of available parking around. I saw people playing basketball, soccer, kites, football, etc. I was surprised they had a horse shoe court that looked like they could have a tournament as there were so many lanes. I walked through the park at first, walked to the dog park, then the pond, then circled back to the forest playground, which was huge! If my kids were little they would have loved this place! They had a stage that could have a small outdoor concert. After checking out the kids' playground, I went for a full walk around the park and realized there were 9-11 memorials, military gold star family memorials, and other patriotic displays along with huge flag in the middle of the park. There were areas to have picnics, exercise areas, and lots of open space for pets and kids and any outdoor activities. There were two bathroom areas at opposite sides of the park. One near the kids playground and the other near the skate park. I did about 1.5 loops around the park before leaving. I didn't like that there were people smoking weed in their cars and the smell was pretty strong. But overall the park is nice and perfect for family outings and a day out in the sunshine.

    Photos
    Chesapeake City Park - Sarah all smiles !!!

    Sarah all smiles !!!

    Chesapeake City Park
    Chesapeake City Park - Display train

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    Display train

    Paradise Creek Nature Park

    Paradise Creek Nature Park

    4.1(17 reviews)
    5.4 mi

    This is a hidden gem. It is small. About 2 miles of Loop trails. Gravel and dirt paths. Trails have…read moreviews of trees, wildflowers, birds, very small marsh, and a bridge. Super Easy hike, great for people of all ages, dogs, and runners. The extras I love about this park is they have structures built out of natural materials. I will include pictures. They also have colorful art in random areas on the paths. I included a couple of pictures of that too. The paths are VERY well marked. It is impossible to get lost. They have a HUMONGOUS American ELm and near there is a small secret path area that is more like the hiking that I prefer. It is always nice to explore. They also have a kayak area with a kayak ramp. They have a little playground. Next to the playground is a covered area that they hold lectures. There is a picnic table area. They have 2 porta potties. There is a couple of buildings on site but they were not open so I'm just mentioning them. Parking was fantastic. There were quite a few vehicles when were showed up but we saw a few people but it did not seem that busy. So this is a win for us. We walked it a couple of times just to make sure we saw it all and like I said super easy hike. If your in the area check it out

    A perfect day for a family adventure!!! Rock collecting, dandelions a picking and meeting new…read morefriends at the park! There's plenty of things to do! Different hiking routes and a kayak landing area! They have plenty of benches around the trail to take a little breather. Parking area available. Pet friendly, just make sure you pick up after your fur baby. They do have poop baggies available at the entrance.

    Photos
    Paradise Creek Nature Park - Kayak ramp

    Kayak ramp

    Paradise Creek Nature Park - They have lots of wildflowers

    They have lots of wildflowers

    Paradise Creek Nature Park - There are choke berries everywhere

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    There are choke berries everywhere

    Pagoda & Garden Foundation - Lights camera action!

    Pagoda & Garden Foundation

    4.3(32 reviews)
    8.0 mi

    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

    Photos
    Pagoda & Garden Foundation - One of thee best photography spots in Norfolk

    One of thee best photography spots in Norfolk

    Pagoda & Garden Foundation
    Pagoda & Garden Foundation - Statue at entrance

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    Statue at entrance

    Williams Farms Park

    Williams Farms Park

    4.6(5 reviews)
    9.3 mi

    Initially, before I even visited this park my thoughts were, it's just a simple huge field with a…read moreflat path. Well I was wrong in a sense. Clearly it is a simple roundabout flat paved circuit, but it's so much more than that to many different people. One, it's great for me because I'm not supposed to navigate uneven terrain yet. There was plenty of real estate to do my walk and give the regenerated ankle some exercise. I didn't walk around the elementary school nearby, just the path immediately that encompasses the bathroom. That path alone twice was a little over 2 miles roughly. The park is perfect if you have well behaved dogs. Plenty of room for Fido to run around. There were several people with their dogs walking. I saw a man run his remote controlled car through the field and walkways, a kid and his parental vision ride across on a dirt bike, and a man and his little kid on his atv. You name it! The field is massive you really won't run into anyone because of the amount of space! There were several soccer goals out there too. I'm sure this a perfect place for Impromptu soccer games and football games, they probably even hold games there. There isn't many benches, I saw at least one aside from the ones in the two mini shelters. There isn't a lot of shade so if you want to get some sun this a good place. There are trees along parts of the path for partial shade. I feel this would be a good place to teach kids how to ride a bike, or to cruise on a skateboard. Close to the parking lot they have outdoor exercise equipment provided by AARP that is protected by sun shades which is wonderful! I got on the elliptical bike for a minute or so and did step ups on the various level platforms. It's a good resource for anyone really! I think it's great and I'm thankful that it's available for anyone to use. Super smart as well to place sun shades up high to protect people from the sun as well as to protect the longevity of the equipment. Bathrooms are close to the parking lot with water fountains.

    We love walking around this park!!! The easy path has bikers, runners, walkers, many strollers, and…read morefolks in the grass playing football or soccer or airplanes. Our dog loves running around. We are bummed that they locked up the back fence to the neighborhood. It was perfect and easy access on our walks. There is a clean restroom and water fountain. There are places for people to bbq. There is a little playground area for different ages of elementary kids to play at Diamond Springs ES. They also have basketball courts. They provide doggy bags & trash receptacles around the track. Very nice area. The only downfall is the damn geese. Who can we sell these geese to?! They're awful and they poop EVERYWHERE. So nasty.

    Photos
    Williams Farms Park - Track

    Track

    Williams Farms Park
    Williams Farms Park - The sky and view of the park

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    The sky and view of the park

    Chesapeake Arboretum - parks - Updated May 2026

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