This is one of my favorite park in Annandale that I use to frequent more often when living nearby. However, we had a chance to walk around after dinner and even spotted a few deers that night! There's something for everyone from the historical house to the children/demonstration garden with a well kept trail that has beautiful flowers with a gazebo and trails leading to a small pond. Come at different times of the year and see something different with events hosted by FROGS (Friends of Green Spring Gardens) and the Master Gardener Program. read more

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A cute free park garden area to visit! It's peaceful and there's flowers, trail, and pond area to see with a few gazebos. Parking sucks so I parked in a shopping area nearby and walked over. There's also an information building that's nice to visit for its greenhouse, small library, and small exhibits they have. So peaceful! read more

Green Spring Gardens - Pond - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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We still love you, Green Springs, even though you get grumpier every year. See why we call this the no fun park? LOL read more

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IMHO, the term "hidden gem," gets tossed around a bit too often, but in the case of Green Spring Gardens, the phrase may not do this place justice. Residents of the Annandale/Springfield neighborhoods of Fairfax County have known about Green Spring for a while. It isn't the largest facility in the Fairfax County park system, but this place is definitely one of the nicest. There is a "track" or pathway in front of the visitors center, which often serves as a easy exercise path for folks. As other reviewers have noted, Green Spring has multiple areas including a few sections for kids and lots of quiet areas with benches, a small quaint pond, and a nice gazebo. On an unusually warm Autumn day, I was able to snap some photos of majestic Monarch butterflies as they were sunning themselves on some of the striking foliage around the gardens. And speaking of that visitor's center, there are often many educational and interesting programs throughout the year, especially if you have a "budding green thumb" or just enjoy horticulture. Check their website for more info: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring Pre-COVID, I was also a frequent visitor at the historic Manor House on the Green Spring Gardens grounds for their various historical programs.. Built in 1784 by John Moss, the historic Manor House recently started up their afternoon High Tea programs, and I recommend attending one of these programs. Usually these programs are led by a docent, and in addition to "bottomless pots" of tea, there typically are an assortment of finger sandwiches, pastries, and of course, scones with cream and jam. The Afternoon Christmas Teas are super fun and usually book fast: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring/teas Green Spring Gardens is truly one of the hidden gems of the Fairfax County park system. read more

Green Spring Gardens - Monarch butterfly - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Beautiful gardens, flowers and the ponds especially the lotuses are exquisite! There are many places to sit, benches and the gazebos. Good for Seniors. read more

Visited last week even though it was raining there was plenty to do indoors. There is a greenhouse with exotic looking tropical plants and in the library there's actually a decent amount of stuff for kids. My baby enjoyed the blanket, pillows, board books and wooden blocks. There was plenty of parking. When the weather is nicer would be fun to walk outside. It seems pretty stroller friendly. read more

Green Spring Gardens - Cute gosling and nice walking paths - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

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Beautiful place with plenty of room for picnics. Be aware you cannot use a table for your set up. This lady was really rude about my friends & I having a picnic without putting in the "schedule" there is no info online about having to schedule a picnic. & she finished off with "youre going to clean up after yourself right?" As if we were dirty people and wouldn't have the manners to leave a place the way we found it. Point is, she just couldve went about the situation in a more polite manner. It was giving a bit of racism. read more

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We discovered Green Spring Gardens during the pandemic and never stopped going. It is beautiful nearly any time of the year and one of our favorite family gathering spots to calm down, spend time together, and relax in nature. We decided to host our daughter's first birthday here and was lucky enough to receive beautiful 70 degree, sunny weather. Our friends and family loved the location which was centrally located right off the beltway but felt like a hidden oasis. There are several spots to host an event here: their atrium (a bit drab but good for a conference type event), their gazebo by the duck pond, and the white garden gazebo. We held the party in the white garden gazebo which is a short walk from the parking lot and has a little patio for about 40 or so guests. In early spring it is surrounded by tulips of all different colors which delighted all of our guests. The gazebo is tucked into a private area which made our party feel pretty exclusive but it was also adjacent to a large green space that allowed the children to run around to the heart's content. A few things to note: If you want to book it's best to get on the phone and call, they do not return emails. The front desk person can be a bit surly if your guests need to use the bathroom in the atrium. Otherwise, this is the perfect spot for a small wedding or gathering with your friends! read more

Enjoyed our visit on a mild Saturday in early December. Many squirrels were gathering or eating nuts! Several plants were still flowering. Enjoyed the holly bushes and trees. The gardens use QR codes on the woodland walk. They could also use QR codes near the main building and the historic house. Each code would point to a different webpage. read more

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Decent park. If there a fan of flowers it's pleasant. There is a nice trail, but it is nothing challenging. While I appreciate flora, there's nothing on the nearby Botanical Garden. If the county invested more in this, then perhaps I could rate it higher. On a plus note it's a different perspective. The gazebo is fairly relaxing. My guess is the county with good intentions, put this park in the densely populated area for a way to chill. For folks always on the go, I hope this decreases your blood pressure a bit. Parking is never a problem. For people with mobility issues, thank you to the county for this. It's a nice park but far from my favorite. read more

Absolutely beautiful any time of the year. Here's why you might want to go. Spring. blooming flowers and trees. Hummingbirds. Photographers. Fall. Vegetable gardens, flowering bushes. Fall. Colors of fall from all the flowers and buses. See how much things grow over a season. Winter. See what nature looks like when it pulls back to rejuvenate. Anytime. Largest collection of witch-hazel bushes around. Seniors strolling the 1/4 paved track. Children's garden where kids can play and enjoy a good book. Rock Garden, take a class, learn from a master gardener. Walk by the ponds. Enjoy nature. Read the historical marker just outside the park. Plant sales. read more

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Beautiful Place with very friendly staff. Love the various gardens and peaceful environment.

10/8/22 Last time we were here, the park was pretty empty. This was before the name Covid-19 ever existed. Today, however, Covid-19 still exists, but it behind us looking over our shoulders now. I saw people celebrating their wedding here. I saw people celebrating some kind of Native American event. I even saw the celebration of a woman turning 15. I believe this is called Quinceanera and it is a Mexican tradition where the parties can be cheap to extremely expensive. Judging by the dresses and outfits I saw, I am thinking wedding prices in amount of several grand. Walking around the park was pretty chilly at times, but I had my hat on so I was fine. I enjoyed seeing the different colors of the trees and plants growing. I especially enjoyed the tree colors by the great pond. It was very peaceful and I hope to spend more time with my wife this way. read more

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It's important to note that Green Spring Gardens has ties to slavery. The 18th-century brick mansion on the property was the home of a slave owner like many historic mansions in the D.C. area. I'm not saying not go, but do keep this mind as you visit and use it as a reminder to use our power to fight for an equitable system for all. That said, if you go, here are things you may encounter at the gardens now run by Fairfax County as a public park open to all: 1) Gardens: Throughout the park are flowers, vegetable gardens and even a sizeable children's garden. 2) Trails: There are a number of trails throughout the property for joggers, walkers, and dog walkers. Most of the trails are paved making it easier for strollers. 3) Ponds: There are two ponds with benches near it. 4) Places to sit: There's a gazebo, plenty of benches and a large grassy area where people sit with blankets. 5) Stream: Near the pedestrian bridge over the stream is a watering hole that dogs and children can wade in. My toddler LOVED swimming in the shallow creek. read more

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So magical I didn't want to share it. Please don't bring your loud children. This place is solace for a lot of visitors. A garden of zen and reflection. read more

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Cyndy's Bottom Line: Delightful gardens *Knowledgeable docents *Free plant info Check out the website to see what's in bloom by month. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring/blooms Green Spring Extension Master Gardener docents lead garden tours year-round. These knowledgeable, highly-trained guides interpret the gardens, and the plant collections. Home gardeners can learn about top landscape plant choices and plant combinations. General and themed garden tours are available. Register for a scheduled public tour, or arrange a private group tour tailored to your special interests or to a theme such as garden design, trees, seasons, or native plants. read more

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I have to admit I didn't think this place would be worth the 20-25 minute drive from my home, but I was pleasantly surprised. The children's garden is small and doesn't include a playground, but my 3 and 4 year old kids were fascinated by it anyway. They loved the little free library for looking for books, the windchimes, and most importantly, a stack of wood tree slices that they used to every purpose you could imagine, including decorating them and then "selling them" in their store to the parents. After a good hour in the children's garden, we wandered down a path to a bridge over a creek, and then over to a duck pond (which on this particular day, had a goose, 2 turtles, and many fish, but no duck). My kids had a blast running around and around the duck pond, while I glowed at the thought of all the Netflixing I could do tonight because my kids would go to bed early from all this running around. As for us adults, I thoroughly enjoyed all the flowers on display, including many many tulips in season right now. I also wish I had some time to look at the legit vegetable/herb garden, but I was too busy running after the kids! read more

What a hidden gem! I've lived the area my entire life and I can't believe I've overlooked this stunning park. Plenty of walking paths and it's quite scenic. read more

After repeatedly reading on all the kid friendly blogs and instas about green spring gardens, I finally made it over with my toddler. It was a weekday afternoon and sparsely crowded. We loved the pond and spotted several different species of animals. I noticed a few picnics going on, lots of photography. The children's garden, unless I missed something, was very minimal. If my allergies weren't out of control, we would have stayed longer. I'll definitely keep this spot in my back pocket for a great picnic spot! read more

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I had a nice time at a lecture followed by an afternoon tea. Beautiful grounds and manor! read more

Green Spring Gardens - Tea service, and after this we got a scone with cream and jam. - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

First of all this is a huge garden if you have time you can go over the entire garden, flowers in this place are so pretty so it is a good spot to take pictures. But the only backdrop would be the pond, pond wasn't impressive at all, you could visibly see that there's stagnant water. That's the only complain I have about this place, Additionally, parking maybe difficult during weekdays (I'm not sure about other days since I've been there only during weekend)Overall this is good place to by yourself/ with your friends and family/ to take your graduation pictures like I did. read more

Such a beautiful park for walking, relaxing, photos, picnics, you name it! My toddler loves exploring and see the wildlife, bugs, and flowers. The trails are easy to walk on. It's clean and just beautiful! read more

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Beautiful little park, a hidden gem of the community! This little park has everything, beautiful trees and flowers, educational for kids, water area and mini trails to stroll along. Love it! read more

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What a beautiful place for photography! It has so many cute locations for great photo opportunities, I highly recommend this place and its staff. -Giuliana Farrays Photography read more

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Beautiful park with gazebos and an open area for picnics and pictures. My sister has taken prom pictures here and Ive taken some wedding pictures here and theyve turned out great. Theres an area for butterflies and lots of gorgeous flowers to look at with the family. Theres a parking lot but it can get crowded on the weekends. FYI: theres no ball playing read more

I checked this place out while I was waiting for my car to be serviced at a nearby dealership. It's free (though they accept donations) and have a variety of different areas to check out. There's a pond area, an open grass field, a "natural" area with native Virginia plants/trees, and various outdoor exhibits with different themes. They also have an indoor gift shop/information area. I think you can also tour the historic house but it was closed when I was there. I think they also hold classes/workshops so those are probably worth a look if you're a hard core gardener. This place isn't the place for a nature hike but it's worth a look to see a variety of plants/gardens in the middle of suburbia. read more

I am so glad that I found this park on Yelp. I have come here several times with little one to get a breath of fresh air and for her to get a nap in. There's a pond area with geese. Right now there are baby geese so it's adorable to see the babies following their momma. There are also turtles near the gazebo. It's a nice stroll and there's a wooded path that leads up to an open area with an array of plants and flowers. It's such an open area that I am surprised that not more people venture here for a picnic. Lots of benches to sit and relax. It's also a beautiful place to take wedding photos. Just a quick tip: The path around the pond is unpaved so a stroller's wheels may not be built to handle the gravel. read more

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What an amazing oasis and community resource! I lived next to Green Springs for more than a year before I noticed it. Wow was I surprised when I did and sad that I didn't sooner. It's an extremely diverse and lovely park. Not only can you simply soak up the views, they offer a lot of classes and generally doable gardening inspiration. There's an area called "Townhouse Gardens." As in, they did three townhouse backyard garden mockups. WHAT?! So helpful. It's like REAL LIFE PINTREST! It was helpful for me to gain ideas and touch-and-see insight. There are ponds, themed gardens, and a glass house. Not to mention a historic mansion where events (like afternoon tea, sherry tastings, and lectures) are held. Last, but not least, the garden is full of cute, funky, and handmade art. ...checkout the upcycled hanging fish sculptures in the glass house. I was heartbroken (but charmed) when I learned that these features are truly one of a kind and were made by one of the garden's volunteers. Basically, you should go and consider donating while you're there. It's a fabulous community asset. Actually, I lied about being finished: the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable too! You should ask them questions. read more

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Cute, hidden park that wraps around two ponds and contains a horticulture center. The paths are gravel and some are unpaved and go into a little wooden area that leads to the gardens. The gardens are beautiful and contain all kinds of plants that attract butterflies. They seem to hold workshops or classes in the garden in area since it had tools laying around and potted plants. read more

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Green Springs Garden is a beautiful, well-kept Gardens in the northern Virginia area. It's close to major roads but still tucked away so you feel like you are far from the city. There are beautiful trees, flowers, a pond, gazebos, and nice paths to walk down. A great way to spend some peaceful time outside. read more

Green Spring Gardens - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Can't believe I just heard about this hidden gem after one year in DC! Absolutely beautiful. There is a pond with some lotus that you can take good pictures of , though not as in big scale as at Kenilworth. The spring(especially left side of the bridge) is such a nice relaxing spot that I can sit there for hours enjoying the breeze. Not many people even on weekends so it's easy to keep social distance. read more

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Delightful garden with cosy nooks and detailed landscaping all around a central open lawn feature. Seems exceptionally suited to dog-walking and kiddie-outings. Not really a "get away" but quite a nice respite from droll, suburban strip-malls and sterile row-housing. The plants are not of big botanical interest, yet their focus on native pollinators is great for nature (and our latest endangered species: bees). This place is thoughtfully landscaped without those exotic Home Depot plants imported from South America that half your suburban neighbors use. I caught a plethora of happy bees buzzing around thickets of asters, golden rod and jewel weed. There are some whimsical, craft features tucked away here and there, such as a tree of life, artistically-painted rain barrel, and a row of milk-carton birds, all of which tickle the imagination. There's a beautiful pond with lotuses that blossom in the summer. There is a quiet hillside with some shade trees to find. One drawback is insufficient benches on which to sit and relax in the shade. (I think its anathema to Americans to be still and just enjoy nature, they must be on the move, walking or running.) Picnic tables for families, would be nice but, are lacking. I am guessing the park doesn't want to have to deal with trash and vermin as folks don't seem to pick up after themselves. Still, you could try the sole gazebo. At dusk the bats come out to play, swooping all around. They remind you that suburbia has wiped out the diversity of biological life that rightly belongs here, and we, humans, are the paupers for it. Yet this little garden patch helps us find ourselves in nature again, and for that I give it a great decent billing. read more

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I like this place! It's like a mini version of Brookside Gardens in Silver Spring, MD. There are a few walking paths/trails, lots of green open space, pond, tables, etc. This is in addition to many varieties of plants and flowers. You could spend an afternoon here walking around and admiring the sights. It's a relaxing, peaceful place and best thing is that it's FREE! read more

I took grad pictures here for my friend and this garden is so beautiful. There are some mosquitos so i do recommend bringing big spray. But they also have a cute little play area for kids. I would love to come back just to take pics of all the flowers they have blooming. Definitely a great time to go visit. read more

Green Spring Gardens - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Listen!!!! I loves me a beautiful & peaceful garden. I discovered this place while looking for an area to host the greatest girls picnic of all time. (Didn't end up using it btw) but nonetheless this place is great! The trail leading to the pond was a bonus. They have a plant farmers market and live band on some Saturday's. I visited once but I'm not a planter. Everything was for outdoors and I would have like some suggestions on indoor plants. read more

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This "park" is awesome. It's beautifully landscaped and has a bunch of cool things to do and see. When we first got there I wasn't sure if it was a good pick as it seemed to be a bit too mature for my kids (3&4yo), but as we kept walking I saw that it definitely was! There is an outdoor chalkboard that my kids will definitely be taking advantage of next time - just have to remember to bring chalk. The children's garden was very nice, only knocked the rating down a star because there was caution tape on one pole of the entrance to the garden and I couldn't tell if it meant we could still enter or not. Well, we did anyway and I'm glad we did. There was also a little play area near the monarch waystation with a sandpit, blocks, table and chairs and watering cans. We will DEFINITELY be back. Soon. Like, probably tomorrow lol. read more

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This is a wonderful place for all ages. My girls enjoyed using the rainwater barrel to fill up watering cans in the Secret Garden. We walked also to the pond area and saw a mother duck and her babies. The variety of plants and flowers also are a great thing to take in and teach your kids. read more

I love taking a walk around the pond there's so much to see turtles everywhere birds that you can get close to for great picture. I bring my dog to walk around the pond but just be careful I heard their snapping turtles don't let your dog go in the pond read more

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Loved how the garden looked and everything. It was a really nice day as well. We came here since it was the last day we were going to have our dog and we wanted to have a photoshoot with him before we had to say goodbye literally an hour and a half before this happen... a friend had come to do the photoshoot for us.. you know my family was already emotional as it was our dogs last day and a women came up to my friend with an attitude asking if he had a permit.... A permit for what??? To take pictures??? There were like 5 other photographers around the park and not 1 time did I see her go up to them and ask for a permit. Not only that, she interrupted the shoot and basically escorted him to the office to then charge a $25 fee for what to take pictures???? I go on their website and I see nothing about this so called "permit" or that there's a fee for "pictures". Walked around the park and nothing as well. So thanks again lady in the green shirt for interrupting our shoot with our dog. We didn't get to take as many pictures as we had liked to before we had to let him go since we were short on time. I'm never coming here again and I'd watch out before coming here for pictures and photo shoots with your family unless you want a $25 fee. read more

Green Spring Gardens - Supposed "photo fee" - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Stunningly beautiful gardens and expertly-kept park grounds and path make this a very pleasant space to go for a stroll or picnic. The many children's gardens beautiful and engaging. The walk around the ponds is relaxing and easy, and the geese, turtles, and fish delighted both my daughter and me. I love this park and will return often. read more

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