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    Green Spring Gardens

    4.4 (74 reviews)

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    Monarch butterfly
    James L.

    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.

    Cute gosling and nice walking paths
    Grace H.

    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.

    Samantha M.

    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.

    Flower in greenhouse
    Mark H.

    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.

    Flower
    J Warren R.

    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.

    10/8/22
    John F.

    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.

    Austin G.

    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.

    Everyone's favorite tree
    Gabrielle C.

    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.

    Cyndy K.

    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.

    Laura W.

    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!

    Tea service, and after this we got a scone with cream and jam.
    Lisa M.

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

    This is one of our favorite parks to explore! So beautiful and so much nature to explore for the little ones.
    Jessica H.

    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!

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

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    Green Spring Gardens Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Green Spring Gardens

    I want to take my baby here. Is this place stroller friendly?

    Dogs allowed? I'm visiting from NH and love gardens but she has to stay with me.

    Yes. On leash. (FAIRFAX County rule). You'll see lots of other dogs with their owners there.

    Are their kids birthday party packages? If so what is the age range?

    View All 5 Questions

    Review Highlights - Green Spring Gardens

    There are 22 small themed areas, such as a children's garden, townhouse sized gardens and a gazebo.

    Mentioned in 13 reviews

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    The Gardens at Del Ray - Bark Park

    The Gardens at Del Ray

    4.1(16 reviews)
    5.1 miDel Ray

    I have been living at the Gardens for three years now, and I would like to commend Property Manager…read moreRobin Moody for her hard work and dedication to the residents. People can sometimes be demanding, but Robin consistently rises to the occasion with professionalism, patience, and care. She, along with Alex, Roxanna, and Blanca, work tirelessly to keep the Gardens a wonderful place to live. Their efforts truly make a difference, and I am very grateful for all that they do!

    A terrible place to live if you work from home, or just want a quiet afternoon. They use multiple…read more90-decibel, gas-powered leaf blowers 3-5 days a week, year-round. So much for their corporate "sustainability pledge" -- it feels like a complete joke. The workers are sent out with loud leaf blowers and no apparent hearing protection, while the equipment kicks up pollen, dust, and fungus spores along with heavy gas fumes. It's unpleasant for residents and unnecessarily harmful to the environment. This has been going on for years. Robin Moody, the property manager has been nonresponsive to all concerns. Moreover, Alexandria has enacted a ban on the use of these loud, gas-powered leafblowers. A lot of the times, the workers are patrolling completely empty sidewalks. When there are a few leaves, they could easily be cleaned up with a broom or a rake. The manager has spent some funds to have murals painted on some of the buildings, she could also spend money to acquire leaf blowers that are in compliance with the law, and also ensure that the landscaping contractors are in compliance, too. This should have been resolved long ago, especially given Borger Properties' sustainability pledge.

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    Weight Room

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    The Pampered Garden

    The Pampered Garden

    3.9(7 reviews)
    7.5 miFoxhall

    We tried several different companies with limited to no success and then one day I saw Amy and crew…read moreworking on a townhouse in Woodley Park. I snapped a picture of their contact info and called Amy later. Unfortunately for us we are just outside of their service area but, fortunately for us, after explaining how many people I had tried she agreed to help us out. We are very lucky she did! The Pampered Garden has a gift for seeing what is possible, genuine care for you and your garden and responsive communication. We highly recommend them.

    I rarely take the time to write reviews for products or services unless they are utterly…read moreexceptional or outright horrible. In the Fall of 2017 I had to redesign a large roof terrace and needed a wow factor end result. I contacted 3 very large DC based Landscaping Contractors to provide a new design for plantings, irrigation repairs, and eventually a maintenance contract. The first vendor proposed that I replace the same existing plantings that had died, the 2nd vendor proposed replacing the same existing plantings with the addition of a few new patches of Annual plantings (like pansies). The Pampered Garden was the only Contractor that supplied me with an extensive re-design with all new plantings to include annuals and perennials. To reduce the cost they proposed relocating existing thriving plants to other areas. The Owner (Amy) came to the site, stayed for about 2 hours to take pictures, soil samples, determine shade/sun areas, and discuss budget and ways to maximize perennial plantings with splashes of annual plantings. The Pampered Garden blew the other 2 vendors out the water and I was extremely pleased with the draft of the new design and pricing. I'm not an expert with plants, I can truly admit, but I did have 100% blind confidence in Amy's vision. Once everything was finalized it took her crew a few visits to complete the extensive demo of the old plants/shrubs and to complete the irrigation repairs. Keep in mind that the work schedule was dependent upon the weather so the date was pushed back a couple of times when the weather was horrible but I couldn't blame anyone on that because mother nature determined the schedule. I had several concurrent projects taking place in addition to the landscaping projects and the weather pushed back every schedule. The final plantings were completed at the end of October and I will admit that the vision wasn't quite there but I knew that things would be dormant over the Winter and that Spring would be the true test. Due to the cold weather up until April that plantings were still a little dormant. Come May and early June all of the perennial plants began to come alive and the first annual plantings were installed in June. Three words... "Utterly Marvelous & Breathtaking!" (Ok well 4 words). Any plantings that died for whatever reason over the Winter were replaced (no charge) and the roof terrace blossomed over the summer. I finally understood Amy's vision and it was gorgeous. About 10-15 different plants/shrubs were used and the height placement of the plants when fully grown and all of the deep color choices and shapes was an artistic vision. I wish I could articulate how beautiful everything looks. If you are on the fence about using The Pampered Garden for a redesign you shouldn't hesitate to use this company. Hands down one of the best landscaping design expertise's in DC. I plan on doing another redesign this Fall in a Plaza Area and look forward to seeing the end result come the Spring of 2019.

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    The Pampered Garden - Rooftop planting that Annalisa mentioned in review.

    Rooftop planting that Annalisa mentioned in review.

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    Lee Fendall House - They rent the museum for events.

    Lee Fendall House

    3.8(14 reviews)
    6.0 miOld Town Alexandria

    Lovely and interesting house of Lee Fendall - boutique gem right in Alexandria. They offer tours on…read morethe hour. Ours was excellent and walked us through the history of the Lee family in Virginia and subsequent owners. Rooms are appointed with time appropriate pieces. Much of the furniture is gifted from the Lee family. A fascinating way to learn a bit about a family of Henry Lighthorse Lee, one of the signers of the declaration of independence. That family was instrumental in changing the course of history in the United States. George Washington apparently dined here often and they set up a long table in what is now the entryway. Woodrow Wilson also ate here during his presidency. Tours are quite chatty and interesting with lots of opportunities for questions. Cost of entry is seven dollars. Highly recommended for those who want to see something off the beaten track but truly interesting.

    What a cool colonial home! We took the tour which covered all the major parts of the house…read more Absolutely beautiful and furnished with pierces from across the time the house was occupied. Many of them have a history of their very own. What really made this tour great though was the docent/ guide we had for our tour. She was incredibly knowledgeable on every aspect of the home from the furnishings to the architecture to the family histories of the owners and building restoration. Very rarely have I had such a knowledgeable guide. She was really impressive. All that to say, if you have a couple hours and you're looking for something to do this is a great little side trip. Well worth the time.

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    Lee Fendall House - Festive for the holidays

    Festive for the holidays

    Lee Fendall House
    Lee Fendall House - Private parking

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    Private parking

    Green Spring Gardens - gardens - Updated May 2026

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