Great Day Out: Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

The weather is divine today in Virgina, just perfect for some quality family time. It's Memorial Day and as we remember with deep gratitude those who gave their lives for their country, it also calls us to treasure those we love who daily give of themselves for us and others.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens has been on my to do list for a while. I'm always looking for days out within 45 minutes from home that our 17 month old daughter, Miss O, and I would both enjoy! Off Beulah Road in Vienna, and just down the road from Wolftrap, the gardens are really easy to get to for anyone with access to a car in the DC Metro area.

With picnic packed my husband aka The Beloved; Miss O; and I arrived at Meadowlark around 10.45am (it opened at 10am). We paid the daily rate of $5 per adult to tour the gardens, Miss O was free. You can take get an annual family pass for $45.

Meadowlark's website says: "Beauty, conservation, education and discovery flourish throughout the year at this 95 acre complex of large ornamental display gardens and unique native plant collections. Walking trails, lakes, more than twenty varieties of cherry trees, irises, peonies, an extensive shade garden, native wildflowers, gazebos, birds, butterflies, seasonal blooms and foliage create a sanctuary of beauty and nature."

If you're a keen photographer the foliage, floral, geography and light are stunning. There are lots of benches and adirondack chairs invitingly resting in picture perfect spots, and there are stroller/wheelchair friendly paths and steep trails if you fancy a cardio workout.

A couple of years ago my family bought me a sweet Sony NEX-5R for my birthday and I've developed a love for taking photos of flowers. Meadowlark is a wonderful spot to practice!

The Korean Bell garden is an evolving partnership with The Korean American Cultural Committee - it's perfectly sited atop the ridge overlooking the lakes. 

Meadowlark is a great spot for little ones - although you'll need the stroller for the hills & some vigilant care around the lakes. There is a fairy garden, geese and ducks, and lost of educational programs and camps for budding nature lovers.

Clean public restrooms with a baby changing facilities are in the welcome center - along with frogs and fish to keep the little ones amused. The little gift shop sells stuffed animals, water, prints, books and snacks. The best thing about the shop is the wooden pens and magnifying glasses fashioned out of wood from the Meadowlark trees. Great presents that are inexpensively priced! Win win!

You are not allowed to picnic in the gardens but there is a picnic area with lots of shade and seating just beside the ample parking lot. We wandered the gardens for an hour then ate sandwiches and drank Tetley tea out of a flask on a rug under a tree. A perfect day outdoors not too far from home!