Tidewater Arboretum, Botanical garden in Virginia Beach, United States
The Tidewater Arboretum, also known as the Hampton Roads Arboretum, is a botanical garden on Diamond Springs Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia, managed by Virginia Tech's Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center. It is organized into twelve theme gardens, each with a different planting style, connected by walking paths that wind through trees, shrubs, and flowering plants suited to Southeastern Virginia.
The arboretum was established by Virginia Tech to show which plant species thrive in the climate of Southeastern Virginia. Over time it grew through donations from local growers and members of the community, so the garden today reflects several decades of additions.
At the Tidewater Arboretum, every plant carries a label with its family name, scientific name, and common name. Some labels also show the year the plant was added and who donated it, turning a simple walk into a personal story about how the garden grew.
Admission is free and the garden is open every day, so no special planning is needed to visit. A downloadable map of the theme gardens is available on the arboretum's website, which can help you get oriented before you arrive.
Although the arboretum is managed by a university, it functions as a fully open public space rather than a research facility with restricted access. This makes it one of the few university-linked botanical gardens in the region where anyone can simply walk in without registering.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
