Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden — Attraction in Lakeside

TL;DR: We paid extra to be able to get ready for our wedding in a “secure” room in a private building at Lewis Ginter and literally got robbed during our wedding.

We booked the Bloemendaal House because of the all-in-one venue: a spot where we could get ready, a spot where we could have all of our photographs taken, a spot where we could get married, a spot where we could have our reception, all within one-ish acres. When we talked about paying the additional deposit to secure the space from noon until our reception ended at 10pm, we were told about each of the “get ready rooms” for the wedding party. We were told that each of the rooms, in our case, the one for the Bride, which was downstairs and the most visible/high traffic, and the Groom’s which was upstairs and far less visible/populated, would be safe and secure so we wouldn’t have to worry about our things during the ceremony and the reception.

While getting ready, the only people that were upstairs were upstairs when I was—the best man, the photographers, the event coordinator. The only person that I didn’t recognize was the Lewis Ginter security guard that did a couple laps around the grounds. I was in that room from about 2 until 4:15, when we began taking pictures. Most of our 56 guests arrived roughly 15 – 20 minutes before the wedding, which began at 6pm.

After the reception, I started gathering my things in the Groom’s “get ready room”, and several of my possessions were not in the exact spot in which they were left during the process of getting ready. At this point, there are now three items that were taken, totaling hundreds of dollars in value stolen from me, out of my backpack, in a room that we were told would be safe and secure for our possessions that were special enough to bring to our wedding. At least one other thing that I’m sure was also in my backpack at my wedding hasn’t been located, yet, bringing the total to three items, two of which are still missing, and one of which that absolutely wasn’t small or unnoticeable.

After we let them know that things were stolen from the Groom’s suite, we had a meeting just over a week later with a representative from Lewis Ginter. One of the missing items was found “on a golf cart” and then returned to me at the meeting, and we were apologized to profusely while being assured that “nothing like this has ever happened before”. During this meeting, we were told that a security guard found “about ten” of our guests in the Groom’s “get ready room” and then shooed them out. We don’t have any other information about that, yet. No time, no description, no other details that might help us figure out who did it, and no further information from Lewis Ginter’s end. We were told "about 10" of our guests walked past a “staff only” sign and went into a room they didn’t know about that had valuable things in it at some point during our wedding or reception, took them, and then got the missing items past us as we said goodbye to everyone.

The contract that we signed says that LG isn’t on the hook for anything that happens to anyone’s property while they’re on LG’s grounds. We paid extra for early access to private areas in a private building to get ready for our wedding that we were told would be secure for ourselves and our possessions from noon until 10pm, and then had things stolen out of that secure room. There is no recourse because they have an Indemnification Clause.

Our wedding was a beautiful and memorable celebration of our love, and it was full of joy. And someone robbed me during the time where our things were supposedly safe and secure. Trust and integrity are important. Should you be able to trust a venue that tells you that your incredibly personal and valuable possessions will be safe and secure while in specifically designated spots meant for the wedding party to get ready and to store their possessions? Absolutely. That wasn't the case for us at Lewis Ginter, because we were robbed at our wedding that was held at...

For almost a decade, my husband and I have been visiting Lewis Ginter for the Dominion GardenFest of Lights during the holiday season. Each and every year, we are still exhilarated by the anticipation of going, and our expectations are always exceeded.

What a joyful sight it was to see that this year’s theme was birds, bugs, flowers and other garden friends. When we first entered the garden, we were amazed by the most beautiful cardinal, our state bird of Virginia, vibrantly lit up against the backdrop of the main building here on the grounds. As we strolled through the garden, we were dazzled by colorful flowers, a mischievous fox, a friendly squirrel and a regal blue heron. One of the most magnificent attractions we look forward to each year is the magical lighted peacock, with his gorgeous plumage spilling out behind him. A few much smaller, decorative peacocks accompanied our favorite fellow this holiday season.

Just wandering through the trails was a festive and ethereal experience, especially along the reflective waters of the botanical garden, as the shrubs, trees and walkways were so colorfully lit. Gazing up at the stars above, I noticed that Orion was watching over us the entire evening, and I took a few opportunities to photograph that mighty constellation along the lit trees. A special treat came to life before our eyes this year, as what I affectionately refer to as “the castle on the water” was decorated with the most brilliant warm white lights, which outlined its majestic architecture and made for a stunning reflection on the water. Better yet, we were able for the first time to climb to the top of this castle, to soak in everything around us at a higher vantage point with all its beauty.

Not to be forgotten, there is a large building in the garden which features lily pads on the outside and a gallery of orchids within, along with an array of succulents and other foliage. Even this nursery of sorts was decorated festively with lights, filtering different tones upon the plants and flowers, providing an ethereal experience. For that special portrait photo, there’s an enormous Christmas tree, decorated with white lights and winter birds, chaperoned by a welcoming Lewis Ginter employee who offered kindly to take everyone’s photos. It was such a fantastic experience, as this photographer of sorts truly took the best captures of our memorable evening.

If you’re looking to warm up while you’re visiting, this is one of the places to do that. Another option for a little respite from the cold was the Espresso A-Go-Go food truck that set up camp to serve us lattes, hot chocolates, and even s’mores. Why, there was a gentleman tending the fire next door to the vendor, so that you could scoop up a fresh stick to toast your marshmallows with before stacking them with your honey graham crackers and bar milk chocolate. We enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate each, as many others did as well. If you were seeking more adult libations, there was a Jingle Bar indoors for you.

Of course we didn’t want to miss out on the beauty that Lewis Ginter has to offer year-round, particularly during the warmer months, so this past Fall, we made our way over during the Genworth Free Community Day, on Labor Day 2023. It was delightful to see the botanical gardens in the glowing sunlight, each and every leaf so cheerful, and each and every petal so delicate and beautiful. Lewis Ginter houses a broad variety of plants and flowers, each with its own personality and its own place within the artistic arrangement.

The staff at Lewis Ginter have been warm, friendly and helpful on each occasion that we've visited, so we’ll be sure to...

Lewis Ginter Botnical Garden is a dream destination for lover birds. Or just friends and family looking to visit a place with a nice big garden with tons of decorations. Pricing was fair at about $11 per adult (well worth it), and plenty of parking all around. I highly suggest visiting at night like we did to see the fabulous lights.

The staff were all friendly and there were plenty of sights to be seen. Starting out, you're greeted with a fountain nicely covered in lights (as with most things in the garden). The best part is that you'll notice there's not just one path to explore the garden. Like an open sandbox video game, you can choose various paths to explore before reaching your destination. This made it incredibly fun to explore as there were many things to see. If you're not thorough, it might take 2 rounds before you cover everything!

As you walk along the paths, you see lots of nice areas where you can't help, but photograph. Truly a sight to be seen. Nice walkways, a bridge across the waters that was lit up brightly, a big tree house that was decorated with disco-like lighting, and many children's book themed decorations like Jack and the Giant Bean Stalk or Charlotte's Web. Truly too much packed in there to list all of them. As a bonus, in case you weren't familiar with the story, there was a label underneath so you could know.

My boyfriend and I walked around for around 1.5 to 2 hours exploring the place. Why? Well not only did they have a nice garden walkways to explore and see, but also a café, a library, a train model set running showcase, and maybe more. There wasn't too many people there when we were there, so there was a good amount of privacy while walking around.

They did have a large building, I'm assuming the main point of the botanical garden, that was absolutely beautiful. You walk inside and you're greeted with a few large tree-like plants, a fountain, and various rooms to explore. All wrapped in white lighting. You continue exploring and you find props for an hold hut/house, more gardens, a train set for decorated after Thumbelina, and a very large Christmas tree that has been fantastically decorated.

I seriously can't imagine how long it must have taken them to put all of this together. Fantastic destination. My boyfriend isn't much of a nature guy, but this place had him in awe and amazement. Best place for a lovers, best place for plant lovers, best place for garden lovers, all around a must-see. If you haven't been here yet, you're doing yourself a disfavor. I can't recommend this...