Children are welcomed throughout our gardens, and the WOW Children’s Garden offers opportunities for discovery and exploration for learners of all ages! Trek across the globe in our world-themed splash fountains and Passport Gardens, climb Discovery Peak to see, smell, and touch edible plants, and take a nature walk through our Plant Safari habitat gardens. Daily activities include discovery stations, scavenger hunts, crafts, and story times.

WOW Hours of Operation: 9:30AM – 4:30PM

WOW Splash Fountains: 9:30AM to 6PM

Learn more about our Children and Family Programs

9:00AM–7:00PM – Main gardens

10AM–4PM – Seasonal Tram Tours — April 1 – September 30

9:30AM–6:30PM- WOW Children’s Garden Summer — April 1 – October 15

9:30AM–4PM – WOW Children’s Garden Winter — October 16 – March 31

9:30AM–6PM – WOW Splash Fountains — April 1 – September 30

Wheelchairs are available to borrow on a first come, first served basis at the Front Desk in our Baker Hall Visitor Center. We hold on to an ID while you have the wheelchair checked out.

A limited quantity of electric wheelchairs are also available to borrow on a first come, first served basis at the Front Desk in our Baker hall Visitor Center. We hold on to an ID while you have the wheelchair checked out and checking out a wheelchair does involve a $35 rental fee for not-yet-members and $30 rental fee for members as well as signing a liability waiver for use.

It’s also important to note that some of our pathways are permeable, packed gravel pathways. These paths can be a little tricky to navigate with wheelchairs, strollers, or wagons, but it is doable. There are portions of the permeable pathway that are on a slight incline/decline including the road from Rose Garden Bridge to NATO Bridge and the road from Rose Garden Bridge to Wildflower Meadow.

Please contact us for more information about accessibility.

Norfolk Botanical Garden is an accredited museum and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people to nature.

Your support brings our mission to life: Immerse visitors in a world of beauty. Lead through Environmental Action Inspire through education and connection to nature. Learn More About Us

Please respect your fellow guests, volunteers, vendors and Garden staff while enjoying the peaceful beauty of nature. Norfolk Botanical Garden is an accredited outdoor museum and is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for all to enjoy. Garden staff, volunteers, vendors and all visitors have the right to an environment free from abusive and/or threatening behavior, including the use of derogatory or offensive language. In the event of any such behavior or other harmful conduct towards Garden staff, volunteers, visitors or property, Norfolk Botanical Garden reserves any and all rights permitted by applicable law, including a request to leave the premises, contacting emergency services, revocation of membership privileges and prosecution. Norfolk Botanical Garden also reserves the right to determine what constitutes unacceptable behavior.

• Learn more about our Environmental Actions
• Keep up with how much energy and cost the Garden is saving with Baker Hall Visitor Center’s solar panels

As a part of our Garden for All campaign, Norfolk Botanical Garden acknowledges the land and labor sacrifices made throughout our history in the creation of our campus. We honor the past and present Tribal communities of Coastal Virginia and acknowledge the lack of Indigenous representation in the conservation of the natural world under our organization. We recognize the peoples of the Chesapeake and Lumbee Tribes, and the Federal and State-recognized Powhatan Tribes as stewards of the historic and contemporary lands of Tsenacommacah [jeh-nuh-ka-muh-kuh], an area that extends through the Tidewater Region of Virginia, and includes the land within the City of Norfolk occupied by the Garden. There is a paramount need for Indigenous ideologies and practices to be woven into our environmental stewardship initiatives, and we acknowledge we have much to learn from the deep relationship and reverence that Native American communities have for this land.

We also acknowledge the oppression and racial segregation forced on people of color in the early decades of the Garden’s history. Through the Works Progress Administration of 1938, 200 African American women and 20 African American men were hired to clear and plant the first 25-acres of the Garden. Despite the grueling efforts made to create this natural wonder, the shameful public segregation policies that were in place until the 1960s prevented these workers from visiting the Garden as guests. Today, we not only celebrate the legacy of those WPA workers and their gift to the City of Norfolk, but we commit to leading the way in representing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community.

Through the implementation of these land and labor acknowledgement statements, we will continue to develop programs, interpretation, and collaborations for and foster relations with all members of our community as we continue to ensure Norfolk Botanical Garden is a welcoming space for all.

Need more assistance?

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us for more information.