Botanical gardens are incredible works of living art. The dedication and 24/7 care required to keep these magnificent gardens running seamlessly is a masterpiece in itself. Thankfully, these botanical gardens happen to be all over the world. We are lucky enough to have an extraordinary garden right down the road in Richmond, Virginia.
The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden was on my radar since we moved to Charlottesville. I was thoroughly looking forward to visiting it one day but didn’t have a plan. Once again, social media came to the rescue. They were advertising their Nature Connects: Art with LEGO® bricks exhibit. This was it, the perfect chance to visit the gardens! Mixing nature with one of Asher’s favorite things was a must-do!
Typical of our adventures, we picked the hottest day in September to visit. It was about a 1.5 hour drive to get to the botanical garden. We were packed and ready with water, snacks and our mounting excitement! Upon arrival, we realized that this was quite an operation. They had plenty of parking lots and a great flow through the Welcome Center. We were greeted right away and told exactly what we needed to know to make the experience a great one.
Before we found our first LEGO® sculpture, we were in awe of the garden’s beauty. We walked our way through the grounds to the Conservatory. They have two hallways lined with beautiful displays and a butterfly garden in the center. Truth be told, I am terrified of birds and similar creatures. I was feeling brave so I walked into the butterfly garden with my family. You’ll see that I struggled, but survived! You won’t see me walk into an aviary though, ever.
Back outside, we wandered along the paths, around the lake, Searching for the LEGO® sculptures. The artist, Sean Kenney, created 24 sculptures using half a million LEGO® bricks for this exhibit. They give you a map with where each display is located but it was still quite a fun scavenger hunt since the grounds are so big! Each creation we found left us excited to find the next! It was so much fun seeing the kids’ eyes brighten each time we found a new one!
My favorite thing about LEGO® is how vibrant the colors of the bricks are. It brings each creation to life. This artist has mastered each piece so accurately. You can see the movement in the way he positioned each sculpture, and how they complement each other.
With over 50 acres to explore, there were gorgeous themed gardens around every corner. They have a children’s garden and a splash pad. We spent some time relaxing while the boys were exploring in the children’s garden area. It would be easy to spend a whole day here. After walking around, you could stop by the tea house or garden cafe for lunch. Then find a nice, quiet spot to sit and enjoy the scenery.
This is simply something you must see in person! This particular exhibit may be over but the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has so much to offer and plenty of events to enjoy all year around! If you are in the area, check out their calendar to see what is next! I was invited to visit them again in December of 2019 for the Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights! Check out how amazing the “Magic In The Air” display was here!
Check out their upcoming events on the website at Lewisginter.org
If you are interested in finding another LEGO® exhibit, Artist Sean Kenney has other events to visit throughout the country. This list is subject to change so head over to his website here to confirm.
Thanks so much for visiting and for writing such a thoughtful review! We’re so impressed that you conquered your fear and went inside the M&T Bank Butterflies LIVE! exhibit. Can’t wait to hear how you like Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights too.
I love botanical gardens and Lego, so I must visit!
What a cute and fun way to keep the kids entertained in a botanical garden! I love all the lego creations. But the butterflies are my favorite!
I love botanical gardens in general, but to add those cool lego sculptures? I love it!
My kids would love this too. You’re right, LEGO builds are vibrant and bring the creation to live. I loved how the artist incorporated the sculpture into the landscape. It is amazing.
The botanical garden are beautiful. Our family would love to see the LEGO creations. Sounds like a wonderful place to visit!
I love botanical gardens, and this one looks absolutely gorgeous. The LEGO sculptures are so awesome! I will definitely visit when in the area! 🙂
I love botanical gardens and this looks so calming and beautiful and then add LEGO in the mix.. YES!!
I grew up a mile from Longwood Gardens and loved going. What a fun time with all of those lego exhibits. Such a great way to entertain the kids
Awesome! I am from Lancaster area so quite familiar with Longwood Gardens (assuming there is not another one somewhere else by that name!)! It is a beautiful place for sure!
lovely! Were looking to relocate to that area and I can’t wait to explore this and more
It is such a fun area with so much to offer! Best wishes to you on relocation, wherever it may be!
I love botanical gardens and LEGO exhibits (never too old for LEGOs)…putting this in my list.
I love visiting local gardens when we travel! Such magical works of beauty; thanks for sharing your information on this one in Richmond!
This is a beautiful garden and those lego creations are amazing!
We missed this during our recent visit to VA. I know we will visit again soon, we loved VA, so I will have to put this on our list. Thanks for sharing your experience at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden!
We enjoy visiting the gardens. Where ever we vacation we look up the local gardens. These would be fun to visit.
Beautiful! I went to the botanical garden for the first time this past summer. It was so much fun. I love wandering and seeing nature at its best.
Hey there friends! I love the pics 😁 Congratulations for facing your heebie jeebies / adventuring into the butterfly garden ;p. My favorite of the sculptures is the humming bird. Gotta get down there with our fam now. Have you been to Maymont? It’s a good time too! Keep adventuring 👍👍
Hey Thanks Ethan! Kyle and I were at Maymont a long time ago before kids 🙂 Maybe we can all meet there sometime! 🙂 Hope you have a happy week!
It’s too bad the internet doesn’t have scratch and sniff yet. I bet it smells amazing there.
yet!! hahaha. It sure does!
One of the things I love to see when visiting a city is the botanical gardens. I find it soothing and it’s a tranquil place. This place is no exception. Kudos for conquering your fear!