Blog Post

Chesapeake Arboretum: A Nearby Jewel

Sally Kirby Hartman, '20 • February 23, 2025

Winter is my favorite time to visit arboretums. The reason? With a scarcity of leaves growing on deciduous trees, it is easy to see nature’s sculptures. On a chilly but sunny winter day with no snow it is a pleasure to bundle up, be outside, and observe the curves and angles of mature tree limbs. 


Virginia is home to 18 official arboretums, including three in our region:

    • Norfolk Botanical Garden with its 175 acres.

    • Tidewater Arboretum in Virginia Beach with its 5 acres at Virginia Tech’s Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

    • Chesapeake Arboretum in Chesapeake with its 51 acres. 


I have visited the botanical garden and AREC arboretum many times, but recently enjoyed my first visit to the Chesapeake Arboretum, which was only a 30-minute drive from my home. 


Virginia’s Department of Conservation & Recreation classifies the Chesapeake Arboretum as a Virginia Treasure. Admission is free with plenty of parking across from the trail head. The 3.5 miles of flat trails lead you through a mature hardwood forest with tall native trees. The arboretum started in 1996 and is part of both the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail and the American Camellia Trail. 

The arboretum’s well-maintained paths meander past streams, around the three-acre Lake Hughes and by the Caleb Williamson Farmhouse, which dates to the 1780s. The trail features 11 wooden foot bridges, a gazebo, and picnic area with port-a-johns. Although it is near residential homes, the arboretum feels like a remote oasis. 


Among the arboretum’s highlights is Camellia Cove with 50 different camellia varieties and nearly 200 plants. The camellia garden is maintained by Chesapeake Master Gardeners whose website includes a guide to the camellia varieties planted there: https://www.cmgv.org/images/2022_New_Site/Camellia_list.for.map.pdf


Trees in the arboretum are marked with helpful signs that slow down walkers like me who like to read signs. Besides giving the common and botanical names of trees, small red signs list attributes. The tulip poplar, for example, is identified as Liriodendron tulipifera. Its sign says it is a “recommended forest tree and large shade tree” with “attractive leaves and flowers.”

Big signs point out trails and help identify your location along the intersecting paths. Other signs highlight camellia varieties and explain that the arboretum’s creeks flow into the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River and on to the Chesapeake Bay. Several signs point out places scheduled for removal of invasive English ivy.



I hope you will visit Chesapeake’s 51-acre nature haven next time you want a woodsy walk. You will enjoy the trek. 


If you go:

The Chesapeake Arboretum is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is dog friendly as long as dogs are leashed. Admission and parking are free. 


The arboretum is at 624 Oak Grove Road, Chesapeake, 23320 (off South Battlefield Boulevard).


Trails are natural with some exposed tree roots so they aren’t stroller or wheelchair accessible.


Here is a link to the Chesapeake Arboretum trail map: https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/DocumentCenter/View/2345/Arboretum-Trail-Map-PNG?bidId=


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