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Not to dwell much on it, but if you are into spirituality of various sorts and kinds, perhaps trying to find ways to elevate your spiritual life or relationship is something you may partake in. For example, some people prepare a special space in their home to meditate, pray, or engage in spiritual personal ceremonies.

Well, I wanted to explore Botanical gardens as a way to do my spiritual reflections. What prettier way than to be surrounded by lovely sights when trying to connect with a believed-in higher power? I came across Greenspring Botanical Gardens in Alexandria, VA. It’s not located in Washington, DC proper, so for me, it’s more driver-friendly. Unless you love driving in cities. Greenspring’s main campus is not too relatively large. A great perk is that it’s free to the public, so all visitors are welcome.

It should be no secret I love discovering walking trails. Greenspring doesn’t have that vast of trails to definitely practice for a marathon on, but it’s very popular to walk your dog, and certainly bring children or the elderly for a fresh-air stroll. During the warmer seasons, such as spring, summer, and fall, the vibrancy of the flowers and plants are amazing. They are a must-see in my words. There’s a visitor’s house that’s quite neat to check out as well. It’s decorated with artwork that I find gives the home a nice splash of color. Around the back of the park, there are a few small ponds with water fountains running from them. I find this park has amazing sights from beginning to end.

Greenspring is located in the middle of a residential area; however, I find many visitors from around the world come to check out this place. Across from the garden is a golf course, and a walking trail can guide users towards that area and into a local neighborhood. Now, of course, I don’t encourage anyone to just stroll onto the middle of a golf course, but I’m just trying to explain the layout of the park. There is a visitor center where guests can ask questions to the staff and also use restrooms and water fountains. I did a jog around Greenspring, and the width of where its trail ran, I’m quite certain the round trip took me under 2 hours. Again, the trail leading to the garden stopped at the end of a neighborhood after passing the golf course. Many residents visit the garden as it’s a great place to do morning walks or for dogs to stretch their legs.

I would say I find Greenspring very nice to do a lower-scale photoshoot; it seems like an ideal place to perhaps record mini film projects as it’s usually very quiet and quaint, and not too large of an audience usually visits at a time. The park is also open on holidays, as the visitor center is closed.

If you are into botanical gardens and are in the Washington DC area, give Greenspring Garden a try. For more specifics about the park, please check out their link below: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/green-spring

If you are looking for a place to have a fun day to spend with family, and get them away from staring at screens or electronics all day, Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD just might be right up your alley. Its adjacent from Wheaton Regional Park, which has a neat Merry-Go-Round and an Old School Train ride kids and families should enjoy.

Brookside is great to accomplish an array of activities, and is free for the public, compared to other botanical gardens within the area. You can stroll and look at the botany.

I find it’s quite spacious that one can do a jog around the campus. I once jogged the full circumference of Brookside, and it took me 2 1/2 hours roundtrip to cover major assigned parts of the garden trail. You can walk your dog, as their also is a dedicated dog park on site.

Brookside is one of the busier botanical gardens I’ve noticed since my several times of visiting there. It’s rare from the several times I have gone to that park that I don’t see another user less than half a block walking as well. So, it may be rare you may feel isolated when checking it out . It’s very scenic I find year-round even when the leaves change. Their are still quite vibrant plants and flowers worth taking a look at during the late fall and winter, the same as the warmer seasons. I’ve seen it as a great place to go on a nice free romantic date. I’ve also seen workplaces have retreats for their employees there or get-togethers. Brookside appears to be enjoyed by many as it appears to be very friendly for elderly and people with disabilities to visit.

Their is a visitor center, where guest can use the restroom and check out any event the garden maybe having.

I don’t believe I’ve seen any or many bicyclist at Brookside riding the trail, as it’s a very busy botanical garden with many types of tourist or visitors. Perhaps for safety reasons such an activity would have to be cautioned. However, I’m quite sure if one reaches out to the staff of the center or reviews their facility’s policies, rules for bicyclist should be confirmed there.

I would say if you are a Washington DC local, Brookside Gardens to me stands as a great place to create family traditions and build childhood memories .

If Brookside Botanical Gardens sounds like the type of place you want to reminisce from please take a look at their website here: https://montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/brookside-gardens/