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August 24, 2023
Get a soothing (and even edifying) dose of nature with a visit to the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens during your stay with us here at The Watermark Hotel.
This long-standing sanctuary, which blends ornamental gardens with native Northern Virginia plantings, lies only about five miles away (9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct, Vienna, VA) from our all-suite hotel in Tysons’ Capital One Center, and it offers wonderful tranquility and gorgeous gardenscapes within easy reach of the area’s many urban attractions.
Managed by NOVA Parks as part of our area’s extensive regional park system, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens encompass almost 100 dazzlingly landscaped acres.
Paved and mulched paths, including ADA-accessible routes, invite leisurely and lingering strolls through all of the greenery and blooms.
The diverse quilt of numerous distinct and themed gardens comes enhanced by lakes, pavilions, and gazebos, making this a super-popular events venue (host to its own dedicated event facility, The Atrium, plus multiple wedding gazebos) and a photo-op hotspot as well.
Meadowlark’s individual gardens and zones include, among numerous others, the Rock Garden, the Conifer Collection, the Bog Garden, the Herb Garden, the Korean Bell Garden (more on that shortly), the Butterfly Garden, the Virginia Native Tree Collection, the Virginia Native Wetland, the Stout Medal Daylily Collection, the Springhouse Ruins & Gardens, and the Bold Garden.
More lovely plantings await within buildings such as the Bonsai Pavilion and Lilac Pavilion (which adjoins a designated Botanical Garden picnic area, by the way).
The dedicated ace horticultural team at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens has done a fine job weaving ornamental plants from all over the place with regional native species that help help define the Potomac Valley’s natural ecosystems, from sweetbay magnolia and American sycamore to American white water-lily and the spectacular cardinal flower.
The Korean Bell Garden at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens is certainly worthy of special mention, not least given it’s the only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere!
Conceived of through a partnership between NOVA Parks (then the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority) and the Korean American Cultural Committee in 2007, this magnificent installation was constructed beginning in 2010, with a team of Korean craftspeople arriving the next year to build the central pavilion housing the Bell of Peace & Harmony. The Korean Bell Garden officially opened at Meadowlark in 2012.
The Bell Garden’s central Bell of Peace & Harmony boasts artwork blending imagery symbolic of both Korea and Virginia, including the official flower of each: the Rose of Sharon and dogwood, respectively.
Other elements of the Korean Bell Garden include statues, jangseung (traditional totem poles of Korea), and the Flower Wall, among other sights.
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens’ social-media pages (which you can reach through the official website) include updates on what’s blooming currently on the grounds.
Many of the plants here are labeled, but if you’re curious about an unlabeled specimen, you can snag a picture and email horticulture@nvrpa.org for identification help.
From group educational tours and children’s camps to the popular holiday attraction, Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights, the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens offer an array of special events and experiences on top of everyday self-guided walkabouts.
The Meadowlark Botanical Gardens are open all year-round, save for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years days (and if ice, snow, or other inclement conditions prevail).
The gardens will be open from 10 AM to 7 PM through October, after which winter hours—10 AM to 4 PM daily—commence, running through March.
All visits to the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens come steered through the well-arrayed Visitor Center, which includes numerous exhibits, an inviting central fireplace, and a gift shop. The Visitor Center closes a half-hour before the gardens themselves.
This local gardenscape is yours to enjoy daily for a nominal fee. And if you’re a regular visitor of ours here at The Watermark Hotel—and if, as so many do, you fall head over heels in love with the Meadowlark grounds—you might consider becoming a member. Garden memberships are offered at various levels, including Individual and Family rates.
If you’re staying here at The Watermark Hotel with your pup—which we welcome!—keep in mind that dogs aren’t allowed within the Botanical Garden’s fenced acreage, though you can definitely walk them on the Perimeter Trail just outside the fence.
(Needless to say, you won’t be hurting for other spots to enjoy with your four-legged buddy close by your Watermark Hotel pet-friendly suite. For one thing, our hotel’s directly connected to the Capital One Center’s rooftop greenspace, The Perch, which includes the Sky Bark Dog Park among its numerous fresh-air draws.)
Be sure to check out the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens the next time you’re calling one of our upscale residential suites your home away from home in Tysons, VA here at The Watermark. It’s wonderful to visit the gardens during different seasons, and the upcoming summer-to-fall transition is definitely an amazing time to explore its contemplative paths.
And it’s hard to imagine a better combo than an afternoon spent wandering the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, from the Fred Packard Grove and Spiral Mound to the Perennial Garden and Terrace Garden, with dinner back here at The Watermark Hotel courtesy of our on-site izakaya-style restaurant, Wren. The care, craft, and vision Wren Executive Chef Yo Matsuzaki and his team exercise in their work at Wren certainly calls to mind the analogous values manifesting in Meadowlark’s meticulously designed and maintained gardenscape.
Schedule a Stay at The Watermark Hotel & Experience the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
So book your Tysons, VA suite at The Watermark Hotel today, and put the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens—a standout attraction in Fairfax County—on your to-do list!
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