The Virginia Beach Master Gardeners have several demonstration gardens located at the Virginia Beach Farmer’s Market that are super fun to explore with your kiddos!

The Master Gardeners are trained volunteer educators who work within the community to promote environmentally sound horticulture practices partly through demonstration gardens throughout the city. The demonstration gardens at the Farmer’s Market include the Children’s Garden, the Kitchen Garden, and a Charlotte’s Web-themed garden. The gardens are open to the public and visiting is free. They are open during Farmer’s Market hours which vary depending on the day and season, but can be found on the VB Farmer’s Market Facebook page.

The Children’s Education Garden is the biggest of the gardens here. It’s located behind the Rural Heritage Center at the back of the Farmer’s Market. It’s full of flowers and herbs, and lots of plants that are good for pollinators and butterflies. There are cute pathways with pavers throughout the garden, along with decorated mailboxes where you can scan QR codes for more info on different things. We were able to spot a swallowtail butterfly and followed her all around the garden. The garden also includes a composting bin area, the “Crawl Inn” (a habitat for butterflies, bees, ladybugs, and other helpful insects), and a chicken coop.

Next to the Children’s Garden is the Kitchen Garden. The Kitchen Garden, as its name suggests, is filled with edible plants. Taste-testing is allowed and we sampled some herbs and kale. We visited in spring so things were just getting planted, but we can’t wait to go back in the summer when the veggies and herbs are at their peak!

Right across from these two gardens, next to the Rural Heritage Center, take a peek at the really cute Charlotte’s Web-themed garden. You’ll find Wilber, Templeton, Charlotte on her web and more of their friends in the garden!

From early spring to late fall, you’ll find volunteers working at the garden on Tuesday mornings. This amazing group is happy to answer any questions and show you all around. We didn’t visit on a Tuesday but were lucky enough to run into a volunteer anyways who helped us look for butterfly eggs and showed us their brooder full of week-old chicks! This was such a fun, unassuming adventure that we really enjoyed.

The Master Gardeners have occasional kid-friendly events at this location, so be sure to follow the VB Farmer’s Market Facebook page to stay up to date.

After you visit the gardens, head into the Farmer’s Market for some shopping or a snack. Grab an ice cream cone from Gilly’s Creamery, some fresh fruit from one of the farm stands, or a treat from Seasons Best Bakery, which has a great assortment of homemade and nostalgic old-fashioned candies.