Chesapeake is a realatively new area that has been developed a lot over the past few decades. Now it is one of Hampton Roads quietest and most sought out areas to live in. New commercial and residential areas are popping all over the city resulting in a rich job and housing market today. Chesapeake offers new homeowners the gifts of a quiet suburban life with plenty of local market places as well as plenty of lovely scenic parks.

One of Chesapeakes hidden gems is the Chesapeake Arboretum that’s located in the heart of the city of Chesapeake and spans across 48-acres. The Arboretum is one of Virginia’s finest trail systems that takes visitors through a mature hardwood forest with a vast variety of tress and plants. It is often referred to as “Nature’s Classroom” because it promotes horticultural and environmental awareness through its displays, education and research. The initiative of the park is to highlight important ecological, historic, scenic and recreational lands across the state.  Thought the efforts of many volunteers the park is continuously updated to instruct, promote and embody a “green mindset.”

The park has many amenities that visitors can freely enjoy within the roughly 3 miles of hiking and walking trails such as; 11 bridges, gazebos and picnic areas. One attraction to look out for is the Caleb Williams Farm House which was first occupied by the Williamson family around 1844, but was built much earlier – probably the 1700’s, and most likely belonged to other branches of the Williamson family, namely the McCoys and Carsons. Another popular attraction is Camellia Cove which is a flower nursery which showcases many varieties of camellia flowers within an easy to follow walk-through trail. 

The Arboretum relies on local volunteer groups to keep the trails pristine and refurbish the amenities. Local urban forestry groups use the Arboretum as a training ground to show how green infrastructure can enhance the quality of life by offsetting the ecological effects of land development. Scouts, civic leagues, church groups and many others volunteer thousands of hours each year to keep the facility maintained for public use.