Labor Day weekend always thwarts us in some regard. This year, we had planned a trip in the direction of Richmond, VA, and then, Hurricane Hermione made the weather in that direction too unpredictable for our easy day trip liking. We wanted to be outside; we wanted to walk around; we wanted to keep it simple. We heard Lexington's Boxerwood Gardens, a place we'd seen pitched in the window of the Lexington Visitor's Center some time back, calling.
Boxerwood, billed as a park and nature center, is a little chunk of paradise for outdoor exploring. An outgrowth of industrious citizenship if you will, Boxerwood was a family collection of plants and now serves the greater good as a private recreation ground, giving it quite the history. It's a little bit hippie and a lot magical, especially for young kid explorers. There's a fantastical children's "trail" that is reasonably confined and includes fun tightropes of repurposed fire hoses, a giant birdhouse-shaped tree house, a mud pie restaurant, "doorways" between trees, and similar places for imaginative play. Beyond these gates, there are acres for the wandering along simple trails. Seemingly random metal sculptures "pop up" and pathways bend off across swampy lands and near small ponds throughout the more-wild-than-manicured botanical garden setting. Don't expect a ton of signage or staff--this is a mainly volunteer, community-supported enterprise, and that is part of the charm. We were a bit frustrated we never found the Fairy Garden, but we met some happy travelers who couldn't find it either and will simply have to return.
If you go, venture out in pleasant weather--and be dressed for it. Consider bringing a picnic--or do what we did and work up a hunger for nearby Niko's Grille for an interesting combination of Greek food and all-day breakfast. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty and take along extra shoes--there's a creek in the children's area. There are no fees, but you can leave a donation in the box at the front. GPS Boxerwood (963 Ross Road) knowing you will be entering a slightly-off-downtown residential section to get there. Visit dawn to dusk--Google told us it was "closed" weekends, but this definitely wasn't true. They do host special events, and the best way to find out about those may very well be their Facebook page. We easily combined this trip with pleasant walking in Lexington...
...to Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, also open dawn to dusk...
...to Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University, a site with outstanding docents and a great glimpse into the school...
...to Virginia Military Institute, where K always stops to find the memorial plaques to fallen Alleghany High School classmate Josh Hurley...
...E even walked the Labyrinth at Robert E Lee Episcopal Church. Maybe not prayerfully yet, but he walked it.
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