National Memorial Arboretum

4.9/5 based on 11202 reviews
Latest Reviews
Brilliant day out for all the family, very friendly, helpful staff.
Beautiful memorial to our servicemen/women, in a beautiful setting. Plenty there for children too, the stickman trail.
Excellent restaurant too.
google.com
Source: google.com
A very interesting and moving land train journey to gain some measure of this wonderful tribute. The volunteer staff are very friendly and helpful. A very nice café and restaurant. Very good gift shop.
google.com
Source: google.com
Went here for a walk, didn't realise it was such a big place. It's very beautiful and very well kept, had a lovely visit

Playground: The place has parks for kids to have a good play, there was also a stickman trail with activity sheets to keep them occupied.

Dog-friendliness: Allows dogs but of course you have to be respectful of where you walk them. No dogs are allowed on the main memorial.

Picnic area: Lots of benches around for a lovely picnic space.
google.com
Source: google.com
A great place to spend the day and wander around the manicured gardens. A place to reflect, always humbled to visit the Arboretum and pay our respects. The volunteer staff at the site exceptional.

The only downside was the coffee, absolutly awful. I did mentioned this to the cafè manager who took my comments onboard. Friendly nice staff
google.com
Source: google.com
What a place! Loved it!
google.com
Source: google.com
Brilliant place of remembrance.will visit again si
google.com
Source: google.com
Amazing historical adventure.
Staff are very helpful.
Food is nice ( G kids) enjoyed it
Well worth the visit.
google.com
Source: google.com
My wife and I had been keen to visit the Arboretum for many years, having a mutual interest in military history and war graves. We stayed overnight nearby, so spent two days walking around the Arboretum over the Easter weekend.

We first took the road train around the site, which was very interesting and gave an overview of many of the memorials, as well as allowing us to get our bearings for the site and what was approximately where.

We had a very good look around many of the memorials, but even with the guide book, it was still hard to identify exactly where some of the memorials were, as some are located well off any metalled path and require you to walk across grass / mud or through trees to get to them. This struck us as a bit nonsensical, as if we, as able bodied people struggled to get to some of them, how would elderly or disabled veterans manage to get to them?

The second day we went straight to the main memorial and spent some time there, before walking around the south part of the site near the shot at dawn memorial and 'The Beat'. Once again we struggled to locate some memorials we wished to see and several, when found, were located across boggy grass which was hard going.

It was also noticeable the number of children who were at the site, and families who clearly were local and used the place to walk their dogs, or just for an afternoon out, as it is free to enter. While I am all for educating children about remembrance, it was sad to see that quite a number of parents were allowing their children to run about, jumping on the memorials, shout and scream etc, without telling them to stop. In my view, this should not be allowed and as the site is full of national war memorials, there should be a greater degree of reverence and larger notices at the entrance and around the site, asking visitors to control their kids and animals while visiting the site.

Ultimately, the place is in a pretty nondescript and miserable part of the Midlands, so I suppose they have to attract as many visitors as possible to keep things going. The large restaurant and conference facilities also demonstrate that.

Overall we enjoyed our time at the Arboretum and would return. Some improvements and development of the existing metalled path network would certainly benefit the place, to allow those with limited mobility to get closer to many of the memorials.
tripadvisor.co.uk
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Fantastic place for a day out. From the moment we entered the car park, we were greeted with friendly and welcoming staff and this was the same with every staff member we spoke to. This is a real asset.

There is so much to see - both interesting and humbling. The site is huge and always so peaceful. Our 1 year old really enjoyed the Stick Man trail. Great range of items in the gift shop.

We’re already planning our next visit.
tripadvisor.co.uk
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Went there to pay respects to my uncle and Dad
google.com
Source: google.com
Lovely attraction. Could easily spend a day. Refreshments reasonably priced. Stick man trail entertained the children. Well worth a visit.
google.com
Source: google.com
Excellent place to visit.
Stickman experience for the children too.
Good prices re food and drinks.
Staff Excellent.
Extremely helpful,approachable and friendly.
Very dog friendly.
Would return.
tripadvisor.co.uk
Source: tripadvisor.co.uk
Really special place. So we'll maintained and family friendly. We went as a family to The stick man trail and loved it xx

Playground: Lovely spaces

Restrooms: Clean and tidy - well cared for

Picnic area: Lots available
google.com
Source: google.com
Cafe area spotless as usual. Wide variety of of meals. Cold tap at hot drinks counter to top up flask/water bottle. Food reasonably priced. Hot drink, soup+roll and flapjack for about £11.
google.com
Source: google.com
Excellent buggy tour to celebrate my dad's 90th birthday,special thanks to Jo our guide ,such a lovely lady and very informative
google.com
Source: google.com
A beautiful place: restful and somewhere fir quiet contemplation.
Have been going there since it opened so more to see every time. Highly recommended.
On a slightly negative note, and being vegetarian, ordered a five-bean chilli with Jacket Potato: even asked for confirmation that it was a vegetarian dish. On arrival, the chilli was meat-based so had to leave it. Didn't complain because it is a charity when all's said and done but the order just showed jacket potato with chilli, so maybe a quiet word with the volunteers on the counter to write down exactly what was ordered (I didn't notice until it was too late). Any other time you would get five stars. We will be back, as I say, it it a wonderful place and we often recommend it for a visit.
On a plus, why not go into the accommodation business? One day isn't enough to take in entirely. We will return I assure you.... and thanks.
google.com
Source: google.com
Always a great place to visit

Cafe pretty good too.
google.com
Source: google.com
Always a lovely place to visit and reflect
google.com
Source: google.com
Very moving and surprisingly large, great restaurant and very helpful staff, I would recommend using the land train to see the arboretum as the commentary is worth listening to.
A return trip today, still an excellent visit
google.com
Source: google.com
Everyone should go at least once. You could spend an hour or all day. There are clear accessible paths and well marked walking routes too. The restaurant is good value as well.
google.com
Source: google.com
Honestly one of the most beautiful parks We have visited. We took our son here yesterday to do the stick man trail and we had one of the best days out! Plenty to do, lots of fresh air and the gardens and memorials are breathtaking! We really enjoyed reading all the historical memorial plaques, learnt lots of new things. The staff spotted around are super friendly and happy to help... they were fab with our son. Cafe and shops were great and our son was worn out (bonus) We will certainly be returning for another family day out. Loved it!!! Highly recommended.
google.com
Source: google.com
1st visit, fabulous place very emotive. Definitely recommend
google.com
Source: google.com
Lovely peaceful place
Plenty of parking
Lots of places to sit and reflect
Friendly staff
Clean, well stocked cafe
Worth a visit
google.com
Source: google.com
Free entry, you only pay for parking, cheap family day out. The arboretum is large, however, does have plenty of benches to sit on if required. There are a lot of memorials to see and does cover all factions of the armed forces. It does have a stickman trail to keep the kids entertained and although busy, was quite a calm serene day out. Thoroughly enjoyed.
google.com
Source: google.com
Earth shattering experience
google.com
Source: google.com
Displaying page 1 of 449
Latest Reviews
Latest News & Updates

Help. It's the School Summer Holidays
07/08/2023

The school holidays mean 6 long weeks of fun for kids - and taking juggling to a new level for the adults! Read article
Accreditations
3000+ Reviews
3000+ Reviews
thebestof Awards