Went to see the illuminations , absolutely stunning. Some of it was quite heavily flooded and one of the exhibitions was closed and the staff gave us tickets to return for free and see it again. Absolutely fantastic staff, lovely, friendly and so helpful. Have been several times in the past but seeing it this way was wonderful. Thanks to everyone there for all their hard work. Xx

Very exciting place to visit, full of things to see & do..

Well worth a visit 👍👍

Great to see at night illuminated, well worth visiting

Beautifully illuminated

Nice place for business day outing

Very stirring.

Every year we as family and friends pay a visit to the National Arboretum. It is a beautiful place to have a day out and for those of us whose family served this country in whatever capacity it is a reminder of the courage of the men and women involved. There is a lot to see as there are so many memorials. There is also a visitor's center, restaurant and shop. Unfortunately on this particular visit the weather had flooded some areas so we couldn't see all parts of the grounds. One of our group was in a wheelchair but no problem as most of the grounds are wheelchair accessible. There is also a land train that you can board which takes you round the site. Well worth a visit.

Cracking place!!

Excellent place to visit & very humbling

I live the NMA I feel completely peaceful here.

Makes you think how lucky we are

Wonderful place to share memories. Lovely staff & volunteers who make your visit very special. Wish I lived nearer to visit more often

The NMA is a beautiful place, very tranquil and immaculately kept. When we visited it was a very cold, misty winter’s day but in many ways this added to the atmosphere. It was far bigger than we imagined, had hundreds of memorials and quite a number of interior spaces too. However we did find some issues. As a family group of three generations with ages ranging from 5 to 68, we’d been led to believe that there were aspects of the NMA suitable for children, however we found it a very difficult place to engage children. There seemed to be two areas specifically for children (a very small ‘play/sensory area’ and the ‘stickman trail’) but with appalling sign-posting and no decent plan of the grounds we found these areas VERY difficult to locate. When we did find them the play area was so minimal that it didn’t provide much of an outlet for children, and the Stick Man Trail was impossible to follow (neither the adults nor the children found the “letters”!!). Our children would have been happy to run about in woodland areas but again sign-posting made it impossible to find our way around and we kept finding ourselves back around the Central Armed Forces Memorial (where quite understandably there were ‘keep off the grass’ signs, but because of these signs we couldn’t see how to actually access other areas that we could see in the distance!!). Finally, the children asked some very thoughtful and enquiring questions about the memorials, and I’m ashamed to say that the adults (all well-educated people but with no military background or experience) struggled to answer many of their enquiries. I understand that this place is designed to be a “memorial” not a museum but some simple, child-orientated information boards explaining a bit about some of the more significant memorials would have been really useful and would help ensure that the next generation have a sound understanding about the service men and women who have given their lives for their country.

Lovely place, very eye opening.

A great place for memories

Very nice

A thought provoking space, well laid out. Beautiful memorials and sculptures. Free entry made possible by visitors using the gift shop, coffee shop & restaurant etc. Can spend the whole day enjoying the arboretum and indoor exhibition. Great place to re visit in different seasons.

If you visit a must go to part of the Arboretum is the Allied Special Forces Grove. This is managed and run independently all of the dedications have been funded through donations and fund raising. The Pegasus bridge memorial is outstanding picture included

We only stopped for a quick walk and use of the cafe, but ended up walking round most of the dog walking routes.
What an amazing place. Acres of well maintained grounds with memorials wherever you turn. It certainly makes you feel fortunate to be able to walk among the memorials of those who laid down their lives for others.
All the staff were friendly and helpful from gate to cafe to restaurant.
Restaurant food tasty and good value. Cafe cakes yummy (yes, we were there long enough to try both!) can sit outside under cover with the dogs at both.
Certainly somewhere to return when there are leaves on the trees.

A place to reflect and remember all those who have lost their lives in service of our country. A very humbling experience to walk around and think jow many paid the ultimate sacrifice

I attended the Sensory Saplings session today for the first time. It is held in the learning centre part of the Arboretum so is warm and dry! I took my two daughters (3 years old and 4 months old) For £2.50 each, this was a lovely experience. There was an area for babies with plenty of playmats and toys. For the toddler and preschoolers, the session started with a story and song. Then there were crafts (we made a clay tree decoration, some Christmas cards and did some festive colouring) There was a lady playing the violin along to festive music and the children could join in with the instruments. There was a tunnel and a couple of small ride on things to enjoy too. What made this so good were the people running it - they were so enthusiastic and friendly. They really made a fuss of the children and spent time encouraging everyone to join in. Would definitely recommend and will be coming back. Keep up the hard work everyone - it is much appreciated!

Thought provoking place. Great cafe. Had cream tea, beautiful scone.

Extremely moving.

Somewhere that everyone should visit. Lots of open space, lots of information, well care for, places to eat and drink.