They have lots of memorials, military and civilian in a beautiful setting, including memorial for organ donors and stillbirths. The memorials are all very different and beautiful in their own way. Nice place to eat. Would highly recommend a visit.

I visited today and even in the freezing cold the place was beautiful. It's moving, educational and peaceful. Maybe not the best place for young teenagers, the group of teens I visited with did their best to be respectful but they didn't fully understand the gravity of the situation.
I'll revisit on my own so that I can take things in properly.

This site is appropriate not only for ex service personnel but also those interested in learning more about all services
Highly recommend the guided tour on the buggy

My wife and I visited with a number of colleagues and friends. This place is impressive from the start. We were fully aware that the main memorial was being repaired so this did not surprise us. The main parking is about 100m from the site itself and not a difficult walk. There is parking closer but this is, rightly, reserved for those who need it. Parking is a modest £3 and is generally collected at the gate. The visitors centre and main catering are under development and will make the location even better but I will touch on this later.
Upon arriving we had a coffee and then moved into the chapel. Access to the site, less parking, is entirely free. There is no one bothering you to make a donation but there signs and the ability to donate at the entry/exit point. A suggested donation is stated but there is no enforcement of this and it is purely a voluntary donation.
The first coffee area is small at the current time and quickly becomes full, this will be rectified once the development has been completed.
We proceed to the chapel for the daily Act of Remembrance. I advise getting there early as there is only a limited number of seats and this may result in you having to stand. The 15 minute introduction to the NMA given by the Volunteer guide is very informative and a good start to your day.
We then proceeded to the specific memorial we had come to see and moving around the NMA is very easy for all, with good level foot paths and grass ways. The layout is relatively easy and once you get the hang of it finding what your looking for can be relatively easy. You can purchase a map to find your way around.
The setting cannot be faulted in any way. With the different trees and their meanings, the plethora of memorials also reflecting well their different subjects. The positioning of the NMA next to a nature reserve and using the setting it has makes it a very tranquil and pleasant place to be as a whole. The river running close by also adds to this.
The site is massive though and do not think you are going to get around the site in just one day and visit all the memorials personally. you would not being do the site the justice it deserves. One easy way to see a very good overview of the site is to utilise the land train. This costs £5 per person but is well worth as you are on it for around an hour and it takes you over the entire sight and gives you a very good idea of the layout of the site and very good information track on how the different memorials have been devised. The land train is enclosed so will protect from the worst of the weather also! it happen to have started raining during our visit and the using the land train at this time was the perfect opportunity.
We decided to have lunch there and this is the only negative thing I have to say about the visit. The co-ordination of the staff within this area seemed to be severely lacking. There was an organised visit on one side of the lunch facility and the remainder of everyone came through on the other side. Hot food was constantly running out and coming backwards and forwards from each location along with staff resulting in no constant thoroughfare and motion of the queue. There were vegetarians in our party also who had to wait for nut cutlet (despite it being on the menu as a standard) and it took an excessive amount of time (15-20mins) for this to arrive and then it was not the hottest either despite it being freshly cooked. The food itself was nothing really to right home about (apart from the temperature of the nut cutlet) but was not terrible either. I think for future visits I will bring a picnic as the site opens itself up to this perfectly. I understand that such places get busy but it was not that busy. I am sure the new development will rectify this though.
We then proceeded to visit some of the larger memorials that we wished to see closer after the land train trip. You can freely wander from memorial to memorial. There was no over crowding and people respectfully wait as you take photos as you wish. There is a temporary wall that has all the names on it from the currently closed memorial located at the entrance to the NMA.
A truly special place that I intend to visit many more times. The setting, layout and volunteers make this place truly a location designed for reflection and tranquillity.

Beautiful day at the arboretum, staff all very friendly too!
You can certainly spend the whole day there,much to see.
The place has been very well maintained and there is a shop on site also a restaurant which I hadn't had chance to try! Lots of beautiful spots to have a picnic too..

Although the Arboretum is being improved, it was extremely well presented. Disruption kept to the minimum with no loss of dignity or interesting subjects to visit.
The entry area comprises of "Tea room" and shop. Very nice and friendly staff, both volunteers and regular. Try their carrot cake and coffee. The shop has no brash tat. It's quality, desirable and useful. Ideal presents.
The paths are wide and clear. Disabled access all round. The grass is thick and well looked after and is to be walked on. No "Keep Off" anywhere to be seen. Adequate and appropriate sized themed areas for each organisation. The indoor exhibit for the Far east was very well put together, with moving accounts by witnesses shown on flat screen video in five minute bites, which led you on to the next part.
As it is outside be prepared for the weather, the shelter is limited.

Enjoyed walking around the Arboretum even though the weather was a bit chilly. Found the exhibition on Far East Prisoners of War particularly moving.

Excellent place to visit. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to take it all in and wear comfortable footwear - there is so much to see and some lovely walks. Even though it was a weekday it was still busy. But you can find a quiet spot to sit and contemplate.

Every year motorbike riders gather together to celebrate our fallen heroes, and brings together some 30,000 riders.
The grounds are beautiful and tranquil to walk through all year round and full of historic information from the wars.
There is a large coffee shop with a wide variety food and drinks available. Wheelchair friendly.
This also a place for a nice day out.

Wonderfull,interesting very pleasant walks.really lovely day out with my husband. It as a very nice restaurant with yummy food. Will definitely no again.

What an amazing place this is, its unfortunate that the reasons its here in the first place was due to loss of life.
its peaceful, tranquil and you need as much time as you can give to just wander around a day just isnt enough to pay respect to all those remebered here

Amazing day, such a tranquil place grounds that are well maintained, facilities great and so much to see - we will be returning

Despite a lot of building and restoration work going on, there was still loads to see and do. All the work should be finished by November 2016 if you wish for the best experience. You'll be invited to give a fiver on entry (officially entrance is free but you'd need to be spectacularly tight to give nothing). Then £3 for a map (essential), £3 for a 45 minute guided walk (which took well over an hour) but was brilliant, and £5 for the land train which was also excellent and good value and took about an hour. You'll need a couple of hours to wander alone to see anything of particular interest to you. One thing I hadn't appreciated was that the memorials are not all military ones. For example one garden was dedicated to still-born and neo-natal death charity SANDS. All very moving stuff and a lot of it a testament to the idiocy of war. If you go early April the millions daffodils will be at their best but every season will have its own special offering. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

It was so peaceful to walk around and be able to pay respect to all those who have died ,throu conflict or road accidents

This has to be one of Englands finest memorial sites to the people who have given their all for our freedom and safety.It has well thought out memorial sites for every regiment and service Its breath taking Set in beautiful peaceful grounds with river walks and a train ride round the complex.Its wheelchair friendly everywhere.We spent a day there but three days would be needed to see everything and give it its due respect A MUST VISIT for anyone.The history of each memorial is explained fully.Guide book is brilliant and the Staff and volunteers are amazing.Plenty for everyone of ALL ages and abilities.Cafes coffee and gift shops.

This is not the kind of place that you can rush. We spent hours there looking at the various memorials to a wide variety of people and organisations. Military and civilian.

Very fortunate to live very close by, have visited many times since its opening.
Can still go round and find new things we hadn't seen before.
You can walk out away from the centre and find some lovely quiet spots in very nice surroundings, just beware don't come in your best shoes as some of the parts need you to walk on grass.
Looking forward to the new visitor centre opening, looks like it could be special.

Tranquil and peaceful. Plenty of time to stroll around and absorb the atmosphere with lots of seating areas for peaceful reflection. The 11 o'clock Last post, 2 minutes silence and Reveille in the chapel was very emotive. Still a lot of construction in place at present with the armed forces Memorial closed so would definitely visit again when fully open. Staff and volunteers were all very friendly and helpful.

When you think of the national Aboretum you think of memorials but it is much more than that, it a place to hold in wonder and amazement of the size and expanse of the sole site and how well it is looked after, the land scape is wonderful and when the new visitors centre is completed it will offer a new attraction as well, we thought it was just for military but lots of public organisations are remembered and depicted there, but the tranquil settings are superb, either on foot or by the road train the guides, who are all volunteers are very knowledgable ,

The family have visited the National Memorial Arboretum on several occasions and it never fails to leave a lasting, sobering, thought provoking memory and is a fitting tribute to our fallen service personnel and emergency/support services.

We took an elderly uncle to the arboretum as he was in the arctic convoys and had recently received a medal from President Gorbachov.
Since, at 92, our uncle is not up for walking long distances, we took a trip on the train around the site. The train trip is well worth the charge, however, it was a great disappointment that many of the displays and memorials couldn't be seen properly because the hedges were too high. Maybe someone from the arboretum should board the train and make a critical journey around the site to see what actually CAN be seen from the train!

A very moving place with a peaceful atmosphere. Have been twice and want to go again. One cannot take it all in at once, so much to see and learn.

We spent at least two hours walking quietly and thoughtfully around this memorial park viewing the many varied monuments and reading many of the tributes to those gone before us. A visit to the cafe and shop topped it off.
We would be keen to visit again once the exciting new development currently under construction is open. There is no charge but as the place is run by many volunteers and by the Royal British Legion charity a good donation is gratefully received. Also don't miss the memorial chapel, this is another place for prayer or quiet contemplation as are many of the quiet corners you can find on site. We also enjoyed our walk down by the River Tame with it's wildlife and serenity.
My only observations are go sooner rather than later as there are so many trees planted so close together, unless they are thinned out, which seems unlikely as they are mostly 'in memorium' the forest will become very dense and the views available now will be lost in a few years. And I do query why non native species have been planted? Eucalyptus don't belong here but maybe because of Empirical connexions?

Down the A38 from Derby to Lichfield you'll see a brown sign to the National Memorial Arboretum. I'd never heard of the National Memorial Arboretum before my first visit and talking with friends further up north where I live, neither had they. It's almost as if it doesn't court publicity and, nationally, it isn't given much as far as I can judge. It deserves better as the place in this country where the sacrifices of people who have past served this nation in many ways receive due and respectful recognition.

The memorials are many, including those for men and women from foreign lands who have stood with us in struggles over time. So it saddens me that, beyond the odd news item when a new memorial is dedicated in its large landscape of trees and lawns that it seems ever to be tucked away off the A38 without much recognition for itself as the Nation's prime site for bearing testimony to the many who have served and fought for us.

I must have been to the arboretum at least three times now. It is ever changing as it adds to its number of commemorations, both large and small. It is ever informative of the bravery and dedication of the souls it seeks to remind us of. And it is not just for adults. The young will draw from the place a sense of how we've come to be where we are today. Of personal interest was the memorial to the Bevan Boys, with my family steeped in the mining industry. The bookshop provided their story in a purchased paperback - 'Called Up, Sent Down' - which taught me more than I ever knew, more than my Father ever told me about his working life and the working lives of my two mining Grandfathers underground.

You'll be pleased you visited the National Memorial Arboretum, and visit it time and again as its stories evolve with each new commemoration unveiled. Visiting should be compulsory. The open often windswept lawns and trees of the National Memorial Arboretum stand well with many poignant memorials I've seen in other lands.

Visited on a cold damp November day, which I felt made the day much more poignant. wasn't expecting such a variety of monuments to so many causes, Give another five year when the trees have grown, and the partitions grown it will be a truly reflective environment, Don't want to say I had a good day that's just not right, although it was very moving.