Visit Us | Downtown Greens

Explore Our Gardens

Downtown Greens has two campuses equaling 58.7 acres of land under conservation easements within the City of Fredericksburg. Our public greenspaces include undeveloped, publicly accessible* land. The sites provide a variety of landscapes including gardens, semi-old growth forest, agriculture land, and vernal wetlands.

Downtown Campus

Our Downtown Campus is open from sunrise to sunset 365 days a year and consists of the Upper Garden and Lower Garden.

Belman Road Campus

*Our Belman Road Campus is currently accessible by appointment only.

What people say about our gardens

I wanted to express how grateful and lucky I am to have such wonderful spaces right outside my door! I was amazed when I first stumbled into them, thinking, "Whoa, I don't know what the hell these are, but I'm so glad they're here!" I know that spaces like these really do mend the soul not because it's a nice idea, but because I experience just that with every visit. Though it might sound silly, I feel the love of those who've designed and continue maintaining these spots; there's the perfect (to my taste) balance of order and enthusiastic intermingling. Thank you for this downtown gem! ~ DM
We salute all of you for making our corner of the world more beautiful, more healthy, more vibrant, and more welcoming!

People like you, all over the world, are making a big difference by demonstrating how humans can work with Mother Nature - joyfully and lovingly! ~ E & J
Thank you DTG youth garden club! Our children have learned so much about the importance of being involved in the community and the joys of gardening. ~ Brittany, youth garden club parent

Upper Garden

Downtown Campus

The Upper Garden, purchased in 1997, is the site of our Education Garden, Take What You Need Garden, FXBG Free Fridge & Pantry, as well as numerous native and non-native food-bearing trees, shrubs, vines, and perennials. Located caddy-corner across the street from our offices at 206 Charles Street, the garden runs along Dixon Street between Princess Anne and Charles Streets.

The Youth Education Garden is located in the middle and is fenced to ensure vegetables and program materials are preserved for our participants. This garden is not open to the public to pick from.

The Take What You Need Garden (TWYNG), located behind the bus stop and Free Fridge & Pantry, is unfenced to invite anyone to grow what they want and gently harvest what they need. The TWYNG is open to the public to be planted in but be aware that anything planted there is available for the public to harvest. When harvesting from the TWYNG, please gently pick the fruits, vegetables, or other items without uprooting or damaging the plant so that it will continue to provide food for all.

The Upper Garden is under a public access conservation easement which means it is protected from development in perpetuity. It has been the site of many free classes, events, and fundraisers.

With many places to sit and relax as well as free WI-FI, the Upper Garden is an outdoor social hub for our community.

The Upper Garden is open 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset. All are welcome.

Lower Garden

Our Lower Garden is the original site where Downtown Greens first started in 1995.

The Lower Garden is part landscaped pleasure garden as well as being a natural oasis right in downtown Fredericksburg.

Started by Laura Shepherd who cleaned and planted the original garden with the help of numerous volunteers and using plants thinned from her landscaping clients' yards, the Lower Garden boasts both native flowering plants as well as non-native classic landscaping plants.

Come and relax while watching all the birds socialize and eat at the 4-feeder bird station donated and maintained by Wren & Sparrow.

Come to the Lower Garden to enjoy a greenspace in the city and watch as it progresses into a destination spot to view and learn about beautiful native plants.

Purchased in 2023, these 56 acres contain working agriculture fields, old growth forest, wetlands, and a native edible food forest riparian buffer.

This 56-acre plot of land has so much potential we have only begun to utilize all the gifts it has to offer! Classes from UMW, Master Naturalists, and our own crew have been happening since its purchase as well as plantings, a soiree, and so much more.

Want to see it for yourself? Check out upcoming events and programs.

Belman Road Campus

Planning for the Future of the Belman Road Campus

Starting in 2025, Downtown Greens (DTG) was selected as a recipient of the Virginia Tech Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) Conceptual Site Plan Design program which is funded through CDAC’s Community-wide Brownfields Assessment grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Community Design Assistance Center is an outreach center in the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design that employs students and provides planning and design assistance to communities and non-profit organizations throughout Virginia.

The CDAC is working with a stakeholders committee at DTG to create a conceptual site master plan for the Belman Road Campus that will serve as a starting point for DTG’s vision for the property and help leverage future funding for next steps. The team from the CDAC has made several site visits to the Belman Road Campus to familiarize themselves with the features of the property and to meet with our staff. DTG envisions many opportunities at Belman Road for hands-on nature education and outdoor learning and recreation including trails, viewing areas, orienteering/educational signage, educational spaces, and more.

Representatives from Virginia Tech's CDAC presented their initial set of site plans for our Belman Road Campus on May 5 to our Belman Road Site Plan Committee. The plans included a "Lean" site plan and a "Dream" site plan option for the 56-acre property. Feedback from the Site Committee along with our Board and staff was given to CDAC. They are currently working on a final site plan.

Our Location

206 Charles St

Fredericksburg, VA 22401

540-371-7315

For general inquiries: admin@downtowngreens.org

Office Hours:

Mon - Fri 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Garden Drop-In Volunteer Hours:
Thursdays 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Saturdays 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

There are seasonal and weather-related variations in volunteer hours. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates. Want more info on volunteering? Reach out to Em Ford.