Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is one of the best places in Richmond to play the augmented reality game Pokémon Go. The Garden has 20+ PokéStops scattered in close proximity throughout the grounds, plus five Gyms. The physical features of the Garden such as grass, water, etc., have created an environment for a good mix of Pokémon. Landmarks throughout the Garden such as fountains and sculptures serve as great meeting spots for players.

Pokémon Love Nature

You knew our Garden was filled with plants, birds and insects, but did you know that our Garden is filled with Gardeners (Grass type Pokémon), Bug Catchers (insect type Pokémon), Bird Keepers (Flying type Pokémon), Swimmers (Water type Pokémon) and even Scientists (evolved Pokémon). Because of our unique ecosystem, both “grass type” and “water type” Pokémon flourish here. Some have even asked if we are a Dragonite spawn! Did you know some Pokémon can only be caught after dark — another great reason to play in the evening.

Good Times

A large number of PokéStops, with lots of Pokémon in a concentrated area means, more fun for you as you play the game. Our water and grassland ecosystem attracts many Pokémon, including some rare ones (scroll down to see the list). Don’t let your battery life slow you down. Recharge at the charging station in the library (open Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday – Sunday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.) Recharge yourself with food and drinks both for sale in the Garden Cafe.

You’re sure to hatch an egg or two and earn candy for your Buddy just by walking around the Garden. Twice around Sydnor Lake guarantees multiple PokéStops, a Gym and a kilometer of walking!

What Pokémon have you caught?

Share the Pokémon you find! Post them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Tag us @lewisginter and hashtag your photos: #POGORVA #POGO #PokemonGOCommunityDay

Remember

Please use caution when traveling the Garden’s pathways, especially if you are here for Flowers After 5 after dark. Remember to be alert at all times and stay aware of your surroundings. Please be respectful of other visitors, and stay on the Garden paths or grass at all times.

Say What?

Need help with the Pokémon lingo? Here’s a quick look at what it all means.

Pokémon: The word comes from a contraction of the words Pocket and Monsters or Poketto monsutâ in Japanese.

PokéStop: There are 20+ of these in the Garden. This is where you can collect Poké Balls, Revives, Potions, Eggs, and other helpful items. Don’t forget to look up as you’re stopping at each PokéStop- the Garden has more than 5,500 unique types of plants!

Gym: Gyms are locations where you can battle the Pokémon of rival teams, or train your Pokémon by battling against the Pokémon assigned there by other members of your team. There are five Gyms located in the Garden.

Regular Admission: $13/Adults, $11/Seniors 55+, $8/Children 3-12. Children under 3 free. FREE for Members. With Garden membership, you get unlimited visits throughout the year. If you plan to visit more than twice a year, it may be worth it to become a member.

TIP: If you visit keep your receipt to show at admissions on the way out and we’ll deduct your admission cost from membership. There’s even a student membership for only $20 when you show your college ID.

Hard-to-Find Pokémon

Uncommon or rare pocket monsters caught at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden include:

Clefairy (# 035)

Vulpix (# 037)

Oddish (# 043)

Gloom (# 044)

Venomoth (# 049)

Golduck (# 055)

Growlithe (# 058)

Poliwhirl (# 061)

Abra (# 063)

Tentacruel (# 073)

Slowpoke (# 079)

Slowbro (# 080)

Gastly (# 092)

Voltorb (# 100)

Exeggcute (# 102)

Exeggutor (#103)

Horsea (# 116)

Seadra (# 117)

Goldeen (# 118)

Seaking (# 119)

Scyther (# 123)

Jynx (# 124)

Magmar (#126)

Pinsir (# 127)

Tauros (# 128)

Lapras (# 131)

Eevee (# 133)

Vaporeon (# 134)

Snorlax (#143)

Dratini (# 147)

Dragonair (# 148)

Pokémon commonly found throughout the Garden include: Caterpie, Krabby, Magikarp, Paras, Pidgey, Pidgeotto, Poliwag, Psyduck, Rattata, Spearow, Tentacool, Venonat, and Weedle.

Please note this list is not comprehensive, nor is meant as a guarantee that you will find any of the listed Pokémon during a visit to the Garden. An earlier version of this list included Farfetch’d, but that pokémon was misidentified and has been removed. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.



Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is not affiliated in any way with Pokémon Go

Pokémon & Pokémon GO registered trademarks and copywrites: ©2016 Niantic, Inc. ©2016 Pokémon. ©1995–2016 Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc. Pokémon and Pokémon character names are trademarks of Nintendo. The Google Maps Pin is a trademark of Google Inc. and the trade dress in the product design is a trademark of Google Inc. under license to The Pokémon Company. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Android, Google Play, and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google, Inc.

© 2016 Niantic, Inc. © 2016 Pokémon. © 1995-2016 Nintendo / Creatures Inc./ GameFreak, Inc.

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