You could spend the whole day wandering around the amazing grounds. Make sure you wear comfy footwear and warm clothing - the site is very exposed and we got cold very quickly. There are loads of places to sit, rest and reflect therefore a flask of tea and some biscuits are essential.

This place is truly a fitting memorial for those who have given their lives, their liberty or their health for our country. Wherever one walks or looks there are wonderful tributes to our fallen. This place is one that every true Briton must visit at least once in their lifetime to spend even a little while remembering, and vowing ... 'Never again!'

The first thing that hits you is the wide open space and how the memorials are laid out allowing both visual acceptance and dignity. Then the absolute peace and quiet irrespective of the number of people visiting. This was our 2nd visit to the site and we wanted to see new The Land Girls memorial which is a wonderful tribute to these very brave young ladies. We wandered along the numerous paths reading inscriptions and thinking of those who had sacrificed so much. Although my husband found the visit very emotional we will definitely return.

what a fitting memorial to heroes from all walks of life.
This place is well worth a visit.
The arboretum is well maintained and all the volunteers are friendly and know
Knowledgeable.
I would highly recommend a visit.

I had to place this as an attraction, to some it may well be, but it is far more.

We have family in Staffordshire, so it is convenient for us to visit, and we have visited on several occasions. Each time we call, something has changed, or added.

The central Memorial is well elevated in the centre of the Arboretum, and looks impressive, both from a distance, and actually on the top. Access is by steps or a spiral path.It would be a very hard heart that wasn't touched by all the names of our service personnel who have been 'lost' in the many conflicts over the years. You may have family listed. Do your research before you go.

There are different areas, dedicated to the different services, and more recently, as is so right and proper, the Civilian Organisations that gave their services. Each has its own planting and memorial or Monument.we have visited since shortly after the opening, and have seen the trees growing, gardens developing, and new areas - recently the Land Army was recognised.

There is a generous car park with a Disabled parking area. Parking was free to the disabled but the last time we visited there was a charge for the more able. If you phone ahead of your visit, you may reserve a Mobility Scooter for a nominal fee. There is a cafe, toilets, and gift shop.

I would recommend a visit to everyone, and if you would like to know more, the web site is:-
www.thenma.org.uk.

Enjoy your visit.

A place to see as words cannot convey what a peaceful and interesting place it is. Many different events and organisations represented not all military.

Amazing and thought provoking - always developing and definitely worth a visit - whether or not you have connection to forces

We woke up last Sunday it was pelting it down but by 09:00 there was a break in the rain, so we decided to go here for a visit, it's not that far away from where we live.
Parking costs £3 for all day, and believe me you'll need all day to get around all of the memorials.
We attended the chapel service at 11:00 am where we paid our respects and the two minute silence is respected there every day of the year.
I'm not good on my legs so we caught the train that takes you around some of the memorials, the trip is around 50 minutes and costs £5 each person, but you have to buy your tickets before you can go on the train, you can't pay when you get on the train. There's also golf type buggies that you can pay to have a guided tour or pay for a walking guided tour.
We didn't know what to expect when we arrived at the memorial and a big surprise was its not just military memorials there, lots of trees and gardens, peace and quiet so you can sit and think.
I won't mention what memorials are there I'll leave that to you to find them, it certainly makes you think about things. It's not a grave yard like the one in America where this idea came from, neither is it The Somme or auschwitz, where you know that people lost their lives, just reading about those two places could make you weep, its The National Memorial Arboretum, bang in the centre of our country, if this wasn't here, there's no where else in our country or many other countries like this.

We were told that there is to be an injection of funds, they are knocking all of the buildings down apart from The Chapel, building new ones fit for purpose, the visitor numbers have gone up from 60,000 to 300,000. There are new memorials planned too.
You can get something to eat and drink there, there's a cafe indoors plus a marquee outside.
There's a shop selling things to do with the Arboretum, poppies, pens, mugs, ect ect.
There's no admission price, you make a donation in the boxes provided, were were told that it costs £4,000 a day to run the Arboretum, that equates to a cost of £6 for each visitor, bear this in mind when you do put your hand in your pocket to donate.
A visit here certainly is food for thought and for some people it could be very emotional.

150 acres 300 memorials and not enough time. Car parking £3 for all day. Free entry but a suggested donation of £5
Dogs not allowed through the main area but there is a great walk footpath around the outside with still loads to see and read
The place is so well kept with loads of guides on hand a road train to take people about expect to be a minimum of 3-4 hours there's toilets shop and restaurant
We will be going back to see more

This is such a dramatic place, it is only when you see all the memorials do you realise how many thousands of people have died in defence of our country. The forest of trees is specially haunting when you realise that each tree represents a ship full of people in the merchant navy.
The wall of rememberance is updated annually with the names of those lost since the end of the of the Second World War.
There is a small museum which displays paintings from the concentration camps, these can be harrowing and makes you wonder how man survived the traumas.
It is upsetting and uplifting at the same time. May their sacrifice not be in vain.

It's a strange way to fill a day out but ...I was totally taken back by the whole thing fantastic gardens and the memorial just blows you away looking at the names of the boys and girls who have given their lives for us all
It made it really special when an old plane flew over very very low
This is a day out for every one the young and the old

Luckily for us, we live within a few miles of The Arboretum and we take every opportunity to introduce our visitors to this site, which is of national importance. Every time we visit we find something new, it was good ten years ago, it is great now, and in a few years will be magnificent.
Make sure to give yourself time to do justice to the place, and don't forget to visit 'Shot at Dawn', those poor individuals who today would be guilty only of post traumatic stress.
Entry is free although there is a car parking charge and donations are most appreciated.

Visited the NMA recently - something we have intended to do for some time.

It is a very moving place, but it does seem a bit 'bitty'. A semi-random acculmulation of various memorials in loose groupings. It seems mostly to consist of 'stones' with plaques / inscriptions. Those memorials which buck this trend eg like the recently dedicated Land Girls / Lumber Jills memorial, really stand out - for the better.

However, we had thought that this was a memorial arboretum relating to armed forces / services / war & conflict. We were, therefore, somewhat surprised to find memorials to Stillbirth Children and similar. Have difficulty accepting that this is the place for memorial to these such losses. If so why not just a cemetary?

Yes you have to pay for the 'bits' - car parking, maps, etc, - but they are minimal for a place that has no entrance fee.

The cakes in the catering tent were pretty good too.

A beautiful time to visit on a bright sunny crisp day where a bowl of hot soup in the restaurant is welcoming after a lovely walk on flat even paths. The memorials are thoughtfully laid out with my personal favourite being the recent addition of the Women's Land Army & Timber Corp. The £3 all day parking charge and free entry makes it exceptional value day out.

Having said for ages we would join in with the 'ride to the wall' we eventually went with friends on a Sunday, a day after the 'ride'. We attended the 11am non-religious service before walking around the vast site. There are 100's of memorials ranging from the Armed Forces through to uniformed services, and everything inbetween. Most are outdoors but there is an indoor display about Burma which was extremely thought provoking. The most moving for me was the 'Shot at Dawn' area, a very plain memorial with the name and regiment of each of the people who were indeed shot at dawn. We arrived at this point as a small group of secondary school children were having a talk and you could have heard a pin drop - a very poignant reminder of the suffering of so many people in so many ways. Then of course, one encounters 'the wall'. An enormous memorial of curved walls bearing the inscriptions of thousands of service men and women that have died since the end of the second world war from Palestine in1945 to the present day.
Every aspect seems so well thought out, the way the sun shines through the wall onto the centre of the memorial on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, incredible.
As Auschwitz is on the national curriculum for Polish school children, so should this phenomenal place be for UK children.

An arboretum is just trees, right? Well, in this case, wrong! I fully expected a war memorial but not on this scale and not a memorial to so many institutions and organisations. Far more than the Armed forces which immediately spring to mind. Organisations such a the WI, RNLI, Fire and Rescue Service and The Railway Industry all have memorials here along with many, many others. Should you visit, and I highly recommend that you do, please walk that little bit further and visit the very poignant Shot at Dawn.

So many memorials to choose from but, for me, the most memorable by far was the main Armed Forces Memorial. The sculptures are so striking but the feature which struck a chord with me was the empty wall and the knowledge that this will one day be carved with more names.

Highly recommend a visit to the centre. A truly humbling experience which makes you glad to have the freedom of choice to express your gratitude to those who gave so much for us.

This is a very thought provoking place to visit. Very serene. Many of the memorials brought a tear to my eye, so take your tissues. We went with a reluctant 13 year old but by the time we left even he thought it was 'ok.' There are pay and display machines in the car park but they are not enforced, so you can pay inside, £3. Entry is free although they do suggest a donation of £5 per person. Personally, I think they should charge as I'm sure lots of people didn't pay for entry or car parking and it obviously requires a massive upkeep. We had lunch in the cafe. This was expensive and didn't have a lot of choice. Plenty of picnic tables though, so if the weather is fine, take your own.

Place was well organised and had plenty of knowledgable guides. Tasteful and well stocked gift shop and cafe area. Found the visit very moving.

Even if, like us, you are not visiting because a loved one is commemorated here, this is a most moving place. The 300 memorials set in 150 acres of woodland beside the River Tame, from the grand for the armed forces, to the tiny plaques for stillborn babies, certainly jolt the emotions.
The whole arboretum is very well set out and beautifully maintained. Unusually for a place that is primarily military, it is not set out in serried ranks, but in less formal groups. As the arboretum was only opened in 2001, it will take many years for the trees to mature; it will be fascinating to watch over the years.
We were there on a gloriously sunny November Saturday. There was a huge number of visitors, but the site is so large that they were easily accommodated without feeling overcrowded. Many children had been taken by parents and especially by grandparents. It is good that youngsters come to places like this.

this is a wonderful place to visit
The grounds are well kept set out in different forces groups
There are lots of different memorials to stop off at with a magnificent centre piece
The whole thing makes you stop and think of all the forces past and present and what they mean to us as a country
makes you feel humble
everyone should visit and reflect

Our dear friends who died tragically in a road accident are remembered with a tree in the Road Peace Wood and we visit from time to time. It`s lovely to see the development of this amazing place and it`s always busy with people of all ages. New memorials are being added all the time and there is so much to see. It a poignant reminder that we owe much to those who are no longer with us and that we should appreciate every day and never squander time.

Very moving place with fantasic staff who are helpful and knowledgeable. Make sure you leave plenty of time there is so much to see.

We had a fantastic day out, there is plenty to do and see, there is lots of guides to ask questions etc, really brings home how many people gave up their life's for us, quite a moving day.
Andy and Chris

Visited during half term, with boys (ages 12 & 11). Car park was £3, had no problem at all with paying as the Arboretum itself is free and costs have to be covered somehow.
Had a very full day - took the land-train round to start with so we had some idea of the layout of the site, then spent a (very moving) few hours wandering around looking at all the memorials - we were a little worried beforehand that the boys may be bored but they were not at all, they found the whole experience really interesting.
Lots of different memorials, the site was very well kept, well laid out and easy to navigate with the help of the map - we had to buy the map but as mentioned before, we didn't mind this as any profits go towards keeping this a free-to-enter site.
The restaurant had a good selection and was very busy. Toilets were clean. The gift shop was perhaps the only disappointment, as I'd been hoping to find some prints or perhaps a calendar with some images from around the site, but there was not much really - some poppy themed jewellery and ceramics, but most of the items weren't unique to the site, they were mass produced gift-shop staples (pencils, books, mugs, jams etc) identical to those you could find almost anywhere.
All in all a very interesting and thought provoking day, we spent several hours there and would happily go back again.

We drove some distant to see the arboretum on our arrival we were surprised at the amount of memorials to all sorts of groups and people. We did like the fact that a lot of the trees were from the places that the memorials depicted but we think another 10 years and it will be much better, the trees more being mature.