Gardens & Nature

Battle Park

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Country Club Rd (near Battle Ln)
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3375

Directions

phone (919) 962-0522

Open daily, dawn to dusk.

A 93-acre wooded park with pedestrian trail system and small picnic areas adjacent to the Forest Theatre. Named for University President Kemp Plummer Battle, who cleared paths and built benches here in the late 1800s. The North Carolina Botanical Garden cares for the park and has been working to restore trails, bridges and the natural forest system.

Coker Arboretum

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East Cameron Ave at Raleigh St
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3375

Directions

phone (919) 962-0522

Open daily, dawn to dusk.

This five-acre garden was created on the UNC campus in 1903. It contains more than 500 species of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. Two prominent features are the 300-ft. native-vine arbor and a recently installed stream cascade. Free 1-hour guided tour departs from the stone gathering circle on the Cameron Avenue side of the arboretum at 11 am on the 3rd Saturday of each month (March - November). Limited parking is available on a first-come first-served basis; call 962-0522 for details.

Montrose Gardens

320 St. Mary's Rd
Hillsborough, NC 27278

Directions

phone (919) 732-7787

Open year round for guided tours by appointment Tue. & Thu., 10am; Sat., 10am or 2pm.

This 61-acre property, a listed property in the National Register of Historic Places, features specimen trees, rock garden, wood gardens with massed plantings of unusual bulbs and hellebores and sunny perennial borders as well as 19th century buildings, decorative arbors, planters and architectural items. Nationally known gardens begun in the 19th century by Gov. and Mrs. William Alexander Graham, several 19th century buildings and architectural items remain. Guided tours plus tours for groups of 6 or more people may be arranged at other times. Per person, $10.

Multiflora Greenhouses

1623 New Sharon Church Rd
Hillsborough, NC 27278

Directions

phone (919) 732-3630

Open Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm; Sat, in-season only (call first).

One of the largest commercial flower, plant and vegetable greenhouses in North Carolina. Its state-of-the-art, automated greenhouses with heated concrete floors and computerized climate-controlled systems take up five acres, comparable to more than eight football fields.

Niche Gardens

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1111 Dawson Rd
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Directions

phone (919) 967-0078

Open Mon.-Sat., 9am-5pm; Sun. hours are seasonal (please call ahead).

A quiet, delightful nursery and garden where you can learn about wildflowers, perennials, shrubs, vines, grasses, gardening for butterflies and wildlife, and see unique garden art. Guided tours Sat., 10am (spring and fall). Picnics, garden club visits and bus tours welcomed. Parking. Picnic tables and benches.

North Carolina Botanical Garden

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100 Old Mason Farm Rd (off US Highway 15-501)
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3375

Directions

phone (919) 962-0522

Open year-round Mon.-Fri., 8am-5pm; Sat., 9am-5pm; Sun., 1-5pm; and Memorial Day to Labor Day, open until 6 pm on weekends. The Garden's paved visitor parking lot will be closed and locked after hours.

The largest natural botanical garden in the southeast, consisting of nearly 800 acres of preserved land with nature trails, carnivorous plant collections, aquatics and herb gardens. Also offers revolving exhibits of paintings, quilts and other media, plus sculpture in various sections of the botanical collection. Free guided tours of the display gardens every Sat (Mar-Oct), and first Sat (Nov - Feb) at 10am. Parking. The garden’s LEED Platinum 29,000 square foot “green” Education Center includes an auditorium, classrooms and gift shop with outdoor patio space and native plant landscaping. The Nature Trails are open until dusk, but visitors must park in the gravel “Overflow Lot” if they wish to stay on the trails after the 5 p.m./6 p.m. closing time, when gates to the paved lot are closed and locked. Guides also lead tours of the environmentally friendly Education Center once a month on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., providing a behind-the-scenes look at the unique features that make this one of the most efficient buildings in the state of North Carolina.