Visiting North Carolina's Arboretum in Asheville

The state of North Carolina has begun lifting their stay-at-home orders as of this writing. Currently, trail access only at the North Carolina Arboretum at Asheville will be open to the public beginning May 9. Please do not travel at this time.

Set on some 430 acres in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, the North Carolina Arboretum is free to visit (though parking is a paid fee) and includes gardens, trails, exhibits, a gift shop and cafe. You can ride your bike on miles of trails, see their world famous Bonsai Exhibition Garden, walk a trail and see dozens of native wildflowers or treat yourself to a locally sourced, homemade lunch. It's a great place to spend a weekday afternoon or a weekend morning. Come along on a virtual tour and check it out!

The Baker Exhibit Center

I began my visit to the garden by stopping by the Information Deck at the Baker Exhibit Center and picking up a map. Next was a visit to the Gift Shop for a little early Christmas shopping and then a walk through the exhibit at the time - Compositions of Color, Paper Art by Leo Monahan. 

The Baker Landscape Garden
My amble through the garden began in the Baker Landscape Garden with it's plantings of perennials and annuals. 

The Blue Ridge Court

The Blue Ridge Court has the first standing statue of Frederick Law Olmstead, the father of landscape architecture.

Rocky Cove Railroad

This garden scale model train represents the coming of trains to Western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th Century. It operates on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from April through October.

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

This is a "world renowned garden that can hold up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time." There are Chinese, Japanese and American species represented. There are, also, plants native to the Blue Ridge region such as eastern white pine represented. It's unique to the North Carolina Arboretum and quite an interesting exhibit.

I spent a delightful afternoon wandering around the grounds and enjoying all the beauty here. It concluded with a homemade lunch on the patio overlooking the flowers. It seems it's true - He who plants a garden, plants happiness.

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!