Visit the North Carolina coast to explore manicured formal gardens, see masses of brightly blooming azaleas and learn about botanical treasures such as the rare Venus flytrap. It’s sandy, easy to cultivate the light, and the climate is tempered by the Gulf Stream for a lengthy growing season. It’s not hard to see why the earliest settlers were eager to make our shores their home.
1 Airlie Gardens
1 Airlie Gardens
WilmingtonSee on mapA 1920s garden filled with abundant camellias and azaleas offering beautiful waterfront views.
2 Lejeune Memorial Gardens
2 Lejeune Memorial Gardens
JacksonvilleSee on mapThese gardens are filled with monuments that honor service members and Jacksonville's military history. You can find the Beirut Memorial, the Onslow Vietnam Veterans Memorial (the second largest Vietnam memorial in the country), the 9/11 Memorial Beam and more.
3 UNC-Wilmington Arboretum
3 UNC-Wilmington Arboretum
WilmingtonSee on mapA 10-acre wildflower preserve, 200 acres of pine savanna, numerous wetlands and more among the rich natural resources of this campus.
4 North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
4 North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Kure BeachSee on mapFeatures natural habitats and ecosystems, including plants that can prosper at the seashore with minimal care.
5 Tryon Palace
5 Tryon Palace
New BernSee on mapElaborate 18th-century-style gardens benefiting the royal governor’s residence and first capitol of North Carolina.
6 Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens
6 Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens
WilmingtonSee on map18th-century-style gardens featuring a parterre garden and terraced orchard at the oldest museum house in southeastern North Carolina.
7 Elizabethan Gardens
7 Elizabethan Gardens
ManteoSee on mapA grand formal garden with abundant plantings, antique statuary and ornaments, and peaceful natural areas memorializing the settlers of The Lost Colony.
8 Historic Halifax
8 Historic Halifax
HalifaxSee on mapMedicinal, repellant, tea, fragrance, craft and cooking herb beds typical of the late 1700s, located at the rear of the Eagle Tavern, circa 1790.
9 Cupola House Garden
9 Cupola House Garden
EdentonSee on mapA Colonial Revival garden designed by Donald Parker of Colonial Williamsburg, with parterres, orchard, arbor and herbs befitting this historically significant 1758 home.
10 Charles B. Aycock Birthplace
10 Charles B. Aycock Birthplace
FremontSee on mapSeasonal vegetables, flowers and herbs intermingled in a typical 19th-century kitchen garden.