Duke Gardens welcomes public back after being closed for more than a year
The Sarah P. Duke Gardens that were closed to the public during the pandemic for more than a year have finally reopened.
Posted — UpdatedNow is the best time to plan a visit to one of the most beautiful and diverse gardens in the country. The gardens opened more than 80 years ago and have about five miles of walkways and trails.
Masks are only required if you go inside garden facilities, including restrooms. Parking is more limited than in the past, especially on weekends. Staff recommend downloading the pay-to-park app on their phone before parking to avoid the lines.
Even though spring is over, there are blooms in each season throughout the botanic garden.
While walking through the trails, be on the look out for carnivorous plants, which are growing throughout the gardens.
If you are bringing kids with you, you might want to stop by the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden. There, you can learn about gardening at the historic tobacco barn and see chickens and beehives.
Throughout the Asiatic Arboretum, there are plenty of places to relax by a babbling stream or small waterfall. Don't leave the gardens without visiting the Meyer Bridge or seeing the Pine Clouds Mountain Stream.
The Historic Gardens are a great place to stop for a picnic, or read a book. There's plenty of big magnolia trees around if you want a break from the sun.
Bob and Carmen Parente and their two young sons had been waiting to see the garden for 15 months.
"As soon as I asked them if they wanted to go today, they said, 'Sure! Let's go,'" he said. "They missed it also."
"Whenever I come visit my daughter, before I even go to her house, me and my youngest daughter, we always stop here first," she said.
The garden's executive director, Bill Lefevre, said that they originally thought that the gardens were only going to be closed for three weeks. Those weeks turned into months.
During the shutdown, 30 staff members continued tending to the garden.
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