Spring Blooms: Celebrate mom with a trip to the N.C. Botanical Garden

At the N.C. Botanical Garden, you'll find a variety of plants, flowers and trees that come from the southeastern United States, trails and activities for kids.

Posted 12:16 a.m. May 8, 2018 — Updated 12:16 a.m. May 8, 2018

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

, Go Ask Mom editor

Mother's Day is nearly here, which means, people who have moms to celebrate, it's time to make some plans.

All week, ahead of Sunday, May 13, here on Go Ask Mom, I'll be sharing ways to celebrate mom. Among those posts and pictures, I'll have image galleries and features of local gardens, which are absolutely beautiful right now, free to explore and a perfect stop for moms who love enjoying nature.

Let's start with the N.C. Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The garden is used for teaching and research, but it's also open to the public.

Here, you'll find a variety of plants, flowers and trees that come from the southeastern United States. They're tended to in beautiful gardens and along trails and other spaces which, all together, stretch across more than 1,100 acres.

The garden's Instagram account features gorgeous pictures almost daily that document what's happening at the gardens.

Check out this pitcher plant ...

Jennifer Peterson, the garden's communications manager, likes to point families in the direction of the Children's Wonder Garden, which includes lots of hands-on activities and opportunities to play. (I wrote about it a few years ago. There have been some changes since then.)

Kids also love seeing the fish swimming around in the Aquatic Habitat Gardens, playing a game of chess on the garden's giant Chess Set and taking a seat in the large wooden Storytellers’ Chair.

You also can take a walk along the rustic Piedmont Nature Trails, which offer up more than two miles of hiking through a typical central North Carolina forest, according to the garden's website.

If you go, start at the education center so you can get your bearings and map out a visit that's just right for your family. Visiting hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday. The Piedmont Nature Trails are open from dawn to dusk, daily.

Admission is free. It's at 100 Old Mason Farm Rd., Chapel Hill.

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