In college the words “Road Trip’ would
send a thrill through us. It meant
dropping whatever you were doing, grab a change of clothes, a toothbrush and a
few dollars and hit the road. Maybe
heading to a nearby campus to crash on the floor at a friend’s dorm or borrow
the house of someone’s parents who just left for a cruise (all participants, to
this day, will remain nameless), but no matter the destination, it was always
an adventure.
So a road trip to a Botanical Garden can
still be an adventure, in a different sort of way. Maybe not as spontaneous; having to work
around kids’ sporting events and dentist appointments can be difficult. There may not be a stop at the first package
store for beer, but there will be a stop at Starbucks for some lattes. And maybe there isn’t the same amount of freedom;
after all, dinner has to be on the table at a decent time.
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| Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens |
If you are looking for a Garden Road Trip,
there are some wonderful places a short drive away. Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont is
only an hour’s drive. Besides the
glorious gardens, they offer classes and events at different times of the
year.
The Sarah P. Duke Gardens, located
near Duke University is considered one of the premier public gardens in the
United States. The JC Raulston Arboretum located at NC State University has one
of the largest collections of plant material for the Southeast. Wandering these beautiful gardens will both,
inspire and relax you. Take a camera to
snap some pictures for possible ideas for your own garden.
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| Sarah P. Duke Gardens |
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| JC Raulston Arboretum |
Any of the above mentioned gardens would make
a memorable road trip and would not require a call to your parents explaining
the reason they could not reach you all weekend was because you were at the “library”.
Sounds much more fun than grading papers! I recently took a road trip to see the vegetable garden at Monticello. They still grow the same vegetables Jefferson did. The Duke garden looks awesome. I'm a sucker for a picturesque bridge. :o)
ReplyDeleteVery funny post. I used to love the Beverly Hillbillies as a kid. In fact, we had a plot hatched between us sisters that our new baby brother should be called Jethro. My parents did not fall for it however. They decided on Ian much to our disappointment.
ReplyDeleteI always find Botanical Gardens offer a wealth of inspiration. I love the shot of the bridge in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.
I need to do a road trip to both these places. During the Spring Fling we took a side trip to the UNC Botanical Garden, great collection of native plants.
ReplyDeleteThe Duke garden looks beautiful! One of these days I have to get to NC. Jeannine
ReplyDelete