The Triangle of Gardens
With over fifty beautiful gardens across North Carolina, start your
garden getaway in the Triangle area of the Piedmont where three
prominent university gardens await your visit.
The Triangle includes the cities of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel
Hill. Each city offers great dining and shopping, so you’ll have plenty
to do for the evenings, too. With no more than twenty miles between
each major garden, it is easy to visit all three in three days. To top it
off, admission is free at these three gardens!
3-Day Itinerary (See detailed itinerary below the map)
Day 1
JC Raulston Arboretum, North Carolina State University in Raleigh
Day 2
Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Duke University in Durham
Day 3
North Carolina Botanical Garden, The University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill
Please see our recommendations for the best places to stay eat at the bottom of this page!
Enjoy all the area has to offer by mixing and matching the garden
tours and other activities to suit your particular interest. Be sure to
check the website or call ahead for visitor information and hours of
operation.
Recommendations for Places to Stay Around the Triangle are offered at the bottom of the page below the detailed itineraries.
Day One – Raleigh
Enjoy a Down-Home Breakfast and Market (1-2 hours)
Start your day early with a hearty breakfast at the Raleigh Farmer’s
Market restaurant. Biscuits, country ham, farm-fresh eggs and other
local specialties are served.
After breakfast, stroll the large Farmer’s Market to see the bounty of
our state. The market overflows with North Carolina produce and
products, crafts, plants and garden art. Local chefs shop here for the
freshest products for their restaurants!
Amble Through Our Arboretum (2 hours)
Drive only four miles to visit the 8-acre JC Raulston Arboretum that
sports over 5,000 total species of annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs,
trees, groundcovers and vines. Here, you’ll find superior plants
suitable for the southeast landscape. There’s a garden to please every
gardener. Bring your camera to take photos of the labeled plants so
that you can repeat these designs in your home garden!
Grab Lunch in a Garden Shop (1-2 hours)
After a morning of garden tours, you’ll be ready for lunch. What better
place to dine than at a garden shop?
Head for The Seaboard Café at Logan’s Trading Company in downtown
Raleigh. Arrive in time to eat before the café, open Monday-Saturday,
closes at 2:00pm. On the menu, you’ll find sandwiches, burgers, soups
and salads. Linger at Logan’s to shop for plants, garden gifts, garden
tools and so much more. Their knowledgeable gardening staff can
answer your plant questions!
Be Sure To Reserve Time for this Garden and Nursery (2 hours)
With an advance reservation, gardeners can visit Juniper Level
Botanic Gardens and Plant Delight Nursery. Located in the countryside,
the gardens and nursery are thirty minutes from downtown Raleigh.
The 6-acre display gardens include over 17,000 unique plants. The
mail-order nursery is known for unusual plants for garden
connoisseurs, so a reservation to shop the greenhouses is a special
treat!
Legendary Dining
After a day of garden tours and plant shopping, you may be ready for
a fabulous steak dinner at the world-renowned Angus Barn located on
Highway 70 near the Raleigh-Durham Airport. This historic restaurant
opened in 1960 and the award winning food and wine continues today.
Although beef is the prime entrée on the menu - seafood, chicken,
grilled vegetables and lamb are also offered.
Day Two – Durham
No Madness at Breakfast (1 hour)
This morning, try the Mad Hatter Bakeshop & Café for a quick
breakfast. Freshly baked pastries will tempt you, so why not indulge?
There are also light choices of granola, yogurt or oatmeal. For a
special treat, order a three-egg omelet stuffed with seasonal veggies
or crepes topped with berries and crème fraiche.
Butterflies and Blooms (1-2 hours)
Look up for these garden beauties! Visit the Magic Wings Butterfly
House located less than ten minutes from your breakfast spot. Part of
the Museum of Life and Science, the butterfly house is among the
largest in the world with a conservatory that is thirty feet high! The
museum includes 17,000 square feet of tropical gardens. The tropical
climate is 80 degrees year-round, making this a fantastic option for a
rainy day. Hundreds of tropical butterflies will delight you with their
beauty as they flit among the 250 species of tropical plants.
North Carolina Barbecue for You (1 hour)
Within a few minutes of your Duke Gardens destination is Bullock’s
Barbecue. For those who want to try North Carolina barbecue,
hushpuppies and slaw, this is the perfect place. The locals love
Bullock’s (there may be a line). It’s not a fancy place, but the
barbecue is great! Take a look at the celebrity photos that line the
walls. Closed on Monday.
The Highlight of Heritage Gardens (2-3 hours)
You are now ready to stroll the renowned 55-acre Sarah P. Duke
Gardens. The gardens consist of four main sections, including the
Terrace Garden, the H.L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, the
Culberson Asiatic Arboretum and the Doris Duke Center Garden. There
is year-round interest in these beautiful gardens. The large lake in the
Asiatic Arboretum is adorned with an arched bridge that provides a
unique and romantic view of the gardens, swans and ducks. The
Terrace Garden includes the wisteria-covered pergola, a vantage point
for viewing the blooms in the terraced beds below. Take your time and
enjoy the views!
So Many Decisions for Dinner
For several dinner options conveniently grouped together, try the
Streets at Southpoint that is located less than twenty minutes from
Duke Gardens. Streets at Southpoint in Durham is just off Interstate
40, between Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Southpoint also includes a
shopping mall and movie theater. Dining choices range from The
Cheesecake Factory to Maggiano’s Little Italy to California Pizza
Kitchen plus Rockfish Seafood Grill, Champps Americana and
Firebirds Rocky Mountain Grill.
Day Three – Chapel Hill
Go Bananas over Foster’s for Breakfast (1 hour)
Cookbook author, Sara Foster, owns Foster’s Market. Sara is often
around the restaurant, too. A casual, laid-back, eclectic favorite for
breakfast or weekend brunch, the specials change daily. Veggie or
meat omelets plus the quiche, pastries and fruit are always delicious
choices. Browse the market for intriguing food items and wines from
around the world. Outdoor patio dining is available in nice weather for
this seat-yourself local hangout. It’s okay to read the paper or bring a
book!
Meet our Friendly Native Plants (2-3 hours)
Native plants are the main attraction in the wooded 500-acre North
Carolina Botanical Garden. Conservation and sustainability principles
make this wildflower garden special. Native North Carolina plants are
protected and propagated for future generations. The Display Gardens
include sections for wildflowers, ferns (those shady characters), herbs
and water plants. You can also hike the 88 acres of Piedmont Trails
that are adjacent to the Display Gardens. The secret garden shop sells
native plants – on the honor system!
Lunch is Always in Season (1-2 hours)
Just a five-minute drive down the road is A Southern Season, a
gourmet market that includes a wonderful restaurant, The
Weathervane. There are daily specials as well as a menu filled with
appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees. Outdoor dining is available
during nice weather. Reservations are recommended.
After you’ve enjoyed a pleasant lunch, wander through the gourmet
sections of A Southern Season to see the choices in chocolates,
coffees, teas, breads, cheeses and wines. Sampling is often
encouraged!
Ten miles south of Chapel Hill is
Fearrington Village and The Fearrington House Country Inn. Folk
art and garden architectural features add to the English country
charm. The Fearrington House Restaurant features an upscale,
contemporary cuisine to finish up your garden getaway in style.
Top Places to Stay Around the Triangle:
The Fearrington House Country Inn – Pittsboro/Chapel Hill (Our top pick!)
The Umstead Hotel and Spa – Cary/Raleigh
Four Points by Sheraton at Southpoint – Durham
The Carolina Inn – Chapel Hill
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