There and Back Again: Asheville to Chapel Hill
Explore some of North Carolina’s renowned winter gardens and arboretums
We’re breaking away from our usual email template to share our quarterly journey. This regularly occurring feature takes you to and from two destinations via winding rural roads lined with charming small towns, captivating landscapes, historic structures and, in this particular journey, vibrant winter gardens and arboretums that brighten up the year’s coldest season.
While numerous horticultural havens exist across the Southeast, this three-day itinerary focuses on those in Western and Central North Carolina, with routes that wind through frosty forests into towns and cities where you can enjoy a warm winter meal or cocktail in a historic inn or boutique hotel. Let’s begin.
At the end of this post, our upgraded Explorer and Voyager subscribers will find Google Maps links for all three days, plus bonus information about unique accommodations to consider.
GET THERE, Day 1
Asheville > Winston-Salem > Greensboro
Backroad Route:
4 hours and 48 minutes; 189 miles • 3 stops
Fastest Route:
2 hours and 44 minutes; 174 miles • 3 stops
STARTING POINT
If you’d like to spend a full day at Biltmore—or more—we recommend arriving the night before and staying at one of the on-site accommodations featured at the end of this post.
Biltmore Estate Arboretum & Gardens
1 Lodge Street, Asheville, North Carolina
biltmore.com
Biltmore’s expansive 8,000-acre landscape, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted beginning in 1889, offers the perfect starting point for this floriferous journey. View winter-hardy conifers, hollies, witch hazels, and evergreen magnolias across the estate’s formal gardens and mountain trails, then step inside the 7,000-square-foot heated glass Conservatory to view more than 2,000 exotic plants, including towering palms, ferns, and succulents.
Don’t miss the Conservatory’s orchid and production rooms, where many plants are propagated, and enjoy fragrant winter daphne and hellebores blooming outside near the Conservatory.
If you tour Biltmore House, you’ll immediately enter the Winter Garden room, an enchanting octagonal atrium located on the ground floor of the mansion that’s filled with exotic plants, providing a year-round tropical escape.
Reynolda Art & Gardens
100 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
reynolda.org/gardens
From Biltmore, you’ll drive a little over two hours to the once-private estate gardens of tobacco magnate R.J. Reynolds. Reynolda Art & Gardens offers 129 acres with formal allées, a sunken greenhouse garden, and woodland trails. In winter, evergreens, hollies, camellias, and hellebores shine against the historic village backdrop, while witch hazels and paperbush add fragrance and color to the landscape. The historic 1913 Lord & Burnham greenhouses encompass lush palms, vibrant orchids, fragrant citrus trees, and seasonal displays of poinsettias and amaryllis.
Greensboro Arboretum
401 Ashland Drive, Greensboro, North Carolina
greensboro-nc.gov/departments/parks-recreation/parks-gardens/greensboro-arboretum
A quick 30-mile drive from Winston-Salem takes you to this 17-acre arboretum that contains a dedicated Winter Garden Collection filled with evergreens, hollies, textured perennials, and camellias, including the iconic Greensboro Red camellia—a light red semi-double japonica variety originating from a pre-1900 seedling at local Lindley Nurseries that is also the official flower of Greensboro. Trails showcase the camellias and offer ample opportunities for birdwatching.
GET THERE, Day 2
Greensboro > Kernersville > Durham > Raleigh > Chapel Hill
Backroad Route:
3 hours and 46 minutes; 135 miles
Fastest Route:
2 hour 26 minutes; 134 miles • 3 stops
STARTING POINT
The starting point is the Greensboro Arboretum, so adjust these directions based on your accommodations address.
Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden
215 South Main Street, Kernersville, North Carolina
cienerbotanicalgarden.org
A 15-mile drive from Greensboro brings you to these 7-acre gardens encompassing more than twenty-five sections, including the Piedmont Woodland Garden, Japanese Garden, Wetland Garden, Conifer Garden, a greenhouse, amphitheater, Children’s Learning Garden, Pattern Garden, Kitchen Garden, and Hornbeam Walk. Native shrubs and seasonal perennials contribute to this peaceful, year-round retreat.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens
420 Anderson St, Durham, North Carolina
gardens.duke.edu
Your next stop is 70 miles away on the historic campus of Duke University, where you’ll find the 55-acre Sarah P. Duke Gardens. Enjoy camellias near the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, fountains and birdwatching opportunities in the Japanese Garden, and patches of witch hazel along Hanes Lake and the garden’s walking trails. While you’re on campus, have lunch at the Washington Duke Inn’s Fairview Dining Room or sip an afternoon cocktail at the Bull Durham Bar.
J.C. Raulston Arboretum
4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, North Carolina
jcra.ncsu.edu
Take a 24-mile detour to Raleigh to walk through this free, nationally acclaimed botanic garden boasting one of the largest collections of southeastern-adapted plants for superior landscapes. Part of North Carolina State University, it’s open daily and offers educational classes, events like Garden Story Walks, horticulture programs, plant sales, guided tours, and serene trails flanked with evergreen hollies, witchhazels, and hellebores.
Coker Arboretum
399 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
ncbg.unc.edu/visit/coker-arboretum
From Duke University, make a quick 10-mile drive over to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where you’ll find the 5-acre Coker Arboretum. Tread serene paths through loblolly pines, cedars, and southern magnolias along lawns framed with hollies and witch hazel.
Spend the rest of the day walking along the historic campus and dine at one of Chapel Hill’s famed cafés, like the Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery.
AND BACK, Day 3
Chapel Hill > Belmont > Asheville
Backroad Route:
6 hours 24 minutes; 267 miles • 2 stops
Fastest Route
4 hours 39 minutes, 269 miles • 2 stops
STARTING POINT
The starting point is Coker Arboretum, so adjust the directions based on your accommodations address.
Daniel Stowe Conservancy
6500 S. New Hope Road, Belmont, North Carolina
danielstoweconservancy.org
This 380-acre network of gardens near Charlotte showcases an 8,000-square-foot, five-story Williamson Conservatory containing 2,500 orchid specimens, exotic ferns, and carnivorous plants. The annual Orchid Spectacular takes place during winter, transforming the conservatory into a blooming wonderland. An event showcasing 20 ice sculptures was scheduled for January 16-17, from 5 to 9 p.m. Other highlights include the award-winning Four Seasons Garden with cascading fountains, the Woodland Garden Trail, and the expansive Piedmont Prairie showcasing indigenous grasses.
The North Carolina Arboretum
100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, North Carolina
ncarboretum.org
The North Carolina Arboretum spans 434 acres featuring 10 miles of scenic trails through native hardwood forests, wildflower gardens, and bonsai exhibitions, showcasing diverse Appalachian flora. Highlights include whimsical Thomas Dambo troll sculptures, a dazzling Winter Lights spectacle, and interactive exhibits. Finish your day, and trip, with a hand-prepared meal featuring local ingredients at the arboretum’s restaurant, Bent Creek Bistro.
Google Maps Links
