AshevilleBlue Ridge ParkwayCherokee NationFrederick Law OlmstedNC ArboretumPisgah National ForestRocky Cove RailroadSaluda Grade
The North Carolina Arboretum
Getting tired of posts in the U.S. about Western Carolina yet? Fear not, this will be among the last ones before our time draws to a close here. The next post will be revealed in due time, and like the others, it's a guaranteed dandy. Bear with me just a while longer here.
For now, it's more of Western Carolina, then. The Arboretum is a 434 acre public garden located just outside of Asheville and neighboring the famed Blue Ridge Parkway. The Arboretum was established almost 30 years ago within the Pisgah National Forest. If the Western Carolina Nature Center is your place for animals, then this is the place for dendrophiles, or plant aficionados.
After our most recent visit here, I am convinced that this is perfect for hikers, (non motor-)bikers, and runners. Do you have a dog? Bring him out! I am not so sure this is the place for kids, since they take an interest in plants the way Americans do in cricket or french fries with mayonnaise. If your kid is into hiking or cycling, then by all means: take the kid with you. Just be warned that there will probably be more groaning than grooving when all is said and done. I'll think twice before taking my kids back here. Parents with kids, use your own judgment.
Personally, I think this is the perfect place for the hikers who would prefer to know where they're going than simply rely on a compass and the sun. If you like the hiking, but can do without the adventure, the Arboretum is for you. There are a dozen good trails, all marked, so that getting lost is very unlikely. And as an encore, you will be educated about plants and trees on your trails, as if you were on a guided tour. You can easily hike for hours here without any fear of getting lost.
At the Baker Exhibit Center, there's an exhibition inside that reminds me of what we already saw when we visited Cherokee Nation, although the focus here is on the trees and plants, and how people, usually Native Americans, benefited from them. There's the canoe that was carved out of the trunk of a large red oak, or the rocks that Cherokees used to make arrowheads.
Once you wander back outside, it's on to the large central lawn that is surrounded by plantings, both seasonal and evergreens. One of the central features is the statue of Frederick Law Olmsted, the often heralded father of American landscape architecture. There is an absolutely gorgeous Bonsai Exhibition Garden, featuring an extensive bonsai collection that needs to be seen to be believed.
There's an amphitheater, also known as the Outdoors Event Center, plus a Greenhouse that has been closed to the public due to renovation. In front of the amphitheater is the Rocky Cove Railroad, a garden scale model train representing the train in Western Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. See also the Saluda Grade a few posts back.
We spend more than two hours on the trails, although I have to admit I was a little annoyed at times by the cyclists. To be fair, they are pretty courteous and are on their best behavior. If that shouldn't suffice, there are numerous paths, primarily the Bent Creek Trail, that is only accessible on foot. We would take this all the way to Lake Powhatan.
Okay, so maybe we overdid the hiking bit a little. When all is said and done, we hike a good eight miles, which was good enough for Axl, but oddly like pulling teeth for Bash, the more gifted specimen in a physical sense. The trick with kids is that you make them forget about the hike itself. What do they like to talk about? Bash talked about dinosaurs for at least two miles, Axl about new Terraria stories he could write. I still prefer to see my kids on trails than on the internet for the same amount of time.
Either way: when in Asheville, come see the Arboretum as well. There is no formal admission, although the high fee for parking ($14) seems to cover everything. It's worth every penny.
For now, it's more of Western Carolina, then. The Arboretum is a 434 acre public garden located just outside of Asheville and neighboring the famed Blue Ridge Parkway. The Arboretum was established almost 30 years ago within the Pisgah National Forest. If the Western Carolina Nature Center is your place for animals, then this is the place for dendrophiles, or plant aficionados.
After our most recent visit here, I am convinced that this is perfect for hikers, (non motor-)bikers, and runners. Do you have a dog? Bring him out! I am not so sure this is the place for kids, since they take an interest in plants the way Americans do in cricket or french fries with mayonnaise. If your kid is into hiking or cycling, then by all means: take the kid with you. Just be warned that there will probably be more groaning than grooving when all is said and done. I'll think twice before taking my kids back here. Parents with kids, use your own judgment.
Personally, I think this is the perfect place for the hikers who would prefer to know where they're going than simply rely on a compass and the sun. If you like the hiking, but can do without the adventure, the Arboretum is for you. There are a dozen good trails, all marked, so that getting lost is very unlikely. And as an encore, you will be educated about plants and trees on your trails, as if you were on a guided tour. You can easily hike for hours here without any fear of getting lost.
At the Baker Exhibit Center, there's an exhibition inside that reminds me of what we already saw when we visited Cherokee Nation, although the focus here is on the trees and plants, and how people, usually Native Americans, benefited from them. There's the canoe that was carved out of the trunk of a large red oak, or the rocks that Cherokees used to make arrowheads.
Once you wander back outside, it's on to the large central lawn that is surrounded by plantings, both seasonal and evergreens. One of the central features is the statue of Frederick Law Olmsted, the often heralded father of American landscape architecture. There is an absolutely gorgeous Bonsai Exhibition Garden, featuring an extensive bonsai collection that needs to be seen to be believed.
There's an amphitheater, also known as the Outdoors Event Center, plus a Greenhouse that has been closed to the public due to renovation. In front of the amphitheater is the Rocky Cove Railroad, a garden scale model train representing the train in Western Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. See also the Saluda Grade a few posts back.
We spend more than two hours on the trails, although I have to admit I was a little annoyed at times by the cyclists. To be fair, they are pretty courteous and are on their best behavior. If that shouldn't suffice, there are numerous paths, primarily the Bent Creek Trail, that is only accessible on foot. We would take this all the way to Lake Powhatan.
Okay, so maybe we overdid the hiking bit a little. When all is said and done, we hike a good eight miles, which was good enough for Axl, but oddly like pulling teeth for Bash, the more gifted specimen in a physical sense. The trick with kids is that you make them forget about the hike itself. What do they like to talk about? Bash talked about dinosaurs for at least two miles, Axl about new Terraria stories he could write. I still prefer to see my kids on trails than on the internet for the same amount of time.
Either way: when in Asheville, come see the Arboretum as well. There is no formal admission, although the high fee for parking ($14) seems to cover everything. It's worth every penny.
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