The North Carolina Arboretum

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Garden Lover’s Paradise! If you’re a garden enthusiast, The North Carolina Arboretum is an absolute must-visit. Nestled within the Pisgah National Forest, this 434-acre haven offers a serene escape into nature’s beauty. Admission is free, with a $20 parking fee per vehicle .   The highlight of our visit was the Bonsai Exhibition Garden. Featuring approximately 100 display specimens, this collection showcases a diverse range of bonsai, including traditional Asian trees like Japanese maple and Chinese elm, as well as American species such as bald cypress and limber pine . The meticulous care and artistry evident in each bonsai are truly captivating. We were able to watch as staff lovingly trimmed an exhibit and gave us some details about his process. Beyond the bonsai, the Arboretum boasts a variety of themed gardens, including the Blue Ridge Quilt Garden, which reflects the patterns of traditional quilt designs using vibrant seasonal blooms. The Stream Garden offers a tranquil setting with its formal arrangement of trees, shrubs, and perennials .   The well-maintained trails are perfect for a leisurely stroll, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the diverse plant collections and scenic landscapes. Plan to spend a couple of hours here to fully appreciate the surroundings and perhaps enjoy a picnic amidst the natural beauty. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, enhancing the overall experience with their insights and assistance. Whether you’re a seasoned horticulturist or simply seeking a peaceful retreat, The North Carolina Arboretum offers an enriching and relaxing experience. Highly recommended!

The NC Arboretum is a true gem! The entire place is absolutely beautiful… immaculately maintained gardens, scenic trails, and peaceful natural surroundings. It was not only a relaxing visit but also a wonderfully educational experience. The highlight for me was the bonsai exhibit… truly incredible! The care and artistry that go into those is fascinating, and the exhibit does a great job of blending art, history, and horticulture. The NC Arboretum is a must-visit. Can’t wait to go back!

An excellent way to spend the day outside. we hiked what they offered as a 4 mile option which puts together several different trails to get to the 4 mile mark. The trails are well marked easy to follow. We left after hiking to grab a bite to eat. The bistro Café has very limited options and nothing really looked good to us. We came back a couple hours later and walked around the beautiful gardens. We found the bonsai exhibit to be particularly beautiful.

Very beautiful. Went after Hurricane Helene, you can't tell there was any damage. Wild animals and insects of all breeds everywhere you look. I was lucky to arrive right when a cicada was hatching. They only charge for parking. Admission is completely FREE!!! Must visit when you come and definitely donate. They run off of donations so please visit and return the favor.....

We walked around for a couple hours and had a great time. I wasn't able to walk the whole thing (probably unreasonable to assume I could without training, realistically) but we focused on the creek path and it was really enjoyable. Gift shop had a bunch of cool stuff, too.

I’ve been taking my dog kid to the Arboretum for walks for almost a year now. I’m a member, and it is ABSOLUTELY worth the membership fee. You get to see incredibly beautiful flora and fauna, fun displays and art, and there are tons of trails to hike on (varying levels of difficulty, I would say, mostly related to distance). Plus they even have plant sales from time to time! It’s the best!!!! Some of the Arboretum grounds are still closed after Hurricane Helene, but you can still see and do so much there even right now.

First time we've been in the Spring. Recommend adding this to your places to visit. Only cost is $20 to park. The grounds are well kept, landscape and plantings are well done, lots of walking trails, leashed dogs are welcome, and if you like bonsai, you are in for a treat. They do host a variety of events and plant sales throughout the season.

Great place to enjoy nature. Plenty of walking trails. Dog friendly. Handicap accessible. Nice gift shop. So many different flowers, trees, plants and herbs. I love that most have a name tag. I also have an app that identifies plants so that was fun. Kids can do geocaching. Snacks available too.

I decided to visit on my last day in Asheville. What a pleasant surprise! Me and my pup walked the gardens, ventured into the meadows, and hiked a few short trails. If I lived in Asheville I would love to have a pass and go on more well-kept trails. On the trails, we saw a deer which was great, and lots of flowers and trees. The trails where fairly easy. It's just what I needed. Fresh air and sunshine. The gardens had so many flower species. The bonsai gardens were so beautiful. I couldn't go in due to my dog, but I looked in from the door. Felt peaceful. If you are in Asheville or you are a local stop by for some beautiful plant species and trails.

Pros Nice grounds, nice trails, nice bonsai exhibit. Clean restrooms, food for lunch, picnic area. Walking, hiking biking and you may bring your dog on a 6 ft Leash Cons Not as many flowers as I would have imagined, one of the water features wasn't working, the map doesn't really give you good walking information nor are they marked for ability. I saw quite a few seniors unsure of where to go walking and how difficult the walks are.

Such a peaceful place to explore! I just love walking through the trails. The streams are so calming. I talked to man that was bird watching and said he had just seen a bird he had on his wish list to see! The rocking chairs are so comfortable by the cafeteria. I highly recommend!

Came for a couple of hours and got to walk around before it rained. It was later in the evening, but glad we got to see some trees, plants, flowers and did some walking through the paths. Great to spent some time getting in those steps!

I've been to the North Carolina Arboretum many many times since my last review. On one of my visits, I was remembered at the gate and told I needed to get the membership. Parking is $20 a visit and the membership was $50 so now I can go as much as I want in the year. On my September visit I saw all the work going into preparing for the Winter Lights so it worked out that I was able to go this year. I didn't realize I'd be sick or that it'd be extremely cold the night I went but that is what happened and I made the best of it. I would have liked to have lingered longer and enjoyed more of the displays but that was not possible for me so I just stayed an hour. I did see all of the displays and loved the lights, especially those set to music. But didn't partake in the hot chocolate or cider or sit at any of the warming areas or linger at the displays and take in the magic. When I first entered, all we saw was a rainbow and then the unicorn. It was just spectacular and I knew it was going to be a special night. While the rainbow part was amazing it just got more impressive as I walked around. The trees changed colors and had patterns. The quilt garden was the most impressive with the light patterns and the music. Other lights were set to music as well. Some of the lights you could walk through and the caterpillar was a big hit. The flower lights were beautiful. The wishing trees were a surprise and I made a wish on the tree so maybe Santa will grant my wish. I had low expectations for the Winter Lights but I can't wait to go back next year on hopefully a warmer night. I overhead part of a conversation that she felt like she was in a Hallmark movie. They did create that ambiance.

We loved our four hour visit here. We thought we'd be here for an hour or two, but before we knew it, the time flew by. There is so much to see and do! We started with the walk around the gardens. Then we explored the gardens behind the education center. We didn't want to leave for lunch, so we ate at the Cafe on site. Then we looked at the Bonsai. Impressive and inspirational. When we walked out of the Bonsai area, we heard a man singing. We stepped around a wall, and saw the older man strumming his guitar and singing. He had a beautiful voice. We moved on and saw rows and rows of flowers. In front of us. To the right and left we're more flowers and trees. We were appreciative of the identification stakes with most of the vegetation. I can identify more plants, flowers, and trees as a result of these signs on this visit. As we got ready to leave, we visited the plant sale area and the adjoining gift shop. We skipped the fragrance exhibit. We were tired! This was a fantastic experience and we hope to return.

What an absolutely gorgeous arboretum! I visited here with my husband and son a few weeks ago, and we had such a great time. The Arboretum is gorgeous, the staff is friendly, and the trees and plants are stunning. It was so relaxing walking around. We learned so much about bonsai trees and saw at least 30 different bonsai trees, including everything from the local hemlock to the Japanese maple! If we lived nearby we would definitely have an annual membership! Rating from F to A +++, I give it an A+++.

In a city filled with natural treasures, the arboretum may not make your list. But it should! Don't let the $20 entry fee stop you. The hiking is great here! It was slightly more strenuous than I had expected. I opted for the 4-mile route, which connected multiple trails of varying inclines and terrains. The views were lovely and very secluded. The gardens are probably the highlight for me. I absolutely loved the bonsai exhibit! Not only were the plants beautiful, but the information about them was so well-designed. I felt so refreshed! The visitor center is quite well run, and the staff are extremely smiley and kind. This was a lovely morning and a great farewell to Asheville!

Nice arboretum and they decorated for the holidays. Went last fall. Sadly a lot of their plants were dried up or already experiencing the effects of the fall weather. The bonsai selection is nice but the flowers were gone because they're stored outside or the weather had gotten to them.

The NC Arboretum is a truly stunning nature park, and definitely worth a visit. My husband and I were traveling in the area, and decided to bring our two dogs for a hike on a Saturday morning. Heads-up that parking does cost $20 for a day pass, but you can see where your money is going as soon as you hit the trails. The friendly guides at the gate will inform you that the main parking lot is about a mile down the road - but there's also a smaller lot just to the left of the front gate that connects directly to the trailhead. The arboretum is meticulously maintained, with some of the best trail markers I've ever seen. There are several hiking options for beginners, and all of the trails connect if you'd like to extend your route and make it a bit more challenging. The paths are wide and well-labeled - making it easy to share the trail with the other hikers you'll no doubt encounter. We ended up exploring for about five miles, and would have continued if not for an unexpected rainstorm. There's not much of an elevation change on the trails, but as with any hike in the mountains, you'll want to be sure you bring plenty of water. We didn't check out the visitor center or the bonsai garden this time around, but would absolutely return the next time we're in the Asheville area!

DO NOT Pass this by. This is an amazing arboretum. The trails through the gardens and surround Blue Ridge mountains are fantastic. Trails are not too difficult at all and are setup so that you can go as far or as short as you'd like to go. It's got a nice gift shop along with changing exhibit space. This one was on fragrances and how they were developed. The special exhibit in the garden was "bonsai" plants. Just a most pleasant experience overall.

Not much to see in the winter and we were there with our dog so we could limit our activities to outdoor. We did about a 5k walk along the trails which were very well maintained and marked. $20 for parking was a bit steep especially since we didn't take advantage of the exhibitions. But you can re-enter all day until 6 pm and the park closes at 7 pm, at this time of the year anyway (early January).

We enjoyed our visit to the arboretum. The grounds were well kept and the trails were well marked. Note, however entrance is not free. They charge for parking which is no different than charging an entry fee. We spent about an hour but you can spend a lot more time here if you are able. This was a good place to walk around in the shade and get a break from the heat.

Absolutely beautiful property with an epic view of the mountains with fall foliage this time of year. There is no admissions charge, but there is a car parking fee. Standard car was $16. If you decide to get an annual membership, that payment counts towards your membership. There's trails, an education building, a bistro (although limited items and no specialty coffee drinks), and several gardens, as well as nice clean bathrooms. Overall, our visit was wonderful and enjoyable, but we did witness a terrible customer service experience for a mom with two little girls trying to pay for a membership while the employee argued with her about going to another building, it being the same distance from the parking lot, and was not helpful to this poor woman who was just trying to catch a break since she had her hands full with a very hungry baby. It was appalling and sad. Somehow someone of an upper level caught wind of this crappy service and came and schooled her. It was an unfortunate incident probably by a clueless millennial, but we were happy to see some leadership coaching occur after the fact. We are looking forward to coming back for the Christmas lights this month.

A wonderful place to spend the day even when it's rainy. We have stopped here every time we're in Asheville. So very different in each season. They have it decorated now for Christmas and have a nightly lighting show. The decorations looked amazing even in the daytime. A must if you're in Asheville.

Is it worth the $16 fee? Yes it is because of the dog friendly hiking trails. Would I have preferred more mountain views? Yes but the long clean trails hugging the river makes up for it. We wanted to get a short hike in with the dogs but not travel too far from Asheville so we decide to visit the Arboretum. There are several miles of trails to choose from and we tried the 5-6mile trail that wrapped around the lake. Being able to walk right next to the river to hear the sounds of the water and see the rippling currents was just the relaxation I needed. We went on a cold Saturday morning with a few snow flurries in the air and I was shocked how bust it was with other dog parents. I have to imagine it gets really crowded in nice weather.

In early March there is not much happening, the Bonsai are in the greenhouse and the Bistro isn't open yet. Given the beautiful weather and season pass we have been here two Sundays in a row. Nice to see the early flowers blooming and trees with buds and flowery blooms. Parking lot was about a quarter full, lots of dogs being walked. What I didn't know about was the number of other arboretums throughout the country have full or partial reciprocity when one has a season pass. Buying a season pass the day one drives in is discounted as well. So there is some real value to be had. Looking forward to the Bistro opening until then we will bring our picnic lunch.

Sweet little spot in Asheville on the blue ridge. It was my second time and I have a few words of wisdom for myself/others (if they want them) Arrive earlier. They're open until 8 but we did not know the bonsais were indoors (early April) still and the inside areas close at 5. We arrived at 4:30, checked in and used the bathroom interacting with staff 3+ times. I wish they would have mentioned it as the time we learned this it was too late. The parking lot is huge and as other said, it's $16 a car. The attendant was super nice but a bit scattered. The facilities are gorgeous and it wasn't too busy for a Sunday. Plenty of space and lots of bathrooms. Great walkways- next time I want to explore the trails a bit more. Even though it was April it did feel a bit dead (ex-the quilt area was just brown). Nice to get outside but next time I'll come in summer!

I highly recommend visiting this stunning arboretum. Not only does this arboretum have stunning gardens but also plenty of trails to explore. It is free to visit but parking is $20 unless you're a member. I especially enjoyed the bonsai garden and flower quilt.

Loved the Winter Lights Show hosted at the Arboretum ... thousands and thousands of lights beautifully decorated for the holidays. Walk along the Winter Event Light Trail through a tunnel of twinkling lights, Magical Maples, visit the Wishing Tree, stroll thru the Winter Garden Party, pass thru the Happy Caterpillar, visit the little town of Rocky Cove where a whimsical model railroad train passes thru a winter scene and walk thru the Quilt of Lights Garden and gaze at the 50' Christmas Tree of Lights and then go back to your childhood and frolic thru the Woodland Whimsey and then end in Rainbow Land Don't forget to stop and make some s'mores or grab a cup of hot chocolate or hot apple cider before you finish this spectacular display of Winter Wonder Land of Lights in Western North Carolina's Arboretum in Asheville, NC

We were in Asheville for a long weekend and I was trying not to overdo the hiking since I was trying to recover from an injury. We decided to come here for the afternoon after a short hike in the morning. I had heard good things, but this place still surpassed my expectations! It's a pretty big place and there are even more traditional trails through the wooded area. It's $16 to park, but there is technically no entrance fee so you might be able to bike in for free. Unfortunately, we didn't plan ahead and the Bonsai exhibit was closed for the day (closes at 5 and everything else is open until 7 or 9 depending on the time of year). What we could see from the outside looked cool though. This is a great spot to spend a few hours exploring. It looks really cool in the winter with Christmas lights too from what I've seen online.

This is a nice area, but to be honest I was disappointed. I am so spoiled as I've been to gardens all over the world. This garden has some highlights like the quilt garden and some nice fountains but overall I didn't think it was worth the price of admission. I will say it is a do not miss if you are into Bonsai, otherwise skippable.

First of all, $20 to park but free admission....so forgetting the semantics it's $20 admission. The parking lot is over a mile from the entrance gate. The flowers and tree are beautiful and the education center is worth visiting.

I love gardens. This is a really neat Arboretum because it has different sections and all the themes are totally different from each other. At first sight it seems small but they have packed a lot into this Arboretum. Hard scrapes are whimsical and very delightful. Full of blooming flowers and trees. They also have a big Bonsai Garden that is very well kept. They also have a beautiful wooded area with quant walking paths. If you are in the area this is a must see

Very neat place we visited while on vacation. We loved the landscaping and walking through all the areas. Worth a stop by if you like visiting gardens

Every season is different and beautiful perfect place to escape the city and be with nature!

We spent a couple hours at the Arboretum and had a wonderful time. Food at the cafe was very good, but unfortunately we weren't too hungry. The live music that day was vey enjoyable. Bonsai garden was so unique and was much larger than expected.

Beautiful spot for walking, hiking and enjoying nature. We had some delicious coffee at their bistro also. Good for adults, families, kids, couples, schools, anyone. If you have a membership to another garden, they have a reciprocal arrangement with many of them.

We visited for their Christmas lights and had an absolutely wonderful time! We bought our tickets day of online just a few hours prior to entry. We went on a weekday and had no traffic during our drive. And they also had no problem with us arriving slightly earlier than our scheduled time. We used a stroller during a visit which was mostly no problem. But if you want to go back and down to where the miniature trains are, it's steps only. But it's definitely worth walking down there. My three year old loved it all, but I'm pretty sure that was her favorite part. The lights were really great! I loved all the different colors, the little elves, the mushrooms and the animals they had. The gift shops were sweet, too. There's also food and drink for purchase - including s'mores kits that you can use at an outdoor bonfire! I'm so glad we visited! There was plenty to see with out being overly large or spread out, so we could just really take our time.

We had a wonderful time at the Winter Lights tonight. It was decorated so beautifully and I love the beautiful the gift store and educational center are. The grounds are huge and really well kept. The train set was really nice, too. This is definitely one of the nicest arboretums I have been to.

100% don't miss if you're in the area! Beautifully maintained and well marked trails were unexpected for what we thought would be more of a strictly "groomed" landscape. This arboretum is different than any I've been to-the best of both worlds-specimen plants and wild & scenic trails, side by side. Super cool! Something for the whole family!

Make sure you arrive at the front entrance near the Blue Ridge Parkway as the back entrance your phone takes you to is locked gates. It's 16.00 per car to enter, huge parking lot. Masking is required inside the buildings. A great wildlife photographer legacy's prints are on display I forgot his name. Plenty of trails to walk here and many beautiful exhibits of flower gardens. We saw a king snake devouring a copperhead which was a sight to see ! Plants are also available for purchase in the greenhouse. Highly recommend stopping here especially if you're planning to drive or hike the Blue Ridge Parkway nearby.

Date of visit: October 1 and 2, 2020 Wow!!! While visiting friends who recently moved to Asheville, they took us here. We came in the evening for the Lego exhibit. This is a must see exhibit!! And all lit up at night, made it even more amazing. We had such a wonderful time that we came back again the next afternoon to see the exhibit in daylight and to see the quilt garden and the bonsai garden. If we lived here we would definitely buy the membership (like our friends have done) and visit frequently. What a wonderfully, fun time we had!

The arboretum is a fairly large park and mixes more manicured areas with forest trails. Some of the trails are pedestrian-only, some are wide enough to accommodate the bike riders that join pedestrians on them, and a few were not. Parking is quite pricey, but I would note that it's possible to walk in for free from some of the surrounding parklands if you have some time on your hands. If I was local, I'd probably have a membership. The more wild areas are good quality forest trails close to the city, but aren't especially educational. The grounds offer some cool features but are quite crowded in nice weather. A visitor center with restrooms is still open for the masked, and the facility overall is well-maintained.

Such a beautiful garden to experience on a warm summer evening! Lots of displays to awe at, and tons of places to have plenty of photo ops!

I think this botanical garden is just average in compare to many nation college garden. This garden is located at Blue Ridge Parkway. It should be park of the National beautiful parkway. This garden is actually belong to University of North Carolina. The fees to enter is $14 per vehicle. It is a bit steep consider this is part of the University. The garden is lack of greenhouse, Japanese garden, Chinese garden or plant in dessert. Good thing about the whole garden is they have the bonsai section which is worth the money. Other than it, it do not have much to offer other than the nature walk. During autumn, this may not be the best place to visit. But they do have Christmas light up the garden which is much beautiful.

I love the walking trails here. We bought a season pass this year and I do not regret it! It's beautiful and an easy place to get a long walk in.

The Winter Lights was fabulous. Have never seen anything like this. All the lights were amazing and the displays were wonderful. Highly recommend.

The gardens were beautiful, but our favorite part was the trails. They were very well-kept and had easy markers to follow. There was a diverse selection of plant life, and we enjoyed getting to read the signs about all the different plants. The gardens were beautiful and were a fun way to end the trip. The arboretum is dog friendly, and our pup even got treats at the front gate. Dogs are not allowed in any buildings or in the bonsai area, but we didn't feel like we missed out on anything. There is no admission fee, but parking for a standard vehicle is $16. The price of parking can be subtracted from the price of your annual membership if you choose to get one while you are there.

What a beautiful place! $16 per car will get you and your family in to their lovely gardens with a few rotating exhibits and shaded wooded trails beyond. A great spot for checking out native plants, birds, bugs, and we even spotted a lizard. There's a cafe on site, but call ahead for hours if you're wanting a bite. The little gift shop is a great place to pick up a reminder of your visit. A definite must for nature lovers!

The Arboretum is a must-see for all nature lovers! My personal favorite is the Bonsai Garden, which features an array of magnificent bonsai. I've attached a few of my favorites. Hurry up and go before the blooms start to fall!

This is a fun place that my family and I went to over our break in North Carolina. It was $16 to get in which was kind of a week but it was OK not per person per vehicle. So we got in enjoyed all the trails we walk around everywhere so the good places had a lot of good photo ops enjoy the weather we had a great time and I do recommend it if you're in the area they do have memberships available if you want to also we only got to do very little to what all they offer so I would definitely go and be a member if I live there

Beautiful! I am from South Florida and we definitely do not have mountains to look at or scenery like this. Granted we have gardens but it's nice to be able to walk up hills walk down hills and look at the mountain range in the background. Outdoors there's quite a bit to look at whether it's the trees or the different flowers that are growing or the bonsai area. Indoors there's an art exhibit as well as a gift shop. The art exhibit was very interesting it was focused on one particular artist that did his artwork around different albums and musical groups. The day I was there they were setting up for a wedding and this would be a gorgeous wedding venue if someone is looking for ideas. Also if you just need to get out and clear your mind find somewhere to sit and read a book this would be a great place for that as well.

Such an amazing place. There are miles of well maintained trails with a wide variety of trees, shrubs, vines and flowers. Flora is well labeled and there are good information kiosks through the grounds. The bonsai exhibit is exceptional. Truly inspiring and jaw dropping. I find myself lost in thought and awe as I observe the bonsai specimens. It is a peaceful place. Another positive is that dogs are allowed on the grounds. They must be on a leash and are not allowed in buildings or the bonsai exhibit. I purchased an annual family membership. I have been back to visit for times since. I love walking my dog on the trails, reading the information, and stopping by the bonsai exhibit. I always leave with a sense of calmness and gratitude for nature.

Definitely recommend if you like looking at flowers and trees! Their gift shop is also great.

My absolute refugee here in Asheville! So much to explore - from zen meditation spots, adventurous and challenging hiking trails, to beautifully curated garden paths and engaging programming/education - the Arboretum is a MUST for locals and visitors alike.

I absolutely loved this place! It was peaceful and beautiful. Each area was unique and well organized. My favorite was the bonsai area. Some of the trees are so interesting looking. They also have a look out area that provides a great view of a checkerboard garden. The main building has a gift shop and bathrooms. You can also pick up a map of the grounds there. There was plenty of parking on our visit. You can also bring your dog if it is leashed. If I was a local I'd be a regular here for sure. Highly recommended

This Arboretum is absolutely beautiful. Offers miles of hiking trails. Also saw a lot of bikers as it appears to be a popular spot for that activity as well. This venue is pet friendly as long as your pet is on a leash and you clean up after him or her. Great for families. I visited in the spring and the gardens were all coming to life. The bonsai exhibit was phenomenal. Lots of places for picnics. Easy to walk. Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes as there is so much to do here. Plan on entire day

Went on the free guided hike today and loved it! Our guide Jeff was so informative and fun. I learned a lot and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the trees, plants, and more around them!