Sarah P. Duke Gardens is a 55 acre tract located in the heart of Duke University’s West Campus, adjacent to the Medical Center. Often spoke of as the “Crown Jewel of Duke University,” it is recognized as one of the premier public gardens in the United States. The Gardens are open daily from 8:00 AM until dusk but for holidays, and attendance is free. It’s no wonder that each year over 300,000 visitors stroll among the gardens to enjoy the stunning landscape design and horticulture, and take in the many special events that occur there.

The Gardens consists of four major parts — the original Terraces and their immediate surroundings, the H. L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, and the William L. Culberson Asiatic Arboretum, and the Doris Duke Center Gardens. The Blomquist Garden showcases flora of the southeastern United States, while the Arboretum is devoted to plants of eastern Asia. The parts are connected by nearly five miles of pathways.

Enjoy the Gardens as a living museum rather than a park or playground. Take time out to reestablish a connection between man and plants. Or catch a summer performance of music rooted in blues, gospel, classical, or bluegrass. Any way you look at it, Duke Gardens is well worth a day trip to Durham.

Anthony Williams