North Carolina Arboretum
100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, North Carolina 28806
Distance from hotel: 3.4 mi.
Phone: (828) 665-2492
Website: ncarboretum.org
An arboretum is defined as a place where trees are grown for study and display. The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville changes that dusty old word into a place of beauty, wonder, and yes, education, for the entire family.
The Arboretum offers free admission! Once inside, you'll find 65 acres of cultivated gardens along with 10 miles of hiking and biking trails. The Baker Exhibit center contains changing displays thoughout the year. One of the most interesting activities for people of any age, especially if you've heard if it, and always wanted to try it, is geocaching. The sport uses handheld GPS units to lead you on a treasure hunt! Visitors can borrow a 'beginner kit' from the front desk of the Baker Exhibit Center.
Another fascinating spot is the Bonsai garden, containing over 100 specimens of this traditional Japanese art that uses minature trees painstakingly trimmed and shaped over literally years. The Arboretum's Bonsai Garden contains not only single tree displays, but some 'forest style', that can represent a grove of trees or a mountain!
The property hours at the North Carolina Arboretum change slightly over the seasons, but the Baker Exhibit Center, the Exhibition Center and the Bonsai Garden are all open 9-5, seven days a week.