ENJOY A STROLL IN BEAUTIFUL DUKE UNIVERSITY GARDENS - AND IT'S FREE

One of our most pleasant North Carolina afternoons was spent bumbling through the beautiful 55 acre Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham.

                                          It's not Giverny,  it's Duke

300,000 people visit this jewel each year, but on the September saturday we visited it felt like we had most of the place to ourselves.

It's divided into 4 sections - Terrace Gardens, Culberson Asiatic Arboritum, H. L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants & Doris Duke Center Gardens. Check out their interactive map:

http://www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens/interactive_map.htm

It's free to bumble all you want (Ok, you do have to pay to park - $1 per 1 hour. Well worth it even for the tightest wad). You can rent the place for a party, wedding or whatever for a fee.

Believe it or not, you can even stay here past normal closing time - like for eternity. Yes, your ashes may rest forever at their 2 acre Memorial Gardens - just north of the Terraces - again for a $ donation.

The gardens are open every day of the year from 8am 'til dusk. There's a shop, a cafe & a Doris Duke Center that have different hours (the DD Center is closed most holidays), but if you miss them, so what - the real draw here are these gorgeous gardens.

Whenever you bumble through - you won't be disappointed.