Display Gardens and Totten Center
- Overview of the gardens and facilities ↓
- Visiting Hours ↓
- Amenities ↓
- Safety ↓
- Accessibility ↓
- Pet Policy ↓
Overview
The Totten Center houses the Garden's administrative offices; a classroom used for Garden programs, classes, meetings, and art exhibits; the Addie Totten Library; a Gift Shop with books, clothes, and more; and work spaces for staff and volunteers.
The receptionist inside the Totten Center provides visitors with information about the Garden, including how to become a member. Permits to visit the Mason Farm Biological Reserve, a 367-acre natural area, may be obtained here also.
Landscaped areas around the Totten Center feature a variety of native southeastern plants that do well in a low-maintenance situation. Drought-tolerant plants, ferns that do well in sunny locations, evergreen groundcovers, and flowering perennials that require little attention are being tested and displayed here.
Aerial view of display gardens behind the Totten Center.
Behind and to the south side of the building are the display gardens. An herb garden, horticultural therapy demonstration gardens, carnivorous plant displays, the historic Paul Green Cabin, and a daily native plant sale are all in close proximity to the Totten Center.
Nature-related art exhibits by North Carolina artists are displayed, generally for two-month-long showings, in the Totten Center classroom. There are also permanent sculptures sited throughout the display collections. Each fall the Garden installs its annual Sculpture in the Garden exhibition, displaying a great variety of sculptures in many media throughout the collections.
Adult classes and lectures are also presented in the Totten Center classroom.
The Piedmont Nature Trails, adjacent to the parking area, offer visitors an opportunity to hike through a natural area.
Other sites owned and/or managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden and open to the public are the nearby Coker Arboretum, Battle Park, Coker Pinetum, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, and Mason Farm Biological Reserve.
Visiting Hours
Weekday Hours
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, year-round
Weekend Hours
SATURDAY: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Daylight Saving: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.)
SUNDAY: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Daylight Saving: 1 - 6 p.m.)
Please call for holiday hours. We are generally closed for Thanksgiving, a week during the winter holidays, and on Martin Luther King Jr. day.
The Garden's Carnivorous Plants collection is renowned througout the Southeast.
Our other public areas, such as Battle Park, Coker Arboretum, and Mason Farm Biological Reserve are open daily, year round, from dawn to dusk. Please note that a permit is required to visit Mason Farm (it can be obtained at the Totten Center).
Amenities
Located at the outside west end of the Totten Center, you will find:
- An accessible water fountain
- Beverage machine
- Courtesy phone for local calls
- Accessible restrooms
Safety
There are a few guidelines that you should follow when visiting any of the areas that we manage: PLEASE SEE THE SIDEBAR further up the page and to the right, and do note the following:
- The path from our Visitor Parking Lot to the Display Gardens crosses a public street (Laurel Hill Rd). Please stay with your child and look both ways before entering the crosswalk.
- An emergency phone, marked by a blue light, is available in the parking lot.
- The Nature Trails are rustic. Watch for fallen tree branches, uneven ground, wet leaves, and varying weather-related conditions.
- We invite you to use our water fountain and beverage machine, outside the Totten Center, frequently during hot weather.
Accessibility
The Totten Center, Display Collections (gardens), and the Herb Garden are wheelchair accessible, though parts of the Display Collections require the assistance of another person. We have a wheelchair on site for our visitors; please call ahead or inquire at the Totten Center reception desk if you would like to use it during your visit. And please call ahead if you have other special needs.
Several accessible parking spaces can be found next to the pedestrian entry gate that serves as the public entrance to the garden. Please consult the parking map.
To get to the accessible parking spaces adjacent to the pedestrian entry, enter Manning Drive going south from the US 15-501 Bypass (Fordham Boulevard); go 1 block and turn left on Coker Drive; go 1 block and turn left on Laurel Hill Road; go straight 0.2 mile and look for designated spaces on your left. If you require special assistance in moving from a parking space to the building entrance, please call 919-962-0522, tell us when to expect you, and a member of the staff will be available to assist you.
Pet Policy
Dogs are not allowed in the collections display area or Totten Center. Leashed dogs are allowed on the Piedmont Nature Trails.
Last updated by Laura Cotterman on July 15, 2009 at 02:32:45 pm.
