Visiting the Garden

Safety Precautions

Our main display gardens in Chapel Hill are open for outdoor visitation as of Tuesday, August 18. We are taking extensive precautions to make sure the Garden is a safe place to visit, and we need your help to keep it safe for everyone. If you visit, we ask you to follow these safety precautions:

Check yourself for symptoms of COVID-19 before you visit.

These include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, sore throat, loss of sense of taste or smell, congestion, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms apart from existing health conditions, please do not visit. Come see us when you are symptom-free. Read more on the CDC website.

Bring a face covering.

You will need to wear it to enter the restroom or if you’re unable to maintain six feet of distance from anyone you’re not isolating with.

Keep your distance.

Please stay at least six feet away from other visitors, volunteers and staff. Before starting down a narrow path, check for others ahead of you and be prepared to wait in a more open area for them to pass by.

Know Before You Go

As of August 18, visiting the Garden is free and open to the public, no reservation necessary. Please note that while leashed pets are welcome on the Piedmont Nature Trails behind the Garden, no pets are allowed in our display gardens.

Map of display gardens
You’ll find printed versions of our map and guide at an outdoor station under the breezeway of the Allen Education Center (between buildings B and C). You can also download the PDF version of the map here.

Hours

  • 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays
  • 1-5 p.m. Sundays
  • Closed Mondays and University holidays

What’s Open

  • Our main parking lot (closes with the Garden at 5 p.m.)
  • Our outdoor spaces
  • Restrooms with outdoor entrances
  • An outdoor visitor information kiosk with printed maps
  • A picnic area with designated waste and recycle bins (see map)

What’s Closed

  • Our indoor spaces (including the Garden Shop, Pegg Exhibit Hall, and Peacock Discovery Room)
  • The pedestrian gates between the Piedmont Nature Trails and our display gardens (the only way you can enter the display gardens is through our main entrance on Old Mason Farm Road)
  • Certain paths may be closed to ensure the safety of staff and volunteers at work

What to bring

Required

  • A mask or other face covering

Suggested

  • Water (water fountains will be blocked off)
  • Sunscreen
  • Bug spray
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