This afternoon we decided to go to the North Carolina Arboretum which us about twenty minutes drive from our flat.
It is amazing. If you ever come to visit Asheville I would highly recommend spending a few hours here, for one thing the only charge is $8 for parking a car so it is a veritable bargain.
We started off in the exhibition center which is currently hosting an exhibit called "Wicked Plants" which was just like Halloween in July - So, clearly, it charmed the hell out of me, and convinced me that every plant I saw after that was going to seriously maim me. Fun! The exhibit was set out as a haunted house, with family portraits of the anthropomorphised plants and different rooms illustrating the various ways that plants could take a person down. It was just so well done, and had so many clever details; it made me quite jealous, because I realised that I would love to have a job as a designer of exhibits like this! How does one go about doing that?
The arboretum itself is spread over 434 acres, and 65 of those acres are arranged as gardens and hiking trails - So we definitely only saw a fraction of what there is to be seen. Doc C was particularly charmed by the bonsai garden, which was just stunning.
After a noce lunch in the education center's cafe, we strolled around the Stream Garden and the Quilt Garden before heading home.
We both had a lovely afternoon, and discussed buying an annual membership because it is so close to our new home and it is so very lovely. I can't wait to take Eva there for an afternoon, and my Mum can almost certainly expect to be taken there when she come to visit. Bring your walking shoes, Mum!
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