Don’t miss this Garden for all seasons – where history, mystery and beauty reign all year. Located within Fort Raleigh National Historic Site next to The Lost Colony’s Waterside Theatre, The Elizabethan Gardens encompasses ten acres of botanical and sculptural delights.
Here, the entire family can explore a series of garden rooms and naturalized trails embellished with a wide diversity of plants well-suited to this unique coastal environment. Follow your children as they play Garden Detective with a checklist of plants and animals, select an heirloom plant or gift from The Gardens’ Nursery and Shop as a lasting reminder of your visit, or just take the time to relax and enjoy a garden full of inspiration.
Seasonal changes bring an array of flowering plants, shrubs and trees that draw visitors to return again and again. A monumental bronze sculpture of Queen Elizabeth I, ancient marble Italian statuary and the solitary figure of Virginia Dare provide continuity to constantly changing flora. Horticultural collections are extensive, and annual color planted every season gives The Gardens a different perspective throughout the year. Special features are a Sunken Garden and 16th-century style gazebo providing breathtaking views of Roanoke Sound.
The Family Fun Summer Series begins with hands-on activities on Wild Wednesdays and Discovery Thursdays in the air-conditioned theatre, June 10-August 11th. Family Fun continues with the highlight of the summer season: The Diary of Adam & Eve, a one-act play from the Broadway Musical, The Apple Tree. The performances run Tuesdays at 2:30pm, July 7-August 11. Based on a short story by Mark Twain and set to words and music by the team of Harnick & Bock, who created Fiddler on the Roof, this light comedy is the perfect story for a garden setting. Younger family members can enjoy a concurrent program, ”A Snake in the Grass”, if they choose not to see the play. All Family Fun activities begin at 2:30pm. |
