Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is an impressive next-door neighbor to McLean. Part nature preserve and part showcase of the best of Southern horticulture, the garden has 110 acres in cultivation including a dozen themed gardens. The all-glass Orchid Conservatory is unique in the Carolinas.
If you love natural beauty, you will enjoy the visit. And if you also like music, learning, fitness, fantasy, blues, barbecue and wine, the next 10 days at the Garden are as good as it gets!
Here’s a quick rundown. Most activities are open to any paid visitors and garden members; some have an additional fee. Click on the links for complete details.
Sip & Stroll Thursdays – 5-9 pm Thursdays. Enjoy sunset in the garden. Stroll, sip wine and listen to live music. Food trucks will offer food for an additional cost. MORE
Wee Houses: Places We Play – Ongoing display through Sept. 18. Imagine a mirror-walled playhouse that disappears into the landscape; or a house hidden in a tree trunk. Several designers and builders have worked with the Garden to create this fantasy of unique places that connect us with nature as well as our inner child. McLean ‘s team of custom-home builders helped sponsor the display. MORE
Mother’s Day weekend at the Garden – 9 am-5 pm Saturday and Sunday, May 7-8. Free admission for all mothers. Tour the gardens, enjoy family activities like lawn games and crafts, and buy treats from food trucks by Two Chicks & a Truck, Maryland Crab Co. and Southern Cake Queen. On Saturday from 1-3 pm, take part in a five-station Wine Walk through the Garden (additional cost). MORE

Mud Morganfield will perform May 14
Lost Hollow Music Fest: Muddy Waters Tribute – Performances start at 11 am May 14 and 1 pm May 15. This tribute to the late, great Muddy Waters, featuring the blues musician’s oldest son, Mud Morganfield, and six other blues acts, will mark the Garden’s first foray into American blues during the Lost Hollow Music Fest. MORE
Tai Chi at the Garden – 6:30 pm Thursdays in May and June. Program led by certified instructors of the Empower Life Center. Additional cost. MORE
Yoga for families, parents and children – 11 am Saturdays. Program led by certified Yoga instructor Rasheedah Hasan. Additional cost. MORE
Important park information
- Address: 6500 South New Hope Rd. Belmont, NC 28012
Hours: 9 am-5 pm daily except 9 am-9 pm Thursdays.
Admission cost: $12.95 for adults; $11.95 for seniors 60+; $6.95 for children 2-12; free to garden members and children under 2.
Memberships: Free admission anytime and many other benefits, starting at $45 per year for individuals and $75 for families.
Website: http://www.dsbg.org/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanielStoweBotanicalGarden/
- Phone: 704-825-4490