2431 West Lake Drive, Raleigh, NC
During quarantine I thought we had visited just about every garden and nature preserve in Raleigh, but then I heard about Joslin Gardens! It’s a donated home and garden in Midtown/North Hills area that is owned by the City of Oaks Foundation. Open to the public periodically throughout the year during scheduled events, it’s a great natural setting to explore and have a picnic! Plus you can admire the beautiful homes on your drive up the hill!
The Garden
The Garden was developed and donated by William and Mary Coker Joslin. It comprises of more than four rolling, wooded acres, with an extensive variety of rare and native plants. It is such an unexpected beautiful space located in the middle of a nice residential neighborhood.
We found this map of the garden after our visit, but it would have been extremely helpful in finding our way around! We visited during the Fall after most of the leaves had fallen on the ground, so it was hard to find the walking path and stay on it.
Since the gardens are nestled right in between other homes, at times it was hard to tell where the garden ends and neighboring backyards begin. We definitely found our way to some amazing backyards, but luckily we headed back out as soon as we realized!
Throughout the garden there are many benches and tables, perfect for taking a rest or bringing a picnic. The garden itself is NOT stroller friendly. The paths are dirt or mulch and there are uneven walkways and stairs going up the hillside.
The Home
On the grounds you will also find the donated home of the Joslins. This is used as a historic meeting space and you are able to peek through the windows. I couldn’t find any information about if you are able to rent the space, but I’m thinking not. It appears to be used for the City of Oaks Foundation, and they are still working on opening up the space to the public year round.
In front of the home is the vegetable garden. The harvest is donated to Plant a Row for the Hungry. There were peppers growing during our visit!
Scarecrow Walk
Every Fall the garden hosts a Scarecrow Walk. Families and organizations can donate a scarecrow to be displayed throughout the garden in November, and during the walk families can wander the garden to find the scarecrows. The 2020 Scarecrow Walk will run from 2PM Saturday, October 31st until 2PM Saturday, November 21st. Visitors are welcome to view the scarecrows and the garden anytime from 7AM-7PM during this event.
During our visit we spied 4 scarecrows, including an awesome Harry Potter themed one! However, it appears there is a fifth one that we missed! Make a trip and see if you can find it! Happy Hunting!