Playing Tourist...

Today Mom, Dad, Beepa, Cortney and I went on a *venture. We did the tourist thing and went around to some places in Durham. First stop was the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. These beautiful gardens occupy 55 acres. It is recognized as one of the premiere public gardens in the United States, and I could see why. It was started early in the 1930's in an area that they had hoped to turn into a lake, of all things, but funds were too short. This place is just huge and beautiful!! We spent over 2 hours there, and easily could of stayed longer.

Our elder tour guides :-) sitting by the iris fountain.The entire outer circle is rose bushes!

Dad being my model, banana trees, I actually used to plant those when I worked at D.S. Cole Growers (greenhouse) up in NH. But they were less then an inch tall, the largest I ever saw them get was about 2 feet tall...I've never seen them this big!

A shot of the Teien-oike Garden Pond.

A bunch of monkeys hangin' out in the bamboo! Of course they had many magnolia trees.This was some of the Terrace Gardens, there was just level upon level of raised gardens.

At the top of the Terrace Gardens is the Pergola...covered in wisteria.

Shhh...Cortney's huntin' wattit.

A view at Millstone Pond.

Cortney took this one, she made us all pose. :-P

Lots of lily pads...some were easily over 5 feet wide.

I easily took over 100 photos at the gardens, it was so pretty, and so much to see...would love to go again!