Events Calendar

Spend time on the trails walked by Carl Sandburg. Walk around a lake, past his home, by the goat barn, and over the rock where Sandburg often wrote his poetry. Then walk a short distance to visit the quaint shops of the village of Flat Rock. Go by the rock for which the village is named and past the Flat Rock Playhouse (the official NC State Playhouse).

This is a hilly walk; many will want walking poles. A portion of the trail has roots and other tripping hazards. Tennis shoes will be fine for most; if it has rained that day there is one slick place, so be sure your shoes have good tread. Bring a protein snack and water bottle.

The group will gather in the main parking lot at the entrance to the Sandburg property. There are restrooms near the beginning of the walk and near the Sandburg house.

We’ve heard your valuable feedback, and now you don’t have to hear us! Beginning May 4, 2021, the period between 8 and 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday morning of every month will be reserved for “Meditative Mornings,” a pause for quiet time in our gardens and on our trails. During this time, our working garden crew will abstain from using leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment so you can be sure to enjoy the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees.

Take advantage of half-price parking on the first Tuesday of every month and come out to the Arboretum to enjoy a Meditative Morning!

We’ve heard your valuable feedback, and now you don’t have to hear us! Beginning May 4, 2021, the period between 8 and 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday morning of every month will be reserved for “Meditative Mornings,” a pause for quiet time in our gardens and on our trails. During this time, our working garden crew will abstain from using leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment so you can be sure to enjoy the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees.

Take advantage of half-price parking on the first Tuesday of every month and come out to the Arboretum to enjoy a Meditative Morning!

We’ve heard your valuable feedback, and now you don’t have to hear us! Beginning May 4, 2021, the period between 8 and 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday morning of every month will be reserved for “Meditative Mornings,” a pause for quiet time in our gardens and on our trails. During this time, our working garden crew will abstain from using leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment so you can be sure to enjoy the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees.

Take advantage of half-price parking on the first Tuesday of every month and come out to the Arboretum to enjoy a Meditative Morning!

We’ve heard your valuable feedback, and now you don’t have to hear us! Beginning May 4, 2021, the period between 8 and 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday morning of every month will be reserved for “Meditative Mornings,” a pause for quiet time in our gardens and on our trails. During this time, our working garden crew will abstain from using leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment so you can be sure to enjoy the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees.

Take advantage of half-price parking on the first Tuesday of every month and come out to the Arboretum to enjoy a Meditative Morning!

• ONSITE | 

  Instructor: Alexandra Holland

  $35 Adult Non-Member

   (**Arboretum Members receive a 10% discount on all classes.)

  BRN – Elective, 2 hours | BREG – Elective, 2 hours | NCEE – Criteria II, 2 hours

  Limit: 15

  Spring is here, and the natural world is waking from its winter rest! Naturalist and botanist Alexandra Holland leads this wildflower walk at the Arboretum, pointing out the array of spring wildflowers emerging and in bloom. Learn some basics of wildflower ecology and identification while taking in the beauty of spring.

  Alexandra Holland graduated from Duke University and earned her Master’s degree in botany from the University of Texas at Austin. She was in the first class of students to be certified as Blue Ridge Naturalists. Alexandra managed the UTEX Culture Collection of Algae at UT Austin and spent many hours working with education programs at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  She has taught botany for over a decade and leads nature hikes in Western North Carolina for groups of all ages.

Spring Awakening & Renewal Forest Bathing Retreat | ONSITE | Saturday, March 9, 2 – 5 p.m. Or Saturday, March 23, 2 – 5 p.m.

Guide: Christa Hebal

$55 Non-member Adult**

 (**Arboretum Members receive a 10% discount on all classes.)

Limit: 15

The changing seasons are rich with wisdom and guidance. Winter is a time for rest and dreaming, followed by spring, ripe with opportunities for renewal and growth. Cultivate those winter dreams and invite them to birth into reality during this enlivening afternoon retreat. Let your most authentic Self emerge from within and flourish amidst the beauty of the early spring! New Graph: Your guide, Christa Hebal, will lead you on a gentle journey through the awakening forest, weaving mindfulness, breathwork, forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku) and nature therapy together for a restorative afternoon on some of the trails less traveled at the North Carolina Arboretum. We’ll celebrate the experience in community, enjoying a wild-foraged tea ceremony and snacks. Bring an open mind and an open heart. All are welcome. Presented through Adult & Continuing Education Programs in collaboration with Asheville Wellness Tours.

Christa Hebal is a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. Born and raised in the mountains of NE Tennessee, she has lived in Asheville for 23 years. Christa has an adventurous heart, and loves to help others encounter wholeness through embodiment and nature connection practices. She has had a professional bodywork practice for 17 years as a nationally certified Massage Therapist, and is also a practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy®, Usui Reiki Master, Certified Pediatric Massage Therapist, Clinical Aromatherapist, and Certified Traditional Herbalist. She is also certified in CPR and Wilderness First Aid.

**The Upstate Pathfinders Volkssport Club** is a not-for-profit club providing interesting walks available daily, at your pace, in 11 different Greenville locations. Our Swamp Rabbit Trail route is somewhat shaded. The March 10 walk features 6k and 10k routes starting at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe at 205 Cedar Lane Rd, Greenville. The walk goes north to Sulphur Springs at the RR car and returns to and past the Cafe to Unity Park for 10K walkers. 6k walkers may stop and enjoy lunch at the Cafe or just shop the Grocery store for that unusual item you have not seen for a while. 10k walkers can stop at the Commons or Pangaea Brewery for a bite and refreshers before returning to the finish at the Cafe. Pets are allowed on a 6 ft leash.
* **Start Point:** 205 Cedar Lane Rd, Greenville; start from a table in the outside seating area. Restrooms available at the Cafe and at Unity Park in the Commons.
* **Registration**: Register between 9:30 and 10:00. Walk with a group or on your own with turn by turn instructions. Group walks start very shortly after 10:00. 9:30 and 10:00. Walk with the group or on your own with turn by turn instructions. Groups start very shortly after 10:00. Cost is $4 for all participants at registration. Please bring exact change and small address stickers to speed up registration.
* **Parking**: The Cafe is popular and to assist in parking use the lot across the Reedy River from the Cafe. This allows spaces for customers to shop there.
* The walk is sanctioned by America’s Walking Club and eligible for IVV Credit.

Instructor: Susan Patrice

$24 Non-member Adult**

 (**Arboretum Members receive a 10% discount on all classes.)

Limit: 12

Take a fresh look at the objects, moments and vistas that surround you during this “awe walk” led by documentary photographer Susan Patrice. The contemplative practices she teaches help you experience place through new and loving eyes, to see beauty and wonder in your surroundings. Bring cameras or phones to capture what calls to you in the enveloping landscape. Participants will be sent meeting instructions for this small-group class that will take a slow intentional walk through parts of the Arboretum forest and forest meadow. This walk is a precursor to the generative writing and contemplative photography workshops to be held the following weekend.

Susan Patrice is a documentary photographer, community artist, and founder of Makers Circle. She recently launched Kinship Photography Collective, a global community of practice designed to create rich visual conversations that explore the intimate connections between nature, culture and belonging. Susan’s own photography and public installations focus primarily on the Southern Landscape and its people and feature intimate images that touch deeply into the questions of place, gender, and belonging.

Spring Awakening & Renewal Forest Bathing Retreat | ONSITE | Saturday, March 9, 2 – 5 p.m. Or Saturday, March 23, 2 – 5 p.m.

We’ve heard your valuable feedback, and now you don’t have to hear us! Beginning May 4, 2021, the period between 8 and 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday morning of every month will be reserved for “Meditative Mornings,” a pause for quiet time in our gardens and on our trails. During this time, our working garden crew will abstain from using leaf blowers, mowers and other equipment so you can be sure to enjoy the sounds of birds and the wind in the trees.

Take advantage of half-price parking on the first Tuesday of every month and come out to the Arboretum to enjoy a Meditative Morning!

For many of us, our time spent in nature can be restful, comforting, healing, and inspiring. Nature Therapy, which is based on the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku, enhances this experience by encouraging us to relax, slow down, be in the moment, and gently focus on the natural world.

On this leisurely Nature Therapy walk through the Preserve, you will be able to escape the demands of everyday life, engage with your senses, and perhaps encounter nature in a slightly different way. Marie McIntyre, a certified Association of Nature & Forest Therapy guide, will offer a series of “invitations” designed to help each person in the group create their own unique individual Nature Therapy experience.