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From North Carolina’s mountains through its rich heartland to the state’s coast, there are many common threads. But one that stands out is North Carolina’s fertile landscape. From pre-Colonial days, the people of the state have tended to the land, pulling not only sustenance, but beauty from the soil.

Today, North Carolina gardens are popular spots for travelers. In fact, a person could plan a trip just visiting gardens and spend a delightful week or two in North Carolina.

From famed formal gardens to more modest works of cultivation, North Carolina’s gardens beckon the traveler to stop and take a closer look at Nature’s work.

Here are brief introductions to the state’s Signature Gardens:

Biltmore Estate - America’s largest private home, George Vanderbilt’s incomparable chateau, boasts stunning grounds to match. Millions of flowers wind throughout a series of gardens and terraces, all masterfully planned by Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed New York’s Central Park.

North Carolina Botanical Garden and Coker Arboretum - Enjoyable and informative, the Botanical Garden is dedicated to conservation, education, research and public service. Created by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, its nearly 600 acres feature the state’s native plants. You’ll be fascinated as you move between the Coastal Plain, Piedmont and Mountain habitat gardens. And you’ll want to view the shade garden, fern collection, native perennial borders with rare plants, and aquatic collection.

Old Salem - Thanks to the meticulous recordkeeping of this area’s Moravian settlers, today’s gardens at Old Salem are impressively authentic. In fact, these are the best-documented, restored community gardens in America. The town of Old Salem itself was established in 1766, and its gardens were a source of both sustenance and pleasure to the inhabitants. Today, many gardens have been re-created on their original sites and are planted with the same varieties of vegetables, ornamentals and herbs noted in historic records.