I had a wonderful day at The Elizabethan Gardens! It was filled with beautiful flowers and butterflies! First passed through the store, they had unique hair clips, bags, jewelry, etc. Then on the trail we went. It was colorful and breathtaking! There are statues and fountains which adds even more charm. I could have stayed there all day. I saw frogs, squirrels, and garden spiders. Bathrooms were clean, parking ample. Prices were decent. We had a great time! read more

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I would have rated my visit at 5 stars, but sadly I was there at the beginning of April when most things were not in bloom. The facility has some lovely grounds with loads of different trees, flowers, and plant species. The flowers that were in bloom were lovely and all the grounds were clean and tidy. I did enjoy the fact that they piped classical music around the grounds, giving a very upscale vibe. read more

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My 5-year-old has talked about the Gardens for two years now, impatiently waiting to go back. We were able to this year again! It is such a beautiful place, with a cute fairy hunt for the kiddos. I was hoping to take a little more time looking at things again, but kiddos Looking forward to visiting every time we come back to OBX. read more

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Such a great place! Any time of the year! Heaven on earth!! A yearly must attend! If we are at the OBX, a trip to the Elizabethan Gardens is on the calendar! read more

Loved this! Didn't cost much and it was beautiful. Bathrooms on site. Nice views and foliage. read more

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What a beautiful, peaceful place to spend an afternoon. Even in August in high season, it wasn't crowded at all. So much to see and such a beautiful layout. Add this to your list if you are coming to Manteo! read more

We've been coming here for over a decade. It is a gorgeous place to walk around. Full of lush plants, blooming flowers, and statues. As you walk you'll feel a cool breeze from the sound and hear birds as well as this beautiful instrumental music they play. We've come numerous times during spring and summer, and last year visited in December. Which was an otherworldly experience because they filled it with Christmas lights. Walking through while they played holiday music was a wonderful memory for my family and I. They also have a gift shop full of treasures and yard accessories. They even sell plants that they grow themselves! Overall, highly recommend and the employees are always very kind. read more

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The Elizabethan Gardens provide a wonderful opportunity to experience the beauty of the Coastal South. The gardens encompass over ten acres of Live Oak trees frocked with Spanish Moss. Within the area, you will find formal gardens, a rose garden, the Great Lawn, a butterfly garden, and winding trails with plants indigenous to the region. On our visit, the hydrangeas were in bloom. Earlier in the Spring the azaleas and flowering dogwoods were the stars. Plan to take time to enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of the garden. Heck, bring a book and have a wonderful afternoon! read more

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The Elizabethan Gardens are located in Roanoke Island and has a large parking lot. 2021 is the 70th Anniversary of the gardens. Admission was $10 so not much to enjoy the beauty of the garden. The gardens are seasonal so different plants and flowers will be in bloom at different times of year. Restrooms are available once inside the garden. I was provided with a map of the gardens and it was easy to stroll around at my own pace to see the sculpture; trees; shrubs and flowers. You can buy plants from the greenhouses and there is a butterfly center but this was not the time of year for butterflies. It was nice to enjoy the tranquility and get away from the hecticness of life for a little while. The views are great here too. read more

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The Elizabethan Gardens are located at Fort Raleigh. My mom and I have been to many gardens in our area, and if we hadn't gone to those, then I would have added a star onto this one. Although the gardens were very beautiful, we were expecting a little more. We did go in late September, so maybe that had something to do with it? The gift shop had a lot of cute things in it. I really love visiting gift shops at tourist attractions because they tend to have some cute and unique gifts. This one was no exception. What I did really appreciate was the gentleman hanging the Christmas lights told us the story of the Virginia Dare statue and how it traveled back to its home at the gardens. It was cool to hear it from him and have that interaction. The butterfly exhibit didn't have any butterflies in it. It was something to pass the time on Manteo. read more

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My family and I came here while spending the day on the outer banks and it did not disappoint. They have a sunken garden, a gazebo, a statue of Queen Elizabeth I and a statue of Virginia Dare. The rose garden was beautiful! The butterflies were gorgeous! Reasonably priced. We walked around twice. This was a real treat! The lady in the gift shop was very friendly! They also have plants for sale! If you or someone you know is into botany, definitely make time to stop bye read more

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A beautiful botanical garden worth a stop if you are in the area. Reasonably priced and a very friendly staff. If you look closely there are some big, amazing and colorful spiders minding their own business all over the gardens read more

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The gardens are absolutely beautiful. My son had such a great time. He loves throwing coins in to the fountain and following the fairy scavenger hunt. We signed up for a small butterfly release which was very interesting. Each participant was given a butterfly in a little cage and some food. We were able to release our butterflies and watch them each the food. The statues in the garden are very neat as well as the beautiful flowers. And I didn't get a chance to check out the greenhouse but next time I would totally buy some plants. read more

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Definitely make sure to book your tickets at least a day in advance. We were visiting for Thanksgiving and thought we could just waltz in LOL. Not so fast, you need to reserve tickets and a timeslot on line (15min increments). I appreciate that they are enforcing capacity and also face masks. The lights are absolutely stunning but the place itself is smaller than I expected. Also there's not many interactive elements. Oh it's a walk in the park kind of situation rather than a drive through if you're more familiar with those. We'd been to one at Tangerwood Park so weren't sure if it was a similar situation. Do note parking can get quite crowded. There's a second smaller parking outside the roundabout parking right outside the park entrance. Last thing - there are two ways to exit the park, through the rose garden or through the interior with a ton of Christmas trees. You can do both if you'd like! read more

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This garden is a relaxing, serene place to spend an hour or two. It isn't large, but just right for a short visit. We really enjoyed the trees, flowers, statuary, and the view at the water's edge. We went in late May and the hydrangeas were in full bloom. So many varieties and colors. Well worth the $12. It was a foggy misty day, so not a great beach day, but a great garden day. Left with a turtle statue for my backyard, from the gift shop. read more

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My daughter wanted to get dressed up and go here. It's on Roanoke island. Very hot the day that we went. Loved the place, very cool items are in the area. They had amazing items to view. They had a QR code to scan on your phone and learn about the area. I enjoyed it, rather it been colder. read more

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I visited the Gardens earlier this week with guests ranging in age from 4-89. We enjoyed exploring the beautiful gardens and learning about the plants as well as some of the history of the area. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were relentless. It could be due to recent rain, or perhaps there is standing water they like. I would not return without some heavy duty insect repellant. read more

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Very lovely! The gardens, located on Roanoke Island, are the perfect size to walk around, enjoy the paths, and get a glimpse of the ocean. The giftshop at the entrance is small, but offers several cute items including stationary, tea cups, and jewelry. Outside they even had some stone lawn ornaments for sale as well. We loved the statue of Queen Elizabeth and got some great pictures of her too! These gardens opened in 1960 by the Garden Club of North Carolina and is still maintained by them today. We appreciated that the gardens are open year round. We visited on a Saturday in November, so it wasn't crowded. We were able to walk around freely, but the tiny thatched roof house but the ocean walk was closed so we weren't able to get close to it or get inside. Otherwise, it was a great uninterrupted visit. Definitely would recommend and would return when in the Outer Banks. read more

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Visited in March, weather was perfect but the garden didn't have many flowers. I can imagine how wonderful it must look in the spring. Mask must be worn at all times. We purchased our tickets in advance but not necessary to do on off peak months. Make sure to pick up a map as you enter the gardens. There are markers throughout and a barcode to scan for an audio tour however the app was not working. This is a pet and kid friendly attraction which was great as we had our puppy. They offer an area for young kids to play and find fossils along with picnic tables. The gardens offer a green house and buttery center-due to covid both were closed. I enjoyed the shaded path and even surface trail. My favorite area was the overlook terrace where you can stand and admire the ocean. Definitely a must see attraction if you love gardens. read more

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The gardens were a great place to walk around and a nice alternative to the beach. The gardens are very picturesque and would be a great place to eat lunch with a date (benches are everywhere). There is also a butterfly exhibit that I imagine is quite exciting when they are in the adult stage! read more

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Gorgeous facility with wonderful scenery. I'm surprised that they let dogs in though, despite being a dog-lover myself, as who knows how some customers "train" their pups??!! In fact, one bit me while we were there, which almost ruined the day. read more

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A treasured walk along this garden awaits everyone who ventures onto the island. We enjoyed so many of the sights and the scenery. The history, unique and well tended gardens added to our pleasure. Thank you. read more

Absolutely stunning! We love the gardens, flowers and simply exquisite. So we'll maintained and lovely!

Haven't been to the Elizabethan Gardens in quite some time and this was a good reason to go! The gardens were beautiful. All the decorations were amazing! Everyone was wearing masks and practicing social distancing. It was chilly but not too cold. Very impressive! I definitely want to return to see the gardens during the day time. read more

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A+++++ Absolutely adored the Elizabethan Gardens. One of the highlights of our trip to the outer banks. They're dog friendly so we got to bring our pup too. read more

How this place is rated 4 stars has me scratching my head. $12 entry fee and $3 for a dog! I wouldn't have minded about the fees if the gardens were well maintained. I couldn't believe that they charged an entry fee. They should let people in for free and charge them to exit because I would have paid any price to get out of that barnyard! The hedges weren't trimmed, roses needed to be pruned, weeds growing in every bed - basically, a mess. The ladies in the gift shop were pleasant and engaging, but they couldn't make up for the horror show we experienced. Maybe the gardens were well maintained at some point in the past, but this place is sad now. Worst money I've spent in a while. read more

Beautiful gardens! Only four stars because the price is a little steep and the price for anything in the shop is high. There are so many butterflies! The rose garden is a nice touch. Loved seeing the original entrance to the colony. With as high as the prices are, would be great to see the closed areas open back up for tourists (by the ocean). There are lots of beautiful fountains to see and statues to admire. read more

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It's possible that we simply visited in the wrong season, but there really wasn't mush to see here. A bit disappointing, although the peacefulness of the gardens was very relaxing. read more

They close at 5pm but stop admittance at 4pm. Huge bummer when you're visiting from out of town and you walk in just minutes after 4 and are turned away. Lady up front was very sarcastic. Huge letdown. read more

Not good value for money. It is a basic type of garden. There is minimal garden artwork, such as neatly trimmed bushes. The overall impression was a bit worn, wild and over grown. They said in the gift shop that the garden is 10 acres, which you can walk around quite fast. 30-45 minutes is probably plenty enough allocated time, if you do go against my advice and visit these gardens. There is a very small maze, a gazebo like structure from where you can see the water, statues of Queen Elizabeth I and Virginia Dare. The Queen statue was completely covered in cob web and dust by the upper part. Clearly the statue has not been cleaned for ages and the gardens are probably not that well kept in general. It all looks nice from outside by the gates (moved from the French Embassy) and when you first enter with colorful flowers, but after that the walk path is more like walking through a small wood trail. I had only one day to spend on Roanoke Island and Outer Banks and feel like I wasted a bit of time by coming here. read more

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We've been to several gardens and when we heard there was one near by, we went directly not expecting much. We were pleasantly surprised how well the this garden was laid out and presented. It was a good place to be just for a different perspective of what is already a beautiful North Carolina natural setting. Visit when you can. Recommended! read more

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Great place to spend a morning or afternoon. Be sure to visit the rose garden. Very interesting history. We will definitely be back!

As I walked in the front of the gift shop, there was three people standing around talking. No one was behind the counter. I had no idea if there was an admission for the garden or not. I was not greeted with a "hello", or a "welcome to the gardens". I assumed that since no one cared to greet me, that there was nothing needed of me. So after about a minute or two. I tried to walk through the open doorway to the gardens. Before I even took two steps to the door, one of the ladies that had been chatting along with two other people stopped me in my tracks by putting her hand up and said quickly "There's an admission to the gardens". Then she continued to talk to the other people so I walked out. There was no one at the counter to take my money. The lady was just chatting about. The garden itself isn't great. The sunken garden portion is pretty, but that's about 10% of the garden itself. It's mostly woods and trees and a large grassy lawn in the middle. For 9$ I wouldn't recommend coming here unless you feel you must see it. I came here a few years ago and it was closed. So I was excited to be able to finally see the gardens in this trip. The employees were cold and the gardens were not much to look at. I was thoroughly disappointed. read more

First let me start by saying this is NOT a botanical garden, it is an English garden. There is a difference. If you want botanical, you will be disappointed. If you want an English garden it is pretty good. It is a bit pricey at $9 per person. The grounds were very relaxing and peaceful. It reminded me of the Secret Garden. The hydrangeas were gorgeous. Butterflies all around. Quaint gift shop. Some stunning statues, although a few need repair. The sunken garden is the treasure of this place. read more

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These gardens were amazing. The staff takes great pride in not only the flowers but in their knowledge of the flowers, butterflies and immediate area. The gardens seemed to have an individuality associated with each section. It was almost like you could imagine each area existing in England hundreds of years ago. Definitely enjoyed it. read more

I've been going to Elizabethan Gardens for years now during their winter light festival. I'm a local to the area and me and my family always go on Christmas Eve Eve (23rd). On the websit, it says tickets are sold online for time slots, and absolutely nothing about walk ins, therefore I assumed we could get tickets when we got there (as we always do). I asked the two women if we could buy tickets and one of the lady's ( she had glasses) was very rude. She told us that selling time closed at 8:15 therefore we could not get any tickets, even though we would have had ample time to buy them online (because it was 8:10) . I understand that closing time is closing time, but she was unkind and led us in the wrong direction. Very disappointed to say the least. read more

This park gets three stars because the grounds are beautiful, but, for the ticket prices, a bit limited in true English garden diversity. If it weren't for the charm of the gardens, I'd rate this experience as a Two Star. The cashiers in the gift shop were condescendingly rude. When we asked about the history of the area (Dare County, NC) , Sir Cashier of Arrogance told us do our research and/ or get answers at The Lost Colony. My husband had to escort me out of the door before I "Bless-your-hearted" the sardonic twit to his knees. read more

Lovely Botanical Gardens...British Style...We were there on a Saturday morning around 11 am. This is a beautiful British Style garden with statues and sunken gardens within it. It is not very big and you will need an hour or 90 minutes at most to see all of it. It pays to pause and read plaques that denote different plant species. The Gift shop is pretty and has lovely smelling candles. We bought one after asking the very helpful lady at the counter what the smell was that was wafting through the gift shop! Very nice and would come again - may be earlier or later in the evening when it is not that hot! read more

We definitely went at the right time ! There were a lot of flowers in bloom. Very peaceful. Map was fairly easy to follow. I would love to go back earlier on the spring! read more

Beautiful gardens, in a peaceful setting! I'm a gardener, who appreciates a lovely garden, this one did not disappoint. If you're in the area stop in! read more

The Elizabethan Gardens - Botanical Gardens Near Me - Manteo, North Carolina

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