Coker Arboretum, fondly known by many as a quiet haven in the middle of the busy University of North Carolina campus, is the heart of one of the most beautiful campuses in the nation. Managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden, it is one of the Garden's oldest tracts.
Traveling in cities that are new to us we depend on our GPS. Whne we don't have an accurate address or none at all, or an ambiguous one, "like in the heart of a beautiful campus". We are in trouble. From a previous post you saw our first attempt to find Coker landed us at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. We got a map from there so when we tried to find it again, which was today, we would be successful. We found Coker Arboretum on the corner of Cameron and Raleigh. Without a number, our GPS finds nothing. There was a stone wall and some gates around this block that looked like it might be a garden.
We drove around trying to find a place to park, everywhere we went you needed a student or faculty permit. I finally got out of the car, while Bob circled the block. I spoke to a student weeding in what I thought was the arboretum. Our conversation went like this. Me, "Is this Coker Arboretum?" Her, "Yes, Mam." Me, "We'd like to visit the garden is there parking?" Her, "No, Mam." Our conversation was over, as she put her head down and continued weeding. Bob and I drove around and ended up parking at a meter in town and walked back. Once in the garden, the walkway was beautiful.
There were lots of birds and bubbling brooks.
We like gardens to walk in because on this hot Carolina day, shade was essential. As well as benches.
Flowers were in blooms.
And beautiful!
At last, at the back of the garden, facing a preschool and a residential hall, we found a sign.
We both felt it was worth the hunt. In 1903, Dr. Williams Chamber Coker, the University first Professor of Botany, started to develop a five acre plot, into an outdoor classroom. To learn more of Coker's history here is a link: Development of Coker Arboretum.
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