AIRLIE GARDENS WALKING EXPEDITION!

 Airlie Gardens (www.airliegardens.org) in Wilmington, North Carolina, is a "walkers' paradise"!  This blog has some photos from when I visited there in September, 2025.  One of the most famous plants at the gardens, is  "The Airlie Oak".  It is a gigantic Southern Live Oak, estimated to be nearly 500 years old.  The Spanish moss, hanging like sheer curtains, make it a focal point of the gardens, and a frequent filming location .  The magnificent tree is shown in the photo below:

I read that its acorns are used to grow heritage trees, but I was too busy taking photos to stop and look for souvenir acorns.  I took the photo below, that includes a fellow traveler, to help the viewer get a perspective on the massive size of the living sculpture.

For those who have the time, there are picnic tables beside the oak tree, where one can sit and enjoy the ambience:

My time at the gardens was limited, so instead of stopping, I continued on to the Bradley Creek Pier, that extends out into that body of water, and eventually flows into Wrightsville Beach in Wilmington.  (That name is familiar to me because it is the location of the first photograph I ever saw, of my future grandson-in-law, when he was showing my granddaughter around his then, home state.  Photos showing the wedding that resulted, are on my blog post entitled "Bentonville Expedition", dated August 6, 2021)  With its coastal location, this area is subject to hurricanes.  One thing that makes the Arlie Oak so unique, is the fact that it has survived so many hurricanes.  The same cannot be said for the massive tree trunk, that lies adjacent to the Bradley Creek Pier.  

I don't want to imply that Bradley Creek flows DIRECTLY into Wrightsville Beach.  Rather,, there is a massive "filtration system" that it goes through on its way to the ocean.  One of these filters is Cordgrass, as pictured in the photo below:

Sometimes downed trees such as this are left where they fall, as a way to provide habitat for more wildlife.  In fact, a salamander was kind enough to pose for a photo for me, after I spotted it climbing on the decaying tree trunk: 

 

The metal sculpture is not only artistic, but educational, as the placard it is holding has information about the surrounding gardens.  In spite of my prodding, I could not get the frog to make is familiar "ribbit" sound!  

Speaking of wildlife, there was a wide variety of birds that could be spotted, which may explain why this is an important birding area.  In addition to the birds that actually fly, there was an art installation taking place during my visit, called "Birds of a Feather".  Individuals or businesses could place bids on the various bird sculptures, and become one of the owners of this aviary artwork, when the exhibit ended in a few months.  One of the birds had the prominent blue color of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW):

Team colors more familiar to my area can be seen on this cardinal statue.

Since I am from the Ozarks, where a sports team named Cardinals is popular, this bird would be a welcome addition to a fan of the Cardinals!

This "mosaic" bird design, probably covers the mascot colors of every team in the nation!

When I walked out onto the pier, I couldn't help noticing a visitor with a very long lens on his camera.  When I asked what he was focused in on, he said he was watching a bird across the water.  The photographer is a reminder for me to mention, that there are strict guidelines for professional portrait, wedding, or engagement photo setups, so be sure to check the guidelines on their website to learn more.

It is easy to see why professional photographers would want to work here, because the picturesque settings abound throughout the gardens.  

 

The three columns above the oval benches, surrounded by luscious ferns would make an ideal location for a group photo!  Since I often participate in groups, I am always on the lookout for settings that would be suitable for group photos!

As I was entering the sunken gardens, our group leader was there, so I took the opportunity to give my signature pose, of arms uplifted in praise and gratitude, to the Creator of all this beauty!

The three-tiered fountain beside the lake is another scenic location, and has been the setting for various movie and television programs.  A complete listing of well-known scenes filmed at Airlie Gardens is available on their website.  One source referred to Wilmington, North Carolina, as "The Hollywood" of the central East Coast!

A group of five young ladies was enjoying taking candid shots with their phones, of one another at the fountain, and offered to take my photo.  Of course, I said, "Yes, and thank you very much!"

There were several species of wading and water birds on the distant shoreline of this lake, that some birders were observing, with high-powered binoculars.  So if you are a serious fan of bird watching, be sure to take your binoculars with you when visiting the gardens!

The South if famous for their azalea bushes, and the vibrant blooms on some of their plants were still very photogenic, even though it was not their prime season.  

The photo below shows that the entire bush was covered with healthy blooms!

This metal sculpture of a flower bloom, will keep people interested, when all the azaleas have gone dormant. 

When I saw these two lawn chairs sitting side by side, it reminded me of a favorite photo I have of a man and his wife (who were my cousins), sitting in similar chairs, holding hands, and both turned around to smile at the camera.  Although I looked around for "models", there were no couples at the time, that I could get to pose for such a photograph!

Seeing the bottle house (which is not accessible to go inside), reminded me of the first time I ever saw "bottle glass".  It was at a very old hotel along the canal, where my father and I stayed, when we visited Venice in the 1960's.  I later learned that Venice is famous for its glass creations, and probably the reason my father agreed to purchase some very delicate glass deer, that we watched a Venetian artist blow and sculpt, right before our eyes! (Photos of that trip are on blog entitled "Italy Expedition", dated January 2, 2025)

I was delighted to see that Airlie Gardens has a Labyrinth, because it reminded me of Grandma/Grandchild day where we visited several labyrinths in Northwest Arkansas. (See Labyrinths and Lanes Expedition, dated July 7, 2010).

There is an indoor place of worship on the grounds of Airlie Gardens, called Mount Lebanon Chapel, that is still in regular use today.  The chapel was completed in 1835, and was named for the surrounding cedar trees that recalled the Biblical Cedars of Lebanon.  It is a part of St. James Episcopal Parrish, and you can read more about its history at their website, www.stjamesp.org .

 

The landscape architects of Airlie Gardens have done an outstanding job of designing a variety of different types of walking paths.  The walking path below reminds me of the letter "H".   

This tan-colored walking path is lined with colorful blooms, and is very straight.

The gently curved-at-the-end, walking path below is lined with low hedges, like one might see in Scotland.  In fact, Airlie Gardens gets its name from Airlie, Scotland, because the developer (Sarah Green Jones) named her land acquisition around Mt. Lebanon, Airlie Gardens, after her husband's ancestral home in Scotland.  

Seeing all the different walking paths at Airlie Gardens, is the visual aid for my current First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) class, that is studying the lessons in "Walk in Wisdom".  It is based on the book of Proverbs, which mentions the word "path" about 29 times!  Proverbs uses "path" as a key metaphor representing life's direction---contrasting the wise, righteous way with the foolish, wicked one.  The class will meet weekly for about eight weeks, and each week, we will work on memorizing one verse from the book of Proverbs.  The memory verse for the first week is "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."  Proverbs 1:7

 

 

Visiting Airlie Gardens and exploring its many paths, gave me "MILES OF SMILES!"    Tricia