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

OUTER BANKS EXPEDITION!

 Visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina (www.outerbanks.org), has been on my "bucket list" for several years, so making it to Nags Head, North Carolina, on a blustery day in September, was a definite reason for lifting my arms in praise to God, for allowing me the opportunity to achieve this goal!

After the photo, I continued on down the steps, for a beach "photo safari" (and to look for a seashell with a hole in it, so I could write a location and date on it, to add it to my "fishing net/sea shell" memory wall).  There was a fisherman setting up his gear, and he told me he was fishing for Red Drum.  Earlier in the day, I had observed a pick up truck with those very long fishing poles, secured from the front bumper, and over the passenger-side windshield, which was something I had never observed in the Ozarks area where I live!  

I walked on the beach until sunset, then headed back to my very comfortable room at the Holiday Inn Express (www.hiexpress.com/nagsheadnc) in Nag's Head, NC, which, thankfully, had a terrace that looked out over the ocean.  I was also thankful the hotel room had Gideon Bible, which are supplied free of charge to lodging properties by The Gideons International (www.gideons.org).

The next morning, provided the opportunity to visit the Bodie Island Lighthouse.   This trip was part of a 10-day trip operated by Making Memories Tours (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com), and the word "lighthouses" was included in the title of the trip, so it was appropriate that our leader wanted to get a photo of the group together, in front of the first lighthouse we visited.  This photo provides the opportunity to mention that our leader shared many photos on the Making Memories Facebook page, so some of the photos in this blog are from those Facebook pictures.  Our trip leader, Diana, did an outstanding job "corraling" our group of about 31 travelers, and I especially appreciated that she started out each day of our motorcoach travels, with a prayer to God, asking for his protection for our travels.  

Those in the group who wanted to climb to the top of the 170 foot tall lighthouse, could scan a QR code with their phone, to pay ten dollars, via their phone, to authorize their climb, to show to the National Park Service ranger who was the gatekeeper to the climb.  Since I am "QR-code-challenged", I was very thankful to the fellow traveler, who paid the fee via her phone, and trusted me to pay the ten dollars to her afterwards.  Those few of us who wanted to climb to the top had to first listen to a safety talk, that reminded me of the procedures my rock-climbing son, taught me for scaling summits with a special language.  During the safety talk, we were told we would not be allowed out on the top outer balcony, because NPS has a policy that walking on the balcony is not allowed if the winds are over 35 miles per hour, and the winds on this morning were 40+ mph.  Thankfully, I made it to the top, and rejoiced!

After lunch, we went to visit the Museum called the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum (www.graveyardoftheatlantic.com).  

The name of the museum comes from the fact that there are so many shipwrecks along this stretch of the Atlantic Coast.  This wall art illustrated one of the reasons for the roughness of the oceans here, thus causing so many marine casualties.  The warm waters coming up from the Gulf Stream, collide with the cold waters of the Labrador Current, and the result is turbulence, both in the air and on the water.  As it turned out, our group was visiting the Outer Banks during the month that has the most hurricanes, so I am very thankful we were able to complete our itinerary, without having to evacuate due to a hurricane or closed highways.  The day we visited the museum, we were actually scheduled to take a dolphin-watch cruise, but the Coast Guard had put out a small crafts warning, meaning the dolphin watch cruise was postponed for that day. 

The strong winds are what draw kite surfers to a section our bus drove past, called Jockeys Ridge State Park.  Even though our bus did not get to stop, I was able to get a photo of wind surfers through the window:

This area is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, so of course, we wanted to see the famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  We were told in advance that it was closed for repairs, but I had not realized the extent it would be completely covered by scaffolding, until I saw it for myself!

 

In the Outer Banks (abbreviated OBX) area, there are numerous opportunities for outdoor activities, as evidenced by all this rental equipment available, that I photographed during a lunch stop at Currituck:

Also in Currituck area is a photo opportunity for the biggest lawn chair I have every seen, so with the help of some fellow travelers, I climbed up into it for a photo:  In the background, you can see the Viking motorcoach (www.VikingTrailways.com) that was our mode of transportation for the ten-day trip.  It was very comfortable, and our driver, Laren, managed to get us safely through all of our itinerary, and back to our starting point.  The bus was equipped with WIFI, plus a plugin so I could keep my phone charged up, enabling the hundreds of photos I took with my iphone!

Along certain stretches of the Outer Banks coastline, four-wheel-drive vehicles (that have purchased the required permit) can actually drive on the beach, next to the waves.  Our group took one of the commercial vehicles providing these rides, and the photo below shows the driver of our pickup truck, after she stopped, got out of the vehicle, and checked on her passengers, to see which ones were still buckled into their seat belts, on the benches in the back of her truck, after speeding along the beach on a very damp and windy day!

The two guys sitting at the very front of our lineup, helped serve as a "shield" for those behind them.

 

After a few miles, we exited the beach, and started driving through the adjacent dunes, on a quest to see the wild horses here, called "Bankers".

The number 11 on this "Banker" horse below, is an "autograph" from birds, that sometimes ride on the back of the horses.  Our guide pointed out that one feature of Banker horses, is that their back legs are longer than their front legs.   The horses are a protected species, and it is against the law to feed them or interfere with their roaming around the dunes.  This means that visitors may see them in the front yards of people who have homes in the dunes.  

In addition to the Currituck Wild Horse Tour, we visited the Currituck Maritime Museum, which illustrated the various types of boats found in the area, both currently and historically.  

This area also provided the opportunity to do another epic stairclimb, getting to the top of the 162 foot Currituck Beach Lighthouse (www.obcinc.org)

Thankfully, the top of the lighthouse was open, so that climbers could walk out on the balcony.  I was thankful to make it to the top, and also for the fellow traveler who took a photo of me, with arms uplifted in gratitude.

One of the reasons I wanted to visit OBX, is because it is the location (www.nps.gov) where the Wright Brothers conducted their aeronautical experiments, and the visitor center there has a replica airplane, based on the meticulous records the Wright Brothers kept on their human flight attempts .  It was interesting to me that one of the exhibits was a treadle sewing machine (like the one my grandmother had in her farmhouse), was used to sew the cloth wings of the aircraft.  The photo below shows the NPS Ranger, who gave us an educational program about the construction of the flyer.  

I wanted to climb to the top of the hill, where the huge Wright Brothers Monument is located, so I started out on the "hike", stopping often along the way, to catch my breath, and read the placards along the way, that interpreted what I was seeing.  

This placard about Big Kill Devil Hill before me, made me realize my climb to the top was much easier than what the Wright Brothers had to do, because they were carrying an AIRPLANE to the top of the hill!

I was thankful I encountered a young woman on my climb, who agreed to take my photo.  She apparently was comfortable doing so, because she kept instructing me to adjust my stance, so that in the final photo, it appears that my hand is touching the monument at the top of the hill!

When I finally reached the top of big Kill Devil Hill, I felt victorious, and a fellow visitor captured my jubilation in the photo below:  (When viewed from the Visitor Center, the monument looks small, but you can see by the scale provided by my 5 foot 2 inch height, that it is humongous!)
 

At the bottom of Kill Devil Hill, there is a metal sculpture, which is a replica of the Wright Brothers plane.  I was pleased the sculpture also included the photographer (with his big camera on a tripod) in the setting, which was somewhat new technology at the time of this historic flight.

OBX is famous for its seafood, and our group enjoyed a gigantic seafood buffet at Captain George's Restaurant.  And there were hundreds of other selections to go along with a variety of entrees, in addition to the seafood entrees.  

OBX is also the location of  the so-called "Lost Colony", where we visited the Fort Raleigh National Historic site.  Since it is a National Park Service property, I was eager to get their ubiquitous stamp, because the stamps with a date and location, help me remember where I have been! 

The site is the location of the seaside theater, where the live outdoor drama called "The Lost Colony" is presented during the summer months.  

Also on the property of the NPS, is a beautiful, formal garden, named in honor of Queen Elizabeth, whose statue is a centerpiece of the garden (www.ElizabethanGardens.org).

Walking through this garden, and taking photographs, was a delightful experience!

Our group was able to go on the re-scheduled dolphin-viewing cruise, and I was thankful to get out on the water, even though it was still very windy, and a bit damp.  However, we were rewarded with several sightings of dolphins!

Our leader Diana, took this photo of me, as I was on the overlook at Nag's Head Beach, adjacent to our hotel.  I heard someone shout "TRICIA" from one of the hotel balconies, and when I turned around, I could see she had her camera out, motioning she wanted to take a photo of me, so naturally, I assumed my "hands uplifted in praise to God" photo pose!   What a blessing it is to be able to walk, and to be able to walk in new-to-me locations, is especially delightful!  However, for those who may have mobility issues, it is encouraging to see that this overlook had a ramp, such that a wheel chair could make the climb.  In addition, at the top, one section of the railing was lowered, with a convex area below it, so that a person in a wheel chair could roll their wheelchair under the railing.  Since walking is important to me, I strived to get 10,000 steps registered on my FitBit watch each of the ten days, and actually managed to do that!  One of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses says, "Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20   You may be sure I am giving thanks to God that I was able to go on this trip!
 

One of the major ways that the Making Memories Tour company has been able to be successful, is that they reply on satisfied customers to tell others about the company, and the company rewards referrals with coupons for "money off" on a future trip.  For example, if you read this blog and decide to go on a Making Memories Tour, if you tell the company representative that you heard about the trip from me (Tricia Turner), I would get a coupon for $75 off my next trip, so please give me a "shout out", to the company, if you go on a Making Memories tour!  I can guarantee, this trip gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia