NEW Accessibility Trams!
4/1/2010 - 10/31/2010
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
 
Summer Takes Flight, the Airlie Butterfly House
5/1/2010 - 10/30/2010
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
 
Kayak Eco Tour
9/10/2010
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Airlie's Environmental Education Program  leads basic kayak tours into Bradley Creek. Groups discuss the ecology, wildlife, and human influences on one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet.
 

Purchase Oyster Roast Tickets

Why Airlie Gardens Should Be Saved!

Airlie Gardens is a 67-acre, 100+ year old historic garden that is one of the most cherished landmarks in North Carolina. Today, this landmark is threatened. New Hanover County Commissioners are considering the sale of Airlie as a way to close the current budget gap. Once sold, it cannot be regained.

Here are Five Reasons Why Airlie Gardens Must be Saved
  1. Airlie Gardens is an important economic development engine that attracts 88,000 tourists from around the world each year and motivates businesses and families to locate here.
  2. Airlie Gardens is a non-profit that is run like a business. It is one of New Hanover County’s best financial success stories. Airlie Gardens’ goal is to be 100% self sufficient and financially independent from the county. That goal is within reach. Below is a summary of what Airlie Gardens has been able to raise.
  3. Airlie is YOUR community garden. Admission is just $5.00 per person and the gardens are free and open to the public a minimum of one Saturday per month. More than 7,000 students visit Airlie for hands-on learning each year. The Gardens feature ADA accessible pathways and trams.
  4. Airlie has a rich history as the former home of railroad magnate Pembroke Jones, from whom the phrase “keeping up with the Jones” originated. It is the site of the original Azalea Festival, now in its 63rd year.
  5. The sale of Airlie Gardens would be the first time in state history that a county or municipality would sell preserved land. This sets a precedent that threatens green space throughout the entire state.

How You Can Help

  • Write a letter to the editor - www.starnewsonline.com
  • Tell your friends and neighbors why Airlie Gardens should be saved.
  • Become an Airlie Gardens member or make a donation.

A Public Garden
Airlie Gardens was purchased by New Hanover County in 1999 with a mission to be a historic public garden with cultural and environmental education for local residents and visitors. The purchase was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund, which required a permanent conservation easement over a 20-acre buffer area along Bradley Creek. These 20 acres can never be developed, but there are no such restrictions on the remaining 47 acres, which could be sold by the county.

Facts About Airlie

  • Airlie Gardens offers a breathtaking combination of formal gardens, wildlife, walking trails, sculptures, creek views, 10-acres of freshwater lakes, and the grandeur of the 462-year-old Airlie Oak.
  • Airlie features over 100,000 azaleas and countless camellia cultivars and was named one of the top 50 camellia gardens in the country.
  • Airlie Gardens is home to the award-winning Minnie Evans Sculpture Garden that features the visually stunning and unique “Bottle House.”
  • Airlie opened its prized Butterfly House in Spring 2010.