Guided Programs in the Gardens
These programs are designed to introduce students of all ages to the complexity of the garden environment. They are age appropriate and correlated to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Skill building includes communicating, listening, observing, cooperating, problem solving, measuring, predicting, recording, reading, and reporting. All programs are lead by trained docents.

Preschool through First Grade Programs
- Scavenger Hunt- Use visual clues to discover the wonders of Duke Gardens. Explore a variety of areas using your senses to uncover the mysteries of nature found in the gardens. Make a wish in our wishing well.
- Flower Bingo- Play bingo in the Italian Terraces, Perennial Allee, or Butterfly Garden and discover the many forms, shapes, and colors of flowers. Make a wish in our wishing well.
- Discovery Detective Walk- Working in teams students explore the major areas of the Gardens and discover the answers to questions in our detective booklet. Each area has a story to tell and close observation will reveal the many relationships between plants, animals, and people. Make a wish in our wishing well.

Second through Fifth Grade Programs
- Name That Tree- Focus on how botanists identify trees by looking at their leaves. Using clues teams identify a selection of trees and discover the unique characteristics of each species. Each team will report its findings.
- Every Tree For Itself- Explore the needs of living plants and play a fast paced game which illustrates how trees compete with each other and how certain conditions affect a tree’s growth.
- Tree Detectives- Teams work together as detectives to unravel the special characteristics of their assigned tree. Learn how botanists describe a tree, make a bark rubbing, measure the trunk, and discover who might be living in the tree. Teams report their findings to the whole group.
- All About Flowers- Explore a wide variety of flowers up close and learn the structures and functions needed for reproduction. Discover the role animals play in plant survival and make a botanically correct flower to take home.
- Native Tales- For Fourth Graders- Plants have stories to tell. Discover how plant lore and folklore connect native plants to North Carolina history. Learn how native peoples and early settlers used plants to survive. This program is offered to Fourth Grade students who are studying North Carolina history. Using a printed guide students walk through our Blomquist Garden of Native Plants and explore the rich stories from our native flora.
- Pools, Ponds, and Basins- Discover the wonder and variety of water gardens here at Duke Gardens. Learn what is needed to make a water garden and ways creatures make their homes in and around water. Explore with your students design materials, plant selection, and how water features make you feel while traveling the paths of our garden.
- In the Amphitheater
This program is designed for groups up to 100 students. A 20-minute dramatic presentation is given then each student receives a guide to become a plant explorer in the gardens. For First through Fourth Grades
- Plant Explorers- Travel to distant lands with a Plant Explorer as your guide. Learn how these real-life characters traveled the globe in search of new plants. Discover the challenges of finding plants in wild places and become a plant explorer as you travel through the Gardens after this program with a printed self-guided.

General and Speciality Tours available for all ages.