Tucked away in the woods next to a major shopping center is the most peaceful spot in Greensboro, North Carolina.
A short walk from Friendly Center, the Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden is an oasis amid the hubbub of workers rushing to grab lunch and shoppers hoping to score a deal at Belk. One step into this park and you’ll fall out of the city and directly into nature.
Dozens of species of birds soar through the thick green leaves that almost obscure the sky. A near-constant trickle of water supports an ecosystem that wouldn’t be out of place in a forest. Friendly maintenance crews keep the lush flowers and shrubs looking fresh and clean year-round.
I went to the gardens for the first time on a whim back in February 2023 to kill time before a meeting. I’d always seen the park on Google Maps and wondered if it was worth the stop. (You know how it is sometimes.) I was delighted to find that it’s something special, even in the dead of winter with barren trees and dormant plants.
The park is split into two sections—the main gardens and the Bog Garden, which is a short jog across the street.
The Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden was built in 1976 (hence the name!) as a way to repurpose a few acres of floodplains on the southwestern side of Greensboro. Enough parking for about three-dozen cars allows plenty of visitors to enjoy the park during daylight hours throughout the year. Easy access to nearby bus stops makes this a great day trip for those who don’t drive.
Public restrooms off the parking lot and several water fountains throughout the grounds make for an appealing visit even when it’s blazing hot outside. There’s plenty of shade to enjoy the walking trails, all of which wind their way back to the main parking lot.
It’s a photogenic park if there ever was one. A koi pond at the foot of a working model of an old mill provides a stunning backdrop for folks hoping to flex their photography muscle.
Wildflower gardens, rock gardens, rain gardens, lily gardens, and music-themed garden complete with person-size wind chimes makes for a zen-like experience—especially on those precious winter days when you’ve got the gardens almost all to yourself.
It’s another world across the street at the Bog Garden, where a long boardwalk guides you through an equally expansive wetland created by a creek that feeds into Starmount Farms Lake. The bog is home to healthy greenery, an orchestra of bugs, and more ducks than you’re likely to see anywhere else in the Piedmont Triad.
The boardwalk calls for you to take pictures—of it, the trees, the underbrush, the squirrels, just about everything within sight. I’ve taken so many pictures of the place that I could probably build a decent timelapse of its changes through the year.
You start to hear a faint trickling in the distance as you get closer to the lake. The park and its caretakers built an actual waterfall on a hill next to the lake about 20 years ago.
Talk about peaceful.
It’s incredibly relaxing to cross the footbridge to the edge of the waterfall and shut your eyes for a moment, taking in the sound of the water crashing onto the rocks at your feet.
Rounding the corner from the waterfall cutoff is the lake itself—and its many, many ducks. There’s a single crested duck among the flock of domestic ducks and mallards. I named him Mozart. Families of Canadian geese have also taken up permanent residence around the lake, striking an uneasy alliance with the other waterfowl and park visitors alike.
A walk around the perimeters of both gardens covers about two miles—but there are enough shortcuts for a leisurely stroll if you’re not looking for a workout.
I try to make the trip down to the gardens at least once a week to clear my head and get in touch with the natural world I write so much about. It’s a connection to nature I treasure…even in the middle of a busy city.
