Historic Structures

The Carriage House, formerly the Mule Barn, has rustic charm, houses a commercial kitchen, and serves as an indoor event space where we often host workshops, classes, and other events.

The Dogwood Center, formerly known as the Welcome Center, serves as an indoor event space for weddings and special events, complete with an attached patio, landscaped garden space and adjacent parking. Click here to learn more.

The former residence of the Howell family now houses our Visitor Center and administrative offices. Click here to learn more.

Once a working greenhouse at the Joe Howell Nursery, the Stone Greenhouse charms all who see it.

The curious little stone buildings in the Martha H. Ashe Garden speak to the fairy tale lover in all of us, but they were built in the 1950s for a more practical purpose: to show the kind of skilled rock work that Joe Howell’s landscape nursery could build. Now, as then, curiosity pulls people to orbit the round houses. Are they gatekeeper’s watch rooms, or perhaps gardener’s shelters? Paned windows and beautifully curved wooden doors argue for either. One story recounts their use as tea houses for waiting customers who would be invited to sip whilst the workers dug up their chosen plant specimens from the grounds.

Situated behind the Howell Residence & Visitors Center, these cascading terraces are open on two sides to wide views, and closed in by Magnolias and the stately stone work of the Howell Residence on the other two. The Stone Terraces are the perfect space for a concert, wedding, or private picnic. On a summer day, relax in the dappled sunshine shining in through the mature canopy of tulip poplar and oaks trees.

More than two miles of intricate stone masonry work graces the grounds. Assembled by the Howell nursery employees when plant work was light, the walls lend structure, enclosure, and delineation of the garden spaces while adding beauty throughout.

This charming out-building greets people coming up the Dogwood drive