[gentle upbeat music] [insects chittering] [birds chirping] [bees buzzing] - [Narrator] For those seeking a more curated, accessible experience just off the parkway, the North Carolina Arboretum presents an alternative way to immerse yourself in the natural world.

Here, landscapes are shaped with intention, with gardens designed to highlight both native species and global traditions.

- So we're here in springtime in the Southern Appalachians, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and it's just popping.

The variety of trees is just huge.

So with that comes all the other plants, right?

The wildflowers, the shrubs, the grasses.

It's a very magical place.

It's just beautiful.

[gentle upbeat music continues] [birds chirping continues] It's one of the draws of the Blue Ridge Parkway, right?

The places you can go off of it.

And this is one of those gems.

It's like having your own garden or your own park that you can come and wander around.

And if you want to sit on a bench and just take in the trees and the sounds and chill, you can do that.

- [Narrator] It's also home to an outstanding collection of native bonsai.

Rooted right here in the Appalachian landscape, these trees tell the same story as the mountains, just on a smaller scale.

- [David] The arboretum reflects Appalachian culture in that these are the natural trees and plants of this region.

And it was intentionally built in this way to highlight that.

[gentle upbeat music continues] And these connections with nature are moments of wonder.

We settle, we become attentive and present.

Then we also realize that we are part of this garden.

The beauty of the garden reflects back the beauty of ourselves.

[gentle upbeat music swells]