The North Carolina Botanical Garden comprises nearly 800 acres, including 10 acres of display gardens and a number of natural areas in the Piedmont of North Carolina. The Display Gardens and Totten Center is located off of Old Mason Farm Road and the US 15-501 Bypass in Chapel Hill. It features habitat display gardens that interpret the plants and vegetation of North Carolina, perennial borders, a Garden of Flowering Plant Families, the Piedmont Nature Trails, and much more. The Garden is also responsible for the management of several nearby sites that are on the University of North Carolina Campus proper: Coker Arboretum, Battle Park, and Forest Theatre.

Mason Farm Biological Reserve (MFBR) is located east and south of the North Carolina Botanical Garden"s display gardens and Education Center. Access is by permit only, available at the Education Center reception desk. Sensitive research projects are ongoing at Mason Farm Biological Reserve, so NO PETS are allowed.

The Mason Farm Biological Reserve (MFBR) protects natural areas, supports academic research and public education, and is a place for contemplation and appreciation of the natural world. MFBR and contiguous undeveloped tracts create an approximately 900-acre natural area that connects with the 41,000-acre New Hope Game Lands to the south. MFBR proper is 367 acres and contains a combination of forests and old fields that support approximately 800 species of plants, 216 species of birds, 29 species of mammals, 28 species of fish, 28 species of reptiles, 23 species of amphibians, and 67 species of butterflies. In fact, more different species of animals have been recorded at the Reserve than in any other comparably-sized area in the entire Piedmont.

Access to the Reserve is available by special permit to researchers, university classes, natural history groups, and the public. Annual permits and materials interpreting the Reserve"s farm roads and trails are available at the Education Center. For further information, call 919-962-0522 or email North Carolina Botanical Garden Assistant Director for Conservation Johnny Randall. Visitors are asked NOT to bring dogs to Mason Farm.

Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 8 am — 5 pm Saturday, 9 am — 6 pm Sunday, 1 — 6 pm

Fees: No entry fees for this park
Metro Region: Triangle, NC
Park Management: State