Airlie Gardens is primarily a self-guided, walking tour experience. The entire walking tour is 0.9 miles, and our unimproved nature trail adds an additional 0.3 miles, for a grand total of 1.2 miles. It takes most visitors an hour to an hour and a half to enjoy a leisurely walk through the gardens. To download a map of the grounds, please see our Airlie Map Brochure PDF document.
Airlie is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Within the gardens guests may experience mixed paths made of mulch, gravel, grass, and earth, but most paths are paved or pervious concrete. There are resting benches throughout the garden tour, and also few picnic tables are nestled with in the gardens.
Wheelchairs are available to check out on a first come first serve basis. There is no additional charge for this however you must leave an ID at check out. To check out ask Ticket Agent at arrival.
Accessibility Tram Service: Made possible through funding from the Catherine Kennedy Home Foundation, the Cape Fear Memorial Foundation and the Airlie Gardens Foundation, we are pleased to offer a 7-passenger accessibility tram service at Airlie. The tram service is volunteer based and does not run every day, please see our Tram Schedule which is kept two months in advance. We also suggest calling prior to your visit to make sure trams are running as scheduled for your visit. We also offer wheelchair check out on a first come first serve basis. The tram will not run on a regularly scheduled basis during the Winter months of January and February due to colder weather conditions. For information about winter tram schedules, check the tram calendar for specific dates or please call the main office number at (910)798-7700.
GUIDED TOURS: Guided tours for groups of 10 or more are available by special reservation only! We recommend contacting us at least a week in advance so we are able to coordinate a Volunteer Garden Guide to lead your group. This is a walking tour throughout the Gardens discussing Airlie’s history, horticulture and ecology. Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Tours are included in general Garden Admission, but reservations must be made in advance!
To make reservations contact the main office: 910-798-7700 / airlieinfo@nhcgov.com
HOURS OF OPERATION: Open everyday 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Ticket sales end at 4:30 each day. We ask that all guests exit by 5:00 pm.
Please click here for Special Event Hours and Closings
ADMISSION RATES: Please note that all admission prices include tax.
- $9-Adults
- $5-New Hanover County Residents (proof of ID required at purchase)
- $5- Military (proof of ID required at purchase)
- $3- Children (4-12 years)
- Children under 4 are free!
We accept cash, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover
Click here to purchase general admission tickets to the garden. Only adult and children tickets are available online. Tickets for Military and New Hanover County resident rates must be purchased on-site. Guided tour requests must be made in advance by contacting 910-798-7566 / fberry@nhcgov.com
