Attractions

Barnsley Gardens (tel. 877/773-2447) are the only Andrew Jackson Downing-inspired gardens in the South. Downing, a renowned 19th-century architect, was the original designer of the White House grounds and the Washington Mall. The gardens themselves were planned in the late 19th century by Godfrey Barnsley, a cotton baron who built an Italian-style manor house and English gardens for his wife, Julia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The estate boasts the largest private collection of conifers in the Southeast, with 88 species of pines. A museum in the manor's kitchen wing contains artifacts from the Civil War and memorabilia tracing the history of the ill-fated Barnsley family.

The museum and garden are open daily. Hours for the museum are 9am to 5:30pm and for the garden are 6am to 6pm. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $5 for children.