There’s a whole lot of ‘new’ at the rebranded Stowe Conservancy in Belmont.
by Michelle Boudin
When John Searby moved to the Charlotte area nearly a decade ago, he chose a home just a mile and a half away from Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. The outdoors-lover knew his family would be regulars at the Belmont attraction.
“Our whole family enjoys being outside, and from the moment I stepped on the property in 2016 I thought, Man, the potential this place has is amazing.”
He was right. In 2023, Searby was named the executive director at what’s now called Daniel Stowe Conservancy. The nonprofit’s rebranding earlier this year was an effort to remind people that the 380 acres of conserved property — located about 20 miles from uptown Charlotte — is home to more than just gardens.
“We have 3 1/2 miles of Lake Wylie shoreline, the largest undeveloped piece of waterfront on the lake,” Searby says. “And yes, we have beautiful, world-class botanical gardens, but we have so much more. That word, ‘conservancy,’ is just a much bigger, broader, more inclusive word.”
The new Prairie Castle Playground at Stowe Conservancy
MORE REASONS TO VISIT
In addition to the Williamson Conservatory, an 8,000-square-foot glass-walled structure housing orchids and tropical plants, there are more than 90 acres of gardens, 8 miles of hiking trails, a dog park, café, gift shop and more. The organization has invested $2.5 million in improvements and new additions in just the last year.
“We have a Trailhead Store, where you can grab coffee, beer, wine, a salad, a sandwich or a wrap, either before or after you hit those trails,” Searby says. “We have two beautiful ponds, one of which has a fishing pier [where you can fish] without a license. We’ve got a Farmhouse Garden Center, which is a great place to buy gifts and garden tools and anything you might need.”
These new amenities are part of the Village at Stowe, near Stowe’s entrance on South New Hope Road.
“That’s the part that people are just now starting to discover,” says Searby. One of the newest additions is a massive children’s play area that opened in late August. Building on the Lost Hollow Children’s Garden, Stowe added a kids’ adventure trail with five themed outdoor “rooms” for exploring creeks and animal habitats.
“When they get done with the adventure trail, they come out and see the new Prairie Castle Playground, which is this beautiful all-wood, three-story, castle-themed playground that is rising up out of our Piedmont Prairie.”
Right: Farmhouse planting room
PRESERVATION & POPULAR EVENTS
The original gardens and a visitor pavilion opened in 1999 on land set aside by retired textile executive Daniel J. Stowe to protect it from urban sprawl. Through the years, the attraction has hosted blockbuster events such as a popular Chinese Lantern Festival and Grandiflora: Gamrath Glass in the Garden, an installation of 40 glass sculptures by Seattle-based artist Jason Gamrath in 2019.
More than 135,000 people visited Stowe in 2024, but attendance is already up 15-20% this year, according to Searby. That number includes trail-race and educational-program participants, shoppers at the Trailhead Store, and guests attending the dozens of weddings Stowe hosts each year. More than 24,000 people attended the annual holiday lights display, according to the conservancy’s annual report.
Searby also gets excited when talking about some of the preservation work at Stowe over the last few years.
“We’re doing a massive restoration to try to return the Piedmont Prairie [section of the garden] to what it would have originally looked like before settlers arrived here. Most people don’t realize that it looks a lot like savannahs and grasslands that we think of as being in the western United States.” Started three years ago, the project will take six to seven years to complete.
“I kind of pinch myself sometimes when I walk out of my office and I look out and I see these beautiful gardens,” says Searby. “If people haven’t been here in a few years, they really need to come out, because the impacts have been tremendous. I can’t tell you how often I hear, ‘Oh, I haven’t been out here in a while. This is incredible!’” SP
Photographs courtesy Daniel Stowe Conservancy
FALL AT STOWE
“Spook-easy” nights at Big Leaf Cafe
dates vary
This Halloween-themed speakeasy takes place on select nights with fall drinks and themed activities.
Scarecrow Hollow
through Oct. 31
Each fall, the Lost Hollow Children’s Garden is adorned with clever scarecrows created by community members.
Jeepers Creepers 5K and 10K
Oct. 4
Costumed participants take to the trails in this second annual race.
Bootanical + Classic Car Trunk or Treat
Oct. 19
The day begins with a Cars + Coffee classic car meetup that’s also a trunk-or-treat for the kids, followed by Halloween fun in the gardens.
Wines Around the World
Oct. 24
Tasting stations with wines from around the world are paired with light bites in the Gardens at Stowe.
For more information and event updates, visit danielstoweconservancy.org.
