BELMONT, N.C. — The beloved green space just 20 miles from Uptown Charlotte has a new name, a new look, and a long-range plan that stretches well beyond its famous flower beds.
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is now Daniel Stowe Conservancy, a rebrand that organizers say better reflects the full scope of what the 380-acre property along Lake Wylie has always offered, and what it intends to become.
“Allow us to reintroduce ourselves,” the organization says on its newly relaunched website. The name change, officials explain, was never about leaving the gardens behind. It was about making sure visitors knew how much more existed beyond them.
The botanical gardens set aside in 1991 and opened to the public in 1999 by retired textile magnate Daniel J. Stowe occupy roughly 90 of the property’s 380 acres. For years, staff heard a familiar refrain from guests: “I didn’t know you had trails.” Or, “I didn’t know you had a dog park.”
The name Daniel Stowe Conservancy, organizers note, is actually a return to their roots. It has been the organization’s legal name since it opened in 1999. A conservancy, by definition, is an organization that protects and cares for natural areas and the plants and wildlife within them — which is, they say, exactly what they have been doing for 25 years.
What’s New on the Property
The rebrand comes alongside a wave of Phase One improvements already underway or recently completed.
Nearly two miles of new crushed concrete trails were added in Spring 2025, bringing the total trail network to more than eight miles. Those trails now connect to the Carolina Thread Trail system, linking visitors to more than 425 miles of paths across 15 counties and two states.
The former Garden Store has been transformed into Big Leaf Café + Shop, offering food and drink alongside updated Daniel Stowe Conservancy merchandise. The white farmhouse near the parking lot has been converted from an administrative building into The Farmhouse Garden Center, where visitors can purchase plants, gardening supplies, and home goods, and attend hands-on workshops led by the organization’s horticulture team.
The signature project of this spring is the expansion of the Kimbrell Family Lost Hollow Children’s Garden — a nearly nine-acre addition that includes a half-mile Adventure Trail through the woods. Five nature-themed outdoor “rooms” line the trail, and at the end, children will find the Prairie Castle Playground, a three-story accessible wooden structure designed around Lost Hollow’s medieval theme.
Inside the formal gardens, the White Garden and Cottage Garden both received renovations during the off-season, with new pergolas, updated plantings, improved walkways, and a more natural layout. Meadowood Walk was also repaved with crushed concrete to improve accessibility.
What’s Coming Next
The 2025 projects represent only Phase One of a multi-year masterplan. Future phases envision an education center and nature-based preschool, an outdoor amphitheater with seating for up to 1,500, a full restaurant on the property, a boardwalk, a sculpture garden, expanded wedding venues, and increased access to Lake Wylie through paddling opportunities.
For Members and Regular Visitors
Admission and membership structures remain unchanged. The Gardens at Stowe and Garden Pavilion still require paid admission or membership to enter. All trails outside the gardens, ponds, The Trailhead Store, and The Farmhouse Garden Center remain free and open to the public during operating hours. Membership benefits, discounts, and special events continue as before.
The organization is located at 6500 South New Hope Road in Belmont and is open seven days a week. Updated hours by location are available at danielstoweconservancy.org.
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