Spring Garden Hours
March 1-May 31, Gardens open until 6:00 p.m.
Last ticket sold at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 18

African American Lecture

Saturday, March 20

Garden Lecture: Notable New Bernians in the Garden of Athens

Speakers: Rebecca Reimer Arthur & Lisa Wimpfheimer

Sunday, March 21

African American Historic Downtown Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $4 Adult, $2 Student.
Tour departs from Visitor Center lobby.

Learn about 300 years of African American history on a walking tour of New Bern's historic district. This tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and covers 16 blocks. 
Reservations required: 252-514-4935. (Minimum Enrollment: 10)

Tuesdays, March 23

Fife Recruit Class

5:30-6:30pm
Ages 10 and up
$25 per person for all 6 classes (runs through March 22)
Visitor Center auditorium

Calling all musicians! The Tryon Palace Fife & Drum Corps is looking for new fife recruits. If you have a love of history, music, and want to be part of a fun, exciting, dedicated group of volunteers, this is the perfect opportunity! Musical experience (especially the flute) is preferred, but not required.

Advance registration is welcome but not required. Please contact Katie Loveless at 252-514-4939 or kbrightman@tryonpalace.org to sign-up or learn more information.

Sunday, April 4

Free First Sundays

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
FREE Garden Admission, Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket

Spend the first Sunday afternoon from March through October FREE in the Tryon Palace gardens! The gardens at Tryon Palace will be open to the public at no charge on the first Sunday afternoon of each month through October. Interior tours will also be discounted. Call for more information - 252-514-4937 or 1-800-767-1560.

Saturdays, April 3 and 17

Tryon Palace Theater: Making of the State

1:00 p.m.
$4 per adult, $2 per student; FREE with regular admission.
Visitor Center Auditorium

Don't just listen about history; take an active part in it! During this interactive program, the audience will participate in our First Provincial Congress and help determine North Carolina's course leading towards the Revolutionary War.

Tuesday, April 6

Council of Friends Movie Series: The Student Prince

7:00 p.m. FREE.
Visitor Center Auditorium

Crown Prince Karl Heinrich is the nephew of Karl VII, the current King of Karlsburg, and heir to the throne.  After the Prince receives the equivalent of a high school education, the King decides to send him to Heidelberg to continue his education. The Prince loves the collegial atmosphere in Heidelberg. When it looks as if he is required to take his rightful place on the throne which includes marrying the woman the King has chosen for him, the Prince has to make the difficult decision between his royal duties and his love for Kathi with whom he has fallen in love.  Filmed on location at Heidelberg Castle, this is the original silent movie in “glorious black and white” with orchestral soundtrack.

Friday-Sunday, April 9-11

Garden Lover's Weekend – New Bern Celebrates 300 Years of Gardens

Gardens open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

FREE Garden Admission.
Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket. 

Visitors will see the splendor of thousands of tulips in bloom. Garden Lover's Weekend is held in conjunction with the Spring Historic Homes & Gardens Tour, which is sponsored by the New Bern Historical Society and the New Bern Preservation Foundation. (A separate ticket is required for the historic homes tour. Please call (252) 638-8558 for more information.)

Admission to the following events is free unless otherwise indicated.

• Heritage Plant Sale: Friday and Saturday on the Palace grounds. Featuring perennials, herbs, annuals, trees, and shrubs grown in our greenhouse, the sale also offers the public a chance to own unique, rare, and historic plants. Master gardeners will be on hand to answer your planting questions. Come early for the best selection! Sale hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days.
  
  
• Program of music in the gardens

Sunday – Monday, April 17, 18 & 19

Settlers in the New World: The Coming of the Palatines

This weekend will be focused toward the Palatine settlers of North Carolina (and New Bern in particular).  Lectures throughout the weekend, focusing on these early settlers, informational talks about the legacy of the German Palatines in the United States. Craft activities and programs for children will be included.

Sunday, April 18
African American Historic Downtown Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $4 Adult, $2 Student.
Tour departs from Visitor Center lobby.

Learn about 300 years of African American history on a walking tour of New Bern's historic district. This tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and covers 16 blocks.  Reservations required: 252-514-4935. (Minimum Enrollment: 10)

Wednesday, April 20

English-Speaking Union Lecture

Guest Speaker:  Dr. Christopher Mulvey
“The English Language in Virginia and the Carolinas:  An English Project Presentation”
7:00 p.m. FREE
Visitor Center Auditorium

Saturday, May 1

Home School Day

“Building a Colony”
9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
$10 per student, $12 per adult (tickets valid 2 consecutive days). 

Home-school families enjoy interactive activities as well as tours of the Palace and three other historic homes in this popular event.  Bring your picnic lunch and spend time immersed in the past.  Activities are designed for school-age children; some activities have a minimum age requirement.

Space is limited; pre-registration and pre-payment required by April 16.  Call (252) 514-4935 to register.

Sunday, May 2

Free First Sundays

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
FREE Garden Admission, Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket

Spend the first Sunday afternoon from March through October FREE in the Tryon Palace gardens! The gardens at Tryon Palace will be open to the public at no charge on the first Sunday afternoon of each month through October. Interior tours will also be discounted. Call for more information - 252-514-4937 or 1-800-767-1560.

Tuesday, May 4

Council of Friends Movie Series: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

7:00 p.m. FREE.
Visitor Center Auditorium

The most emotional adventure of his career begins for James Bond on a deserted beach where a young woman tries to drown herself. He rescues the girl and for his trouble is attacked by two toughs - the girl's bodyguards. It soon becomes much bigger for 007 - the girl is Teresa Draco, daughter of crime boss Marc Ange Draco, who wants James to marry his wayward daughter, and in return he can provide 007 with information on an even more dangerous criminal leader - Ernst Stavro Bloefeld of SPECTRE. But both James and Teresa find more than they ever bargained for when their paths collide in a vicious pursuit filmed on the Schilthorn in the snow-capped Alps of Switzerland.

Thursday, May 6

African American Lecture:  “From New Bern to a New Birth of Freedom”

Guest Speaker: Harold (Hari) Jones of Washington, D.C.

7:00 p.m.  FREE.
Visitor Center auditorium.

Before the Emancipation Proclamation, the efforts of North Carolinians of African descent in the New Bern area to end the tyranny of slavery were some of the boldest and most productive in the country.  Their impact was regional and national.  The heroes were many.  This lecture will tell their story of a glorious march from slavery to freedom as liberators and true defenders of the Constitution

Saturday, May 8

A Union City in the Midst of the Confederacy

Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (regular operating hours)
Cost: FREE
New Bern Academy

In conjunction with the New Bern 300th event “Remembering the War Years,” Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens will be offering tours of the New Bern Academy, recently reopened as a Civil War Museum. Living history programs on the Academy green will recreate Civil War soldiers, and there will be interactive and craft activities for children.

Friday, May 14

Palace Tour with author Diana Gabaldon

4:15 p.m.
$25 per person

In conjunction with the New Bern Literary Symposium, Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens is offering a special tour with author Diana Gabaldon (the Outlander and the Lord John series).  Take a tour of Tryon Palace with Diana Gabaldon, learning both about the history of North Carolina’s first permanent colonial capital and Ms. Gabaldon’s inspiration for the novel Drums of Autumn.  Following the tour, light refreshments will be served. 
Space is limited to 20 participants; reservations and pre-payment required.  Call (252) 514-4935 to register.

Saturday, May 15

Garden Lecture: Palms for North Carolina

Speaker: Gary Hollar

10:00 a.m.  FREE. 
Funding provided by a grant from the Harold H. Bate Foundation.
Visitor Center auditorium.

Gary Hollar has been growing thousands of cold-hardy palms here in Craven County for almost 25 years. He collects seeds from old and proven landscape specimens that have endured below-zero temperatures as well as collecting Sabal minor and Sabal palmetto seeds from their habitat.

Sunday, May 16

African American Historic Downtown Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $4 Adult; $2 Student.
Tour departs from Visitor Center lobby.

Learn about 300 years of African American history on a walking tour of New Bern's historic district. This tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and covers 16 blocks.  Reservations required: 252-514-4935. (Minimum Enrollment: 10)

Sunday, May 23

South Lawn Concert Series:  Craven Community Concert Band

Gates open at 5:00 p.m., concert begins at 6:30 p.m., South Lawn. 

FREE
South Lawn

Pack a picnic and join your family and friends for the first concert of our 2010 South Lawn Concert Series.  Please bring your own chairs and blankets, but leave pets and alcoholic beverages at home.

Sunday, June 6

Free First Sundays

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
FREE Garden Admission, Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket

Spend the first Sunday afternoon from March through October FREE in the Tryon Palace gardens! The gardens at Tryon Palace will be open to the public at no charge on the first Sunday afternoon of each month through October. Interior tours will also be discounted. Call for more information - 252-514-4937 or 1-800-767-1560.

Thursday, June 10

African American Lecture

Guest Speaker:Dr. Zachery R. Williams, Associate Professor,  Department of Pan African History

"We've Come This Far By Faith: The History and Continuing Legacy of Juneteenth for African Americans

7:00 p.m. FREE
Visitor Center Auditorium

This lecture will seek to highlight significant moments in the history and evolution of Juneteenth for African Americans. Using insights from thinkers like Ralph Ellison and many other black cultural leaders, the talk will also demonstrate the role of religion and culture in the shaping of African American identity and consciousness over time. Lastly, Dr. Williams seeks to show the manner in which the spirit and cultural significance of Juneteenth can empower African Americans in their continual struggle for human rights and equality in the age of President Barack Obama.

Tuesday, June 22

South Lawn Concert Series:  North Carolina Symphony

Gates open at 5:00 p.m.,
concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

FREE
South Lawn

Pack a picnic and join your family and friends for this always popular concert of our South Lawn Concert Series.  Please bring your own chairs and blankets, but leave pets and alcoholic beverages at home.

Saturday, July 3

Celebration of the Declaration

Festivities: 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

• Fife & Drum performance and reading of the Declaration of Independence: 11:00 a.m.
  
  
• FREE Garden Admission: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
  Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket.

Come join us for a celebration of our nation’s Declaration of Independence! Enjoy patriotic kid’s craft activities, colonial cricket matches, musket firing demonstrations, and a special Fife & Drum Corps performance followed by a dramatic 18th century reading of the Declaration of Independence - all free of charge! Purchase a Governor's Pass ticket and enjoy interior tours of all our historic buildings as well.

Sunday, July 4

A 19th Century Town Celebration

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., FREE.
 New Bern Academy Green

In the 1800s, the citizens of New Bern celebrated their 4th of Julys on the lawn of the New Bern Academy. You are cordially invited to attend a recreation of the celebration held there on July 4th, 1836 – the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Bring your own picnic and join 19th century New Bern citizens in patriotic merriment. There will be music, dancing, and games including townball – an early precursor to baseball. A special period reading of the Declaration will take place at 2:30p.m., followed by the ringing of the bells celebrating the years of independence. The Academy will also be open to the public for tours.

Saturday, July 10

African American Lecture:  “New Bern Literary Read In and Book Fair”

Guest Speaker: Reginald Watson, Ph.D., Assoc. Professor of English at East Carolina University

12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.  FREE.
Visitor Center auditorium

Come learn about the historical legacy of African American writers in North Carolina.  Meet historians and present day authors, hear their stories and purchase their works in this recitation, reception and book fair. This event is co-sponsored by Shelia Peele-Miller, author. 

Thursday, July 15

African American Lecture: “Celebrating Freedom: Emancipation Day Ceremonies in North Carolina”

Guest Speaker:  John Haley, Ph. D., Ret. Assoc. Professor Emeritus from UNC-Wilmington

7:00 p.m.
FREE. 
Visitor Center auditorium.

For over a half-century, January 1, 1963 – Emancipation Day – was one of the most important days in the lives of former enslaved persons and ranked above July 4, 1776 in significance.  The lecture will focus on the leaders of events commemorating Emancipation Day in North Carolina, the pageantry, the rhetoric of featured orators, the distinguished invited guests, and the response and reaction of whites.  Dr. John H. Haley retired as an Associate Professor Emeritus of History at UNC-Wilmington. He received a PhD in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Sunday, July 18

African American Historic Downtown Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $4 Adult, $2 Student.
Tour departs from Visitor Center lobby.

Learn about 300 years of African American history on a walking tour of New Bern's historic district. This tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and covers 16 blocks.  Reservations required: 252-514-4935. (Minimum Enrollment: 10)

Sunday, August 1

Free First Sundays

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
FREE Garden Admission, Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket

Spend the first Sunday afternoon from March through October FREE in the Tryon Palace gardens! The gardens at Tryon Palace will be open to the public at no charge on the first Sunday afternoon of each month through October. Interior tours will also be discounted. Call for more information - 252-514-4937 or 1-800-767-1560.

Sunday, August 15

African American Historic Downtown Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $4 Adult, $2 Student.
Tour departs from Visitor Center lobby.

Learn about 300 years of African American history on a walking tour of New Bern's historic district. This tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and covers 16 blocks.  Reservations required: 252-514-4935. (Minimum Enrollment: 10)

Thursday, August 19

African American Lecture: “Voices Between Two Rivers:
A History of the African American Experience in New Bern, North Carolina”

Guest Speaker: Linda Henry-Simmons, Author and Director of Library Services, St. Augustine College, Raleigh, NC

7:00 p.m. FREE.
Visitor Center auditorium.

Throughout its 300-year history, African settlers and their descendants, both enslaved and free, helped shape the development, economy and culture of New Bern and North Carolina.  New Bern had s substantial population of Free Americans in its colonial and antebellum period, many of whom provided leadership in North Carolina and the nation.  Enslaved artisans used their skills to gain freedom and advance financially and socially in the 19th century.  Mrs. Henry-Simmons will highlight New Bern's development of the state's first Black printing press, public school, bank, Masonic lodge, churches and many other “firsts” that further demonstrate the progressive nature of the city's African American community.  This program will also provide the public with a lecture and power point presentation on 300 years of dynamic local history as experienced by New Bern's African American citizens.

Sunday, September 5

Free First Sundays

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
FREE Garden Admission, Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket

Spend the first Sunday afternoon from March through October FREE in the Tryon Palace gardens! The gardens at Tryon Palace will be open to the public at no charge on the first Sunday afternoon of each month through October. Interior tours will also be discounted. Call for more information - 252-514-4937 or 1-800-767-1560.

Monday, September 6

Stanly-Spaight Duel Reenactment

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Academy Tours
4:00 p.m.: Fife & Drum Corps Concert followed by Duel Reenactment
FREE. New Bern Academy Green.

Tour the New Bern Academy, enjoy a concert by the Tryon Palace Fife & Drum Corps, and step back in time to an era where a man's personal honor was his most cherished quality. Any incursion on this sacred value could result in fiery and violent retribution. Watch the spectacle of the September 5, 1802 Stanly-Spaight duel unfold before your eyes. In this historical reenactment of a duel between Nineteenth-century New Bern political rivals, costumed characters battle to protect their reputation.

Thursday, September 9

African American Lecture:  “Movers & Shakers in the African American Community – Past and Present”

7:00 p.m.  FREE.
Visitor Center auditorium.

This panel discussion will be about dedication, commitment, role/potential image as a role model, and encouragement.  Possibly including:

• Walt Bellmany – NBA Basketball
• Ray Rogers – President of Wachovia Bank
• Dr, Carolyn Sampson – General Practice
• Finesse Couch – Attorney
• Dr. Johnnie Williams – OBGYN
• Dr. Lerla Joseph – TBA
• George Koonce – NFL Football
• Alderman Barbara Lee
• Commissioner Johnnie Sampson
• James “Smoke” Boyd

Friday, September 10 – Friday, September 17

Démodé Fashion Week

• Friday, September 10

• Saturday, September 11

• Saturday, September 11

• Sunday, September 12

Learn about 300 years of African American history on a walking tour of New Bern's historic district. This tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and covers 16 blocks.  Reservations required: 252-514-4935. (Minimum Enrollment: 10)

Saturday, October 2

Family Day:  “Life in a New Colony”

9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Regular admission prices (tickets valid 2 consecutive days). 

Come learn what it was like to move to a new land and try to build a life there.  Families of all ages can enjoy tours of the Palace and our historic homes as well as interactive crafts, activities, and demonstrations.  Bring your picnic lunch and spend time immersed in the past.  Activities are designed for school-age children; some activities have a minimum age requirement.

No registration needed. 

Sunday, October 3

Free First Sundays

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
FREE Garden Admission, Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket

Spend the first Sunday afternoon from March through October FREE in the Tryon Palace gardens! The gardens at Tryon Palace will be open to the public at no charge on the first Sunday afternoon of each month through October. Interior tours will also be discounted. Call for more information - 252-514-4937 or 1-800-767-1560.

Friday-Sunday, October 8-10

MUMfest Weekend

Gardens open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
FREE Garden Admission, Interior tours require the purchase of a ticket. 

Saturday-Sunday, October 9-10

Heritage Plant Sale

Sale hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. 

Sunday, October 17

African American Historic Downtown Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $4 Adult, $2 Student.
Tour departs from Visitor Center lobby.

Learn about 300 years of African American history on a walking tour of New Bern's historic district. This tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and covers 16 blocks.  Reservations required: 252-514-4935. (Minimum Enrollment: 10)

Thursday, October 21

African American Lecture: "Emancipation Communities:
North Carolina Contraband/Refugee Camps during the American Civil War"

Guest Speaker: Michelle Lanier

7:00 p.m.  FREE.
Visitor Center auditorium.

Enslaved African Americans saw the Civil War, the violent tear in the nation's fabric, as a thoroughfare to freedom, humanity and self-determination.  By foot, by boat and by wagon, those held in bondage sojourned to environs called James City, Roanoke Island and Freedom Hill.  This lecture will describe and define the concept of the Emancipation Community and the radical distinctions between the notions of “contrabands” and “refugees”.  Additionally, the talk will explore primary documents which illuminate the nature of these hand-hewn homes, as well as the powerful legacies left by those who claimed their own lives in the face of war.

Winter Garden Hours
November 1-December 31, Gardens open until 5:00 p.m.
Last ticket sold at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, November 11 - Sunday, November 14

Defending New Bern: 300 Years of Stewardship

9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Thursday-Saturday,
and 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Sunday

Special Salute to the military men and women who have defended New Bern over three centuries. Focus will be on the Tuscarora-European conflict, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World Wars I and II. Special living history interpretation in the historic homes. Military encampment at the New Bern Academy Civil War museum. (All active duty and military veterans admitted free with ID, ticketed otherwise) (child-friendly)

Sunday, November 21

African American Historic Downtown Walking Tour

2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $4 Adult, $2 Student.
Tour departs from Visitor Center lobby.

Learn about 300 years of African American history on a walking tour of New Bern's historic district. This tour lasts approximately 90 minutes and covers 16 blocks.  Reservations required: 252-514-4935. (Minimum Enrollment: 10)

Friday, November 26 – Friday, December 31

Three Centuries of Christmas Cheer in the ‘Athens' of North Carolina

Experience Christmas customs that would have been familiar to New Bernians of the past.  View an early settlement camp, tour the Grand Opening of Tryon's Palace, and experience traditions ranging from the eighteenth century through the middle of the twentieth. Multiple historic homes will be decorated and interpreted for the various time periods, as well as the History Education Center.

December 11 & December 18

Grand Illumination

5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

Experience an eighteenth-century candlelit Christmas celebration! The evening program includes a tour through the Palace (and perhaps a word or two with the Governor), performances by Tryon Palace's Fife and Drum Corps and Jonkonnu troupe, and an assortment of other performers. The evening ends with a grand illumination over the South Lawn.

Tickets will be sold for specific tour time slots.

Friday, December 24-Sunday, December 26

Seasons Greetings!  Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens is closed in honor of the holidays.