The glorious flower fields are in bloom at the NC Museum of Art! The NCMA is one of our very favorite spots in all of Raleigh, and though the museum itself is still closed, the spacious parks, greenways, and fields are wide open for use. We go to the NCMA all the time, and in more normal times, we love visiting the art museum, taking visitors from out of town here, and enjoying movies in the park on summertime weekends. Thankfully, we can still enjoy the copious amounts of outdoor space, and the NCMA was our very first destination in mid-July when we finally left our neighborhood.

Last summer, the NCMA planted thousands of sunflowers, and it was the perfect spot to enjoy the bright blooming sunflowers away from too many crowds (as opposed to Dorothea Dix Park, which I adore but was so much more crowded!). It felt like our own secret sunflower field when we went a couple times last summer!

This summer, we’ve enjoyed a few long walks around the greenways and paths, and we’ve been anxiously awaiting any blooms in the flower fields. I was so, so pleased to see that the NCMA planted not only sunflowers but zinnias and cosmos, as well! The colorful, towering flower fields are a sight to behold and such a beautiful burst of color. I adore sunflowers in the summertime (and has been hoping we’d get to see some this summer), and cosmos are a lofelong favorite flower, as they always remind me of my grandpa, since he had an abundance of cosmos in their garden every summer. Seeing the vibrant cosmos and zinnias juxtaposed with the yellow, orange, and red sunflowers just takes your breath away and is even more impressive in person!

We have gone a couple times already over the past two weeks, and I can’t recommend a trip enough! It feels so good to get some fresh air, admire such simple and sweet beauty, go for a walk, and bonus: it has been so, so quiet and empty when we’ve gone! When we went for the first time, there was one other person in the entire field, and he was still at least a hundred yards away. Butterflies were flitting around everywhere, which makes it even more magical. Bring a picnic to enjoy in the spacious park, put on your running shoes, take your dog for a walk, and enjoy some time in beautiful nature… just minutes from downtown Raleigh!

You can easily find the flowering fields when you arrive to the NC Museum of Art. Basically, find the main walking paths that lead down the big hill by the open fields. There are the three towering terracotta-colored rings (we jokingly call them onion rings), and the flowering fields are just past the three massive rings down to the right. You can’t really miss it!