Every year people come from all over the world to visit the Old North State’s colonial capitol, and it is right here in your own backyard! Tryon Palace Historic Sites & Gardens makes history fun! Visitors enjoy interacting with our colonial characters and watching them go about their daily chores. If you like beautiful gardens – and we have many – each garden is unique. With over 200 special events throughout the year, we really do offer something for everyone. Families are most important and many of our events feature colonial lawn games, craft projects and we even have a ‘living’ historic home where children can sit on chairs, lie down on the beds and watch the Hay family go about their day! We have a blacksmith hard at work pounding on iron to make tools. In the kitchen office you will see cooks preparing meals for Governor Tryon and his guests.

The site also features three historic houses and the New Bern Academy, North Carolina’s first public school.