A Gateway to Somewhere Beautiful

Cheers to 10 Years!

2013 - 2023

Our mission is to maintain gardens that are enjoyable, inspirational and used to educate people about gardening and its health and environmental benefits.

Join Us for Luredapalooza on November 4!

We are so excited for Lured Market and Grill, a local's favorite, to celebrate their 4th Anniversary, and we are grateful that our Education Center will be the beneficiary of the event!

The day promises lots of music, food and much more. Directly across from the Lake Lure Beach, Lured is surrounded by our magnificent mountains glowing in our favorite fall colors. Make plans now to visit Lake Lure on November 4 and join in the celebration!

Thank you, Lured Market and Grill, for generously donating proceeds from the event to benefit our Education Center project.

10th Anniversary Celebration – Partygoers at our Not Your Typical Garden Party! enjoyed a catered dinner, music by local musician Johnnie Blackwell, and had fun competitively bidding for silent auction items.

Education – We held six classes this year and two special educational events for Earth Day and Pollinator Week. Many of our classes were hands-on, and events planned specifically for children were quite popular. "Next year will bring big changes and more classes," promises Education Director Debbie Clark.

Volunteers – "I'm grateful for all the volunteers who donate their time, talent and enthusiasm for this amazing community garden," says Board Chair Kathy Tanner. Bringing creativity, diverse skills and talents, and working tirelessly, this group is the backbone of the LLFB.

Fundraising – Our fall art auction, Dogwood Days, was a success with all proceeds going toward our Education Center. We'd like to thank all those who participated, and we're especially grateful to the Lake Lure Artists and others for donating their time and artistic talents to create 41 one-of-a-kind dogwood blossoms.

We installed about 75 pathfinder bricks this year. These bricks line our walkways and may be purchased all year long through our website.

Publicity – Every year the Bridge draws increasingly more media attention. We are grateful for these news outlets for visiting and highlighting all we have to offer at the LLFB. Links to media coverage may be found on our website.

Education Center Project – We received several generous grants and many donations toward our Education Center project, bringing us very close to reaching our monetary goal and setting a date for breaking ground! We are very excited about the increased education and outreach opportunities the new building will provide. 

Tours – This year we hosted 16 scheduled tour groups. We can accommodate tours of any size and can plan to have one or two of our volunteers host your tour if requested. Most tours are free, but donations are appreciated. Email us if you'd like to schedule a tour for your group in 2024.

Visitors – This year we saw more than 120,000 visitors from across the US and abroad. Volunteer and Board member Mary Jaeger-Gale says, "I'm grateful for the many inquisitive and thankful visitors who come to the Bridge and appreciate our work, and for the joy I see in the children when they find the features and butterflies along the way."

Volunteer and Board member Barbara Meliski just may have said it best: "I am very thankful for this beautiful bridge that tourists and locals alike can enjoy everyday and all year long!"

Make plans to visit us beginning November 15 and continuing until early January when the Bridge and gardens will be transformed into A Storybook Christmas.

Children and grownups alike will be delighted by the vignettes throughout the gardens depicting favorite Christmas stories. You’ll see everything from the Grinch to Rudolph, Snoopy, the Polar Express, Frosty and many more of your favorite holiday characters and stories. You also won’t want to miss the grand lighting of the holiday lights on Wednesday, November 29. Always a festive and free event enjoyed by locals and visitors, it will feature music provided by students from the Lake Lure Classical Academy and cider and cookies served by Bridge volunteers. Parking will be available at Morse Park, 2948 Memorial Highway (east side of the Flowering Bridge).

Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge is a volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations to help preserve and maintain the Bridge gardens and to support our new Education Center are always appreciated – and tax-deductible.

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