Chaperone Resources

Chaperones are a key to making field trips a success for teachers and students alike.

We have a set of chaperone guides that help you engage with students in active learning in the gardens, provides information and maps of the gardens, and helps you enjoy the gardens safely.

Duke Gardens is located at 420 Anderson Street, Durham, N.C., 27705. MAP

Public parking is available to visitors in the Duke Gardens parking lot. You can check our parking website for more information about paying for parking at Duke Gardens. We do not have a pay machine, and the only way to pay for parking at Duke Gardens is via the BlueSpot mobile-friendly website and using a credit card. There is no cash payment option.

Please note that we have limited parking and during our peak visitation (March-May) parking may fill up very quickly and early in the day. Use Duke University’s parking information to find alternative places to park. We also strongly encourage carpooling if possible.

Duke Gardens is located near several Duke University bus stops and on the Go Durham city bus route (Route 6/6b). Please plan ahead and note that the Go Durham bus stop is on the opposite side of the gardens from our Welcome Center. More information about public busses.

School busses that have registered for their field trip will unload students at the designated drop-off area along the sidewalk past the Welcome Center, located at 420 Anderson Street.

We have an outdoor space adjacent to our Welcome Center, “The Nest,” where registered groups can gather and meet up with their chaperones. GARDENS MAP

We realize many times chaperones have siblings of the student on the field trip that must join them. While we are always glad to have all young people learning in the gardens, we provide only the amount of educational materials for the number of students registered. We ask that chaperones with siblings joining the field trip bring items to engage and entertain all children not registered as part of the field trip.

Strollers are a crucial way for some children to get around. However, some of the path materials within Duke Gardens can be very challenging for stroller wheels. If your student is coming for a guided educational field trip, strollers are strongly discouraged as this will greatly impact how much you can engage with the field trip group if the instructor is using paths that are not stroller-friendly.

We welcome students with a variety of support needs, including mobility aids such as wheelchairs, scooters and walkers. We are aware that not all paths are ideal for individuals that have limited mobility and will work with registered groups so that they know which paths are most accessible for their needs. If anyone in your group could benefit from information for accessible paths, navigating the gardens with mobility needs, or other accommodations just reach out to us so we can best support your visit.

The gardens are a beautiful place to have outdoor picnics- especially with school groups. We do not have access to large trashcans or dumpsters for field trip groups’ lunching onsite.  Please plan to pack out any garbage from your picnic. We appreciate visitors who help us keep the gardens beautiful and trash-free for all other visitors.

Unless needed for accessibility, lawn chairs are not permitted as part of any picnic or activity in the Gardens.

Although recess or free-time after lunches is common for many field trips, we ask that all sporting equipment be left on the bus and not used in the gardens. This includes sporting balls, frisbees, nets, rackets, etc. We also ask that students and staff respect all our plants – please do not climb trees, pick plants, take fruit or vegetables or any other parts of the plant out of the gardens.

Duke Gardens is a living ecosystem that is curated for public enjoyment and learning. Our plants are alive and so are the animals that live with and among the plants. Please respect all living things in the gardens: plants, insects (yes, our ants, bees, wasps, etc.) and larger vertebrates (fish, frogs, turtles, ducks, geese, rabbits, squirrels, hawks, etc.). We realize our comfort with our living animals is not everyone’s comfort, but please prepare yourself and your group for walking into the homes of many animals. You will likely encounter bees, ants, dragonflies, squirrels, fish and ducks. If you are lucky you may see lizards, snakes, turtles, hawks, rabbits, or even a deer. These animals live here, you are visiting their home. Killing (this includes stepping on or squashing bugs) or harming any wildlife is not something we want to see in the gardens.

If you or anyone in your group has allergies to insect stings, please bring the appropriate medication in case of an emergency. We have basic first aid supplies but do not have any life-saving medications for severe allergies.

Questions about your school group visit?

Please contact us at 919-668-1707 or GardensEducation@duke.edu.