Fall Tours of the North Carolina Executive Mansion House and Gardens Begin Sept. 18

RALEIGH, N.C. - Sept. 10, 2013 - PRLog -- RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina’s Executive Mansion (http://www.nchistoricsites.org/capitol/exec/exectour.htm) – the “people’s house” – will open its historic doors and beautiful gardens to the public for free tours this fall. School children, adults, civic groups and families are invited to experience the 122-year old Mansion, which is a tangible link between North Carolina’s past and its future, for guided tours conducted by volunteer docents.

The Executive Mansion boasts an outstanding collection of decorative arts, while the beautiful grounds feature extensive flower and vegetable gardens and modern environmental practices.

House tours are available Wednesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 18 through Nov. 14.  Tours are conducted at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Tours of the nearly five acres of flower and vegetable gardens will be offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 25 through Oct. 23, at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m.  Wednesday garden tours are designed for children; Thursday garden tours are for adults.

Groups of 10 or more should make reservations two weeks in advance through the Capitol Area Visitors Center online at http://www.ncdcr.gov/ncmoh/PlanyourVisit/Groups.aspx or by phone, (919) 807-7950. Smaller groups and individuals may join scheduled tours if space is available. It is strongly recommended that those wishing to join a tour inquire first at Visitor Services about availability.

The fine Victorian-style mansion, home to North Carolina governors since 1891, was once described by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as having “the most beautiful governor’s residence interior in America.”  Built from native materials, the Executive Mansion has been occupied by 29 governors’ families.

The Executive Mansion is located at 200 N. Blount St., Raleigh, NC 27601.  Gov. Pat McCrory is the 29th governor to live in the Mansion; he is the 74^th governor of North Carolina since statehood.

About the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources:

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's cultural resources to build the social, cultural and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan W. Kluttz, NCDCR's mission is to enrich lives and communities by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina that will spark creativity, stimulate learning, preserve the state's history and promote the creative economy. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and spurring the economic stimulus engine for our state's communities. NCDCR's Divisions of State Archives, Historical Resources, State Historic Sites and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina's rich cultural heritage to offer experiences of learning and reflection. NCDCR's State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state to develop and to offer access to educational resources through traditional and online collections including genealogy and resources for the blind and physically handicapped.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation's first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives. NCDCR champions our state's creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.