Every Thursday from September 10 to November 19 10 a.m.-noon Join us for story time and self-guided activities in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden. Story times will begin at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. each Thursday morning in the Story Circle in the Discovery Garden. Activities for caregivers to enjoy with their youngsters will be available on the picnic tables in the same garden area. Fee: Free; parking fees apply. No registration required.
Discovery Drop-In & Storytime is a weekly morning program featuring outdoor book readings and self-guided activities for young children at Duke Gardens. Held in the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden, the event hosts two separate reading sessions at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. in the designated Story Circle, while hands-on activity stations remain set up on the nearby picnic tables throughout the two-hour window. This program is best suited for toddlers and preschoolers who enjoy sensory play and short stories. While admission to the event is entirely free and requires no advance registration, you will need to pay for parking at the Duke Gardens metered lots. Restrooms are located nearby at the Doris Duke Center, and the paved paths make the garden area highly stroller-friendly. It is a low-stress way to get your kids outdoors on a Thursday morning. You can easily pair the structured story sessions with a casual walk around the koi pond, making it a complete morning outing before naptime.
No registration is required for this event. You can simply show up at the Charlotte Brody Discovery Garden anytime between 10:00 a.m. and noon.
How much does parking cost at Duke Gardens?
While the event itself is free, Duke Gardens charges a location parking fee of $2 per hour. You can pay at the kiosks using a credit card or through a mobile app.
What happens if we miss the first storytime session?
The organizers host two identical story sessions at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., so you can easily attend the second slot if you arrive later in the morning.
