Spotlight On: Lake Lure’s Flowering Bridge

By Emma Castleberry

Any visitor to Lake Lure has probably noticed the bright, overflowing blooms of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge. This historic, three-arch bridge was once a major thoroughfare, built in 1925 to carry traffic between Lake Lure and Chimney Rock. When the bridge was decommissioned and replaced in 2011 after 85 years, Lake Lure resident Bill Miller had a vision for preserving the old bridge as a garden. “He went to the Town Council with the idea and the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge was born,” says Bridge volunteer Debbie Clark. “The State of North Carolina deeded the bridge to the town to be developed as a pedestrian walkway garden.”

Community volunteers spent two years raising funds, forming steering committees, applying for a 501(c)3 status, developing bylaws, creating a Board of Directors, designing and constructing stone planters and planting the gardens. The Lake Lure Flowering Bridge was officially dedicated on October 13, 2013, and is now home to more than 2,000 species of plants that are tended by a group of dedicated volunteers. The Bridge has been recognized as a certified wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation and as an official Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch. It’s also part of the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail and the Appalachian Mural Trail.

The gardens are open to the public year-round and free to visit, with different blooms appearing in every season. Starting on Tuesday, October 11, the Bridge will be decorated for fall with pumpkins and “pumpkin people.” The holiday decorations and lights will be installed on November 15.

The Bridge features more than 30 themed gardens, including a Pollinator’s Garden, the River’s Edge Dog Garden and Mr. McGregor’s Children’s Garden, an homage to Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit books. The Lake Lure Flowering Bridge also provides educational classes during the year and there are currently plans for a new Education Center. The small building will be an extension of the Bridge as a “living classroom” and will allow the popular educational programs to continue rain or shine. “Education is important to the volunteers on the bridge and we enjoy spending time talking plants and gardening with others who enjoy the same things,” says Clark.

For volunteer Linda Reandeau, interacting with visitors is a major benefit of her gardening hours on the Bridge. “We have visitors from all over the country and internationally, and it’s wonderful talking to them and seeing their delight as they wander the gardens,” she says.

The Bridge is currently raising money with an online auction called Another Bear Affair. More than 40 unique wooden cut-outs of bears are on display along the Bridge through Sunday, October 23, and bidding takes place on Friday, October 14. “The bridge is a place of pride for the community, and a place where visitors can enjoy themselves and forget about their problems as they walk amongst the flowers,” says Clark. “For some people, the bridge is a place of peace where they can remember or honor a family member by having a brick engraved with their name. We recently added the Rainbow Bridge where pet owners can hang the dog tag or collar from a pet they have lost. In the last two months since its installation, the Rainbow Bridge has been covered with tags, pictures of pets, collars and toys. The Bridge is many things to many people.”

For more information, visit LakeLureFloweringBridge.org.