Reviews of Governor’s Palace - Tryon Palace (Tourist Attraction)

Eric Golde

I am not a big history buff, but I enjoyed learning about this place. The people who run it are very nice and knowledgeable, and answered every question I had in great detail, but in a understandable way. The views are great as well. It's also air conditioned, which is a huge plus.

Philis Saulnier

Beautiful piece of United States history! The Tryon Palace historic sight is an accurate reconstruction of the original Governor's Palace from the late 1700's. The original Palace had burned down shortly after the revolutionary war. Only the stables were saved from the fire, to later be used through the years as office and living space. The Palace was rebuilt and opened to the public in 1959 as an accurate historic education site. Tryon Place is open year round typically between 9am and 5pm. There are many opportunities to experience reenactments and educational programs. Along with special events hosted throughout the year including a Candlelight Christmas Tour and Party, Flower and Garden Show, Forth of July exhibition, Camping on the Lawn, and many more fun family friendly activities. My family joined the membership program so we could explore the gardens on any day in any season. A visit to Tryon Palace will absolutely be an enjoyable experience for anyone.

Erick Puma

Good place to learn about NC history, plus the people was incredibly helpful and friendly.

Joseph C. Fazekas

This is sadly just a modern, historically inaccurate faximilie of the original building. A lesson on enthusiasm gone too far.

Justice de Andrade

Great spot to visit when stopping by New Bern. The historic reenactments were great and all the actors were very friendly.

Betty Orsega

A great place to visit for 18th century NC history.

Jonathan Delle

Great place to visit, especially if you like history.

Anthony Greene

Friendly but slightly underinformed tour guides - enjoyable experience

Grace Wichrowski

I always enjoy visiting Tryon Palace. On the Fourth of July the gardens were free, and they had reenactments and other fun events all day. The living history exhibits they have are a great way to learn about our past. The grounds are beautiful for a walk, even on a hot day, and there are plenty of places to sit and enjoy the views.

Alii Chun

Very educational I will definitely going to go back again! Keep up the good work!

Jen McKeone

Very interesting, tour guides extremely knowledgeable.

Katsuki Bakugou

The tour guides were great and always in character I loved the gardens I’ve been here 4 times now it’s so fun.

Christopher Montana

Guided tour was like a Ken burns documentary. Turns out might not want to have Gov. Tryon over for dinner. Shane was perfect and was professional all the way. Thank you.

John First

There's a fee to tour the inside. We opted to walk around the historic downtown instead.

Joseph Kunze

Very cool place. Grounds could use some cleanup to be in tiptop shape. Nice free visit during the festival.

Bob Taylor

Very interesting regarding the history of the place and NC. In addition to the Palace, there are several old houses in the area. Plus the history museum next door is also a great place to go. In nonwinter months, the gardens are nice. Kids might like the "Hogwarts" like staircase.

Jennie Bennett

Very Historical....beautiful Gardens. A must see while visiting New Bern

Shawn Ironhead

Very interesting history.

Angela HJ

Drove a long way to take tour. When we arrived, we found out it was free day. Would have been a great discovery except you can only see first floor of Tryon Palace and other homes on free day which pretty much made it a wasted trip. The Pepsie exhibit is still closed. Also, they had a barbecue display going on with no samples

Gregg Gladhart

Cool place to visit, but it's a reconstruction of the original site after the original buildings burned down remotely. Wish they had structured tours available when we visited. Walked the ground only. Not able to enter buildings or stables.

Dawn Green

Very interesting history about life in the 18th century. The palace is gorgeous.

Bill Vaughan

My family and I really enjoyed this place. It was very educational and beautiful. The staff was very friendly and informative. I'm not giving it a 5 star rating because the blacksmith was closed and the kitchen was not operational due to no air conditioning, but I still highly recommend this place.

Mike Glaze

Very interesting, I didn't know that NC had a capital city before Rayleigh! We took the full tour and it was very interesting; the Palace, the gardens, the horse stables, the kitchen, the two homes across the street and the history center! They provided a cart to take us back and forth to the Palace and the History Center (almost a requirement in the hot humid weather of coastal NC in the middle of August). Enjoyed the tours of the Palace, kitchen and homes - the docents were very knowledgeable and entertaining, dressed in period costumes. We probably spent at least an hour and a half touring the Palace and grounds, another hour and a half touring the two homes, the Stanley house and the Dixon house, and another hour at the History Center; all in all a whole day trip and was well worth it. The History Center has a nice museum, restaurant and gift shop. Our thanks to the ladies who had the vision to rebuild the Tryon Palace!

M Glaze

Very interesting site! I didn't know New Bern was the first capital of North Carolina with an English governor. Tour of the palace and two homes was extremely interesting and the tour guides were excellent. They supplied very interesting points and information. All were dressed in period costumes. The associated museum had many interesting exhibits about NC history. Whole package took somewhere around 4-5 hours to complete.

Vancleef Whittington Page

I remember going here with my parent's when I was younger and have for many years I have wanted to take my wife and view the palace and the gardens. However when we did just visit recently I was rather disappointed because the gardens were not very impressive whatsoever. The tour of the palace and the nearby home sites were still interesting from a historical stand point. I do recommend checking the hours of the tours and plan ahead. If you're wanting to view everything you will need to allow at least 3 hours.

Ivan Waldman

It was late in the afternoon, and since this was our first visit we purchased tickets for the gardens only. Basically a big disappointment. Perhaps it's because we've visited so many other formal gardens, but these were far from impressive. Lots of hedges, but little in the way of anything else.

Britney_Brianne Smule

Great tour guides dressed in time period clothing. Seems like the best job ever!

Stephen Larson

Early American history. Great architecture and fascinating history.

Christopher Gebhart

This place was amazing, I am from Ohio and have never been here before, the tour guide was very knowledgeable and was able to answer all my questions. The ladies in the kitchen area were absolutely amazing!!! So fun and smart I really loved it!!!

Joseph

Nice historical location. In my opinion it is over priced for the tour and what it has to offer. It's definitely worth a one time visit but I would not do it again because of the price

Jason C

Good place or should I say palace

Keshia; that's my Family

Awesome place if u get the full tour. Alot of walking so wear good shoes

Jerry Lehmann

Wonderful place to visit. Tour was great. Recommend highly!

Bob Husson

Great historical and cultural site, well programmed by staff.

Beth Hudgins

We went down for the 4th of July celebration. The fireworks are always better to view on the water!! The Palace is a very nice historical site!! It's beautiful!!!

joz116

Amazing source of history here! Tryon Palace is a great starting place for exploring New Berns origins and stories from the past. Good place for kids too! Sometimes they have special events going on so I would definitely call or go online to see what's happening and when to plan your trip!

Zach Taylor

A historic gem even if it isn't exactly original. Where I live you do not have precolonial history and if you did it would not look this nice. Plus the very knowledgeable guides dress the part and even offer demonstrations. My one quibble is I hardly heard mention of slavery, maybe I missed it but if you ask me it's an important piece of the history.

Les Everett

Well worth a visit. Beautiful place.

M. A. Gomez

What a great event to attend with family and/or friends. It would make a great date night. The kids would also enjoy having room to run free. Although it was very hot there was a nice breeze coming over the water which helped it feel cooler. It was the NC Symphony. The music selection had something for most folks. You could see the joy in those attending. Plenty of space. It is easy to maneuver a handicap scooter over the terrain although there is a soft spot near the rear gate.

Nicole P

This was a nice spot to walk around although it was super hot the day we went. We only did the garden tour. There were only a few flowers in bloom. Everything else seems like it was just way too dry. Didn't take the house tour but the buildings looked interesting.

Jason Moore

Well worth the time and money

Breanna Bowen

Its a wonderful place to feel like you've stepped back in time and enjoy the history around you.

Larry Torres

Our tour guides made us feel as if we had gone back in time. My wife and I had a wonderful time! Lady at the service desk was so nice and professional. Gift shop at the palace was small, but a lot of cool stuff. The superb sarsaparilla and lemonade we bought in the bottle was delicious. Didn't even know it was root beer, lol. Earned the 5 star rating.

John Short

An historic show place.

Night Song

Its a beautiful and wonderful place, alot of historic sites to see if you are one of the people that like history and for architects they have beautiful designs and wonderful woodmenship. Wonderful experience and highly suggested have a wonderful time!!

Sarah Feutz

Historical guides were all very enthusiastic and knowledgable. If taking young children be advised strollers are not allowed inside the buildings so I would recommend bringing some type of carrier.

naomi face

Its a nice and beautiful historical place but it needs looking after properly(the garden, the statute,the inside

John Mohr

Lovely place and knowledgable and friendly staff.

Jennifer Hardister

This place was stunning! If you love history this is a must! So much is included with a one day pass! The whole experience with the museam to our tours of not only the palace but other homes nearby was excellent. The tour guides were fantastic! Highly recommend!

Benjamin Kramer

Beautiful scenic gardens and a wonderful tribute to the original governor's palace.

Lavette Jones

Wonderful information on how North Carolina was first established as a royal colony and occupied by the royal family (King Josiah Martin who was the last British governor of North Carolina).

Mark Vincent

Great tours, great history of the area. Allow for some time to look around the grounds. If you get an opportunity to be here during an event (New year's or 4th of July) definitely do it. Lots to learn, see and do.

T Mx

Decent to walk around. Some interesting items in the gift shop

Barbara Akehurst

Just got garden tour ticket for $6.00 this time. Will be back. Lots of neat gardens. Could visualize families living here and the cook running to the gardens for food supplies.

George Soltow

Wonderful piece of living history, great gardens and persons in period dress performing crafts from the past. Tours available.

Megan M

The sites were great but the staff was quite rude. My one year old child started whining for a moment and we were handing it but we were escorted out. It was 95 degrees so my child was obviously a bit drained. We left without seeing all the sites even after paying $20/person because they were so rude.

Mary Jeffers

The Gardens are STUNNING right now. Took my Sister and did a sweet 16 photo shoot. The gardens were the most perfect setting

Loree w

The guided tour was great. Wish we could've gotten samples from the kitchen. We came during off season

Mrsdoc Susan

This was the first visit to the Palace for my husband and I. We have lived in Eastern North Carolina since 2003 and have been planning on visiting the Palace for a long time. We took advantage of the Memorial Day free admission for Veterans. We were glad we came and plan on returning, as we didn't get to see it all. It is absolutely beautiful! A guide takes you on a tour of the main house and gives you a history on it room by room. We had a very knowledgeable guide who gave us a very good and detailed history. It was very interesting! The kitchen office is awesome, as well. They give a detailed history and explain the equipment and how things were done. They wear time period clothes, and cook on wood every other day. My husband went to the garden and took a few pictures but the gardens are about 14 acres and it was almost 100° so we opted to skip the gardens and come back for that when it is cooler! We had a great time and learned alot in the process. We highly recommend visiting the Tryon Palace.

Sharee Smith

Neat place. We did the guided tour the first of which starts at 1000 AM and lasts 45 minutes. Most of it is reconstructed since burning down in a fire but it was still neat to learn a bit about NC history. The gardens were beautiful even on a cloudy day. You're given the opportunity to tour 2 other homes starting at 1230 PM but we decided to skip that this time around and check out the rest of the city. Would recommend. Everyone was friendly. They had actors dressed in period pieces in the kitchen and home who would answer your questions.

Beth Beitman

Beautiful evening on the lawn listening to the NC symphony. Magical!

steven jones

This is where South Carolina began. Interesting tour. Worth visiting.

T I

Nice, a bit hot in the summer inside the structures. It's a good place to take nice pictures of the gardens. If you like history this is a good place, but from what I have understood most of it has been rebuilt to historical specification. Cost us 20 dollar for adults, and the tour from start to finish was about 45 minutes long. The staff was knowledgeable. I think the price should have been cheaper, but that's just me.

Andrea Shiley

A nice tour. They did a great job of recreating the palace and decorating it with period pieces. The guides were very informative. The tours are every half hour and you can't tour without a guide, so plan your trip accordingly.

Doug Dzierzak

Great event with some re-enactments and fun gun salute. Great views.

Anthony DiDonato

Fun place to learn and spend time. Worth checking out

rodwoo17

Great historic site. My wife volunteered there before

Mandy W

Beautiful inside and out. Guides were dressed for the time period. I recommend NOT to bring little kids. There is nothing for them to do. It's a museum not a play ground! With that I can say the children may like the gardens, where they can be free and touch things.

Chris Roloson

One of our favorite NC historical sites to visit. It's crucial for Outlander fans

Tracy Helms

Our admission was discounted from $20 to $15 because of damage the palace incurred during Hurricane Florence which caused them to close a portion that is usually open. Tickets are purchased in a couple of different places and parking can be a challenge on the weekends. The tour is presented by volunteers who are wearing costumes from the era. The house and grounds we're beautiful and the information was informative. I think my favorite parts of the tour were the staircase and the kitchen.

Ryan Hess

This is a fun place to experience history and walk the gardens. Never too crowded. Easy to take at your own pace

shelly mimon woods

Pretty gardens, but not much to do there

Ramona Bearor

Great experience, don't miss this gem! Christmas decorations are amazing and the tour leaders are knowledgeable and friendly. A wonderful part of history.

aleasha hilfiger

Beautiful historic palace, the gardens during Mum fest are amazing..

Telly Ipock

Great local historic interest place. Lots of things to see and do for all ages.

Patricia St John

Excellent tour guides. Were very knowledgeable and friendly. Make sure to visit all of the houses, not just the mansion. Well worth the price and time.

Sue Lincoln

I was just buying a birthday gift for my grandson at the museum store. A very pleasant experience.

Troy Morris

If you love history and a fantastic experience this place is a must, characters dress to suit the times and the tour is well worth it.. Don't forget the kitchen,

Amelie Soline

Very nice architecture. Palace is closed on sundays.

Colby Wargin

Absolutely loved it! We visited on the"Free Day" and those folks are smart! I am hooked and will be returning in the spring for a complete tour including the beautiful gardens! I must say that I was surprised that the gift shop was closed, I would have happily spent some $$$.

Trey Sanders

Favorite Historic site since childhood

Barry Jones

I went on a school tour. The tour was great, the staff were friendly. The only downside is some of the areas seemed a little more rushed and had less details, but still they did an awesome job considering the number of kids and adults we had. I'd love to go back with a smaller group and have more time to look around.

John Taylor

We attended "Market Day" with a 5, 6, and 9 year old... There was SO much for everyone to do! From gardens, muskets, games, marionettes, to even fencing, not to mention the palace tour! Everyone had an incredible day! Without the activities I'm not sure the kids would have enjoyed it so much, but with the activities, this makes it a very enjoyable and memorable family afternoon!

David Williams

Had a wonderful walking through the gardens with my family. The little hedge maze was a hit with my 1 and 3 year old kids, and the large open ground was very helpful in disapating toddler energy. ;-)

Cheddar Durham

My complaint is.....That I have nothing to complain about. Staff is so nice. And the facility is very clean.

Vito Leone

Have visited Governor's Palace a few times highly recommend to anyone visiting New Bern. Nice gardens and a beautiful view of Neuse River!

Jan Smith

Candlelight Christmas 2017 lovely to experience. But you'll need to make plans to dine elsewhere; unlike last year's event, with sumptuous fare available on the palace grounds -- there's just 1 food truck, outside the gates, with sparse menu choices. Great entertainment, costuming, atmosphere. Home tours include a chance for kids to visit Santa. Last minute Christmas shoppers will love the gift shop and helpful volunteers. (at Tryon Palace, New Bern, NC)

Rajesh Agrawal

There are two tours options - one for inside the palace where they take you inside the palace and give details about history and other one is garden tour where you can roam around the palace and explore the area. I would recommend this if you have 30 mins to 1 hour available for Garden tour. You can take pics and there are lots of vegetable and flowers plants.

Mendie Hawkes

What s fun step back in time. Great information given to us on the tour!

jody craycraft

Very good. Serving breakfast menu too.

Betty Williford

Enjoyed visiting and viewed the palace, kitchen and stables of North Carolina's first state capitol. It was very beautiful and the tour guides were very knowledgeable and informative.

Hartley's Homesteading Journey Hartley Family

Great for a homeschool day trip. Staff was very knowledgeable.

Jared Morgan

It is an interesting experience. Although unfortunately the original burned years ago and this is a replica. To me that sort of detracts from it's authenticity. But the staff is very good and seem quite knowledgeable of the time period and people they are portraying.

Robert Morgan

Great historical location for touring and education about the first governor's home and why New Bern was chosen

Millie Kwan

Very nice recreation of the first governor's mansion in North Carolina. It is very nicely done and as historically accurate as possible. It is unfortunate that the original mansion was demolished, but this is great and the guides are fantastic and know a lot about the historic context and provenance of the location. Ther gardens and side buildings are also beautiful and worth a walk through. They run a shuttle from the main building to the mansion which is also nice. Lots of parking so easy to visit.

Brittany Philippart

Super nice and knowledgeable staff. Tour takes a few hours but is well worth it. The gardens are beautiful in spring. There are places to sit down through most of the tour just in case you need them. Would not suggest this for wheelchairs. A lot of steps and no wheelchair access.

Stacy Martin-Duffy

Great tour! Enjoyed the house and grounds!

Weather Dude

Great staff and very great history for children and adults

Lisa Burton

Had some time to spend in New Bern but not enough to visit all the buildings. You would need about 2.5 hours to see it all. Ended up seeing the lovely ground and gardens. Would visit again soon.

Kathy Mitchell

Great piece of living history. Much still not restored after Hurricane Florence.

Jeff Mitchell

It was really cool. The garden was awesome.

dale fluke

Interesting place. I especially liked the kitchen

Valery Sismondo

Very interesting. Really enjoyed my visit. People were kind and informative. Worth going to see. What a wonderful step back in time. Thank you from Oregon.

Richard Beam

Very informative guide and workers.

Leah Jimenez

Beautiful home and the tour was very well conducted. I would definitely recommend this tour.

Michael Torbert

This is a beautiful reproduction of the Governor’s Palace. The guided tours are short but well done. Great job by the guides!

James Major

A great tour. A little pricey at $32.00 for two adults.

Terrence Greene

Great gardens a few set backs due to last year's storms, non the less very enjoyable

Darlene Creech

Great historical tours. Beautiful grounds. Fun and educational for kids.

Adam Huskey

Beautiful but kind of pricey just to see the palace.

Melissa Britner

Great tour with very knowledgeable tour guides. Feels like you are traveling in time

Ryan McCrea

Tryon Palace is so beautiful and the staff is great! They were very knowledgeable and answered every question we had! I have been here and to Biltmore, and personally I like Tryon better. It was more manageable and there were actual people to talk with and answer questions. Highly recommend!

Haron Beatty

I enjoy it every day.

Adam Phelps

Tryon Palace is a great way to spend a beautiful day. If you enjoy history this tour will provide a wealth of knowledge of the early colonial time period. The tour will take you through the governor's home, workers space, stables, gardens and grounds. The palace offers free grounds and free palace entry a few times a year. Check their calendar for future free admission events. Also twice a year Tryon Palace does "Lanterns On The Lawn" which is a ton of fun for the family. For a small fee you get a family plot on the rear lawn to pitch your tent and enjoy a night under the stars with your family.

Teague Ricks

Really interesting history and presentation, questions were taken seriously and the tour was well conducted I recommend it

Amber McKinney

This is always one of our stops at New Bern.

Jami Miller

Love this place ❤️

John White

Neat place for history people. Very courteous staff.

Jon K

I helped do a Fire Alarm renovation here in 2015. All the buildings now have a life safety system and added protection for all the exhibits.

Ron South

Beautiful way to see the Palace. The guides dressed up in period costumes was a plus.

Keith Boulware

The south lawn has beautiful acoustics.

Stacy Thornhill

Excellent place to visit. Good historical value. Very good tour guide. Nicely wheelchair accessible for me. Nice gift shop. They also had a civil war reenactment team that did an excellent job and was very knowledgeable and could answer lots of questions. It would be a great field trip for home schoolers or school classes.

Susan Crawford

I work there as a volunteer one day a week. Yesterday was fun, as I greeted guests in the Kitchen office. There is so much to see there. Drop by some Friday and let me show you around!

Elizabeth Locke

Beautiful. Great history. Wonderful tours! enchanting gardens.

Joseph Preston

We just toured the gardens. It was nice to get out and walk around. Some neat things there. It was only $6 and took about an hour.

Lori Cowell

Very interesting part of history. Worth learning about and the about the coastal history as well

Norma-jean Chandonnait

Great information center and history museum. Shuttle takes you to the house. Docents are dressed in period attire and very knowledgable. You get a tour of entire house, kitchen and stable buildings. Self guided tour of the many gardens. Then you go across the street and get a guided tour of the Stanly House. A couple of exhibits were closed due to repairs being made from 2028 hurricane, but they discounted ticket price accordingly. Worth the time and money.

Fran Hylton

So amazing learning the early history of my home state!!

Jason Dickerson

Amazing historically significant location in a beautiful town. Take a full day and do the full tour along with the house tours. The Stanly house is nearly as impressive as the palace. If you like Outlander this is the setting of several parts of the books and show.

usnhm1625

Very nice place to visit to learn about NC early history. The gardens are recovering from hurricane Florence but nice to walk through. Take pictures. Several out buildings to visit.

Steven Jones

Love walking the gardens. So tempted to grab a ripe tomato or fig. A must do when in New Bern.

E Hyde

Very interesting historical tour! The guides are most enjoyable. Site show pre American Revolution and some revolutionary information and artifacts. Sometimes garden only tour is free. Special dancing and candlelight tours are available in December.

Beach Kat

Many visits, even dating back years, as a family. Great place to learn history.

Ron Bonina

A jewel of New Bern. A journey back in time.

Stephen Moquin

Nice and neat. Didnt take the tour though

Nathan Espinoza

Nice place to walk around. All the buildings are interesting, especially the palace. A little sad that the Pepsi cola exhibit (which is the time travel machine) was closed due to hurricane damage.

Donna R Mills

Tryon Palace is an EXACT REPRODUCTION of the Origional Governor's House when N.C. was still a Colony & then a state. The stables are ORIGINAL! The other structures burned down. Local benefactors recreated Tryon Palace with the original plans & purchased antiques from around the world to authentically furnish the inside spaces. Local citizen volunteers dress up & are docents. They have volunteer cooks to prep food to view. Groundskeepers have created beautiful gardens. There is also a large museum & a really cool "transport" to the past where kids can interact with fun areas from the 1700-1800's! Families & school groups LOVE this venue!

gray photojournal

Impressive historical site, the rebuild of Trying Palace is amazing work, staff and period interpreters are inviting and knowledgable.

Bo Tripp

This is a wonderful place seacrest history I'm amazed

A W

interesting historic place in NC & US history,

Tiffany Parrish

So gorgeous and historical!

Lisa Lovell

Tryon palace is beautiful. The grounds are a lovely place to take a nice walk and just enjoy the views. It's a great place to learn about regional history.

Warren Davidson

Very good tours and and extremely nice workers!

Robert LeMaire

It is an impressive building. It is a recreation with period aquired items. A few original pieces. Guide wore period approbriat attire knew the place well. As with many places some third person historic interpretors were more engaging and knowledgable than others.

Jeremy Wolfe

Great place to visit if you're interested in history, still great even if you're not. The grounds are beautiful with views of the river with plenty of paths to walk. The guides were extremely informative and were able to answer every question I and the rest of the group had. I would absolutely visit this place again!

Jack Kerch

If you enjoy history, particularly the history of colonial North Carolina then Tryon Palace is right up your alley. The guides are informative and well trained and you'll walk away with a good understanding of the area and it was in the 1700's-1800's. Horticulturalists will appreciate the many different kinds of flowers as they stroll through the gardens. I personally would not take children here. They'll likely be noted out of their minds and get on your nerves.

Marie Agius

Great night with Lanterns on the Lawn

M Hilde

Awesome piece of history. Staff was really "into" it and super nice. If you're close dont miss it.