Tryon Palace

Tryon Palace in New Bern, North Carolina, is a reconstructed Georgian governor's residence on the Trent River (529 South Front Street). Governor William Tryon had the original built between 1767 and 1770 to plans by the architect John Hawks; it was the first permanent capitol of the colony of North Carolina. After the Revolutionary War it housed the state government until Raleigh became the capital in the 1790s (sources give 1792 and 1794). In February 1798 a fire destroyed the main building; only the Stable Office survived as an original.

The reconstruction on the old foundations took from 1952 to 1959, and the palace opened in April 1959. The furnishings come mainly from England and follow Tryon's own inventory. The gardens cover about 16 acres (6.5 hectares) and show three centuries of garden history; the 18th-century-style plantings are especially popular in spring during the tulip bloom and in fall during the chrysanthemum bloom. The North Carolina History Center (opened in October 2010), with two museums, is part of the same site. Guides in period dress lead tours of the palace. Plan to see the palace, gardens and History Center together; downtown New Bern is close by.