In 1991, retired Belmont, North Carolina, textile executive Daniel Jonathan Stowe bestowed a gift destined to provide beauty and joy to future generations. With the vision of a botanical garden to rival the world’s best, Stowe set aside nearly 400 acres of prime rolling meadows, woodland and lakefront property. The Board of Directors of Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden approved a master plan for the garden in 1994. In 1999, the Visitor Pavilion, Formal Display Gardens and Perennial Gardens opened.