On a weekend morning, the deck at Flowers Cottage faces Flowers Field with the Raleigh skyline behind it. Upstairs, a counter sells matcha, house-made Italian sodas and soft-serve from a local dairy. Under the deck, a small bar pours craft beer and wine. Flowers Cottage is one of the oldest buildings in Dix Park. It sat empty for years and opened to the public on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
The coffee is good to have, but the arrangement behind it matters more. According to the Dix Park Conservancy's opening announcement, part of the cottage's revenue goes back to the Conservancy to support its work across the park. The Conservancy calls this model "central to Dix Park's future." Everything else changing at this end of the park this fall points the same way: old structures cleared or reopened, public ground added, and a few places to linger that help keep the park running.
A building with two lives before this one
The cottage has been reopened before. The Conservancy first restored the long-abandoned building in 2018 and used it for its own meetings and events. The 2026 remodel opened it to everyone. Maurer Architecture designed the renovation, Northgate Construction built it, and The Site Collaborative handled the landscape architecture.
Justin Pasfield and Jeff Clarke run it. They are the hospitality partners behind Person Street Bar and Natural Science. Their split matches the building: Cottage Coffee serves the full menu upstairs, and Park Bar sits beneath the expanded deck. The renovation also added a patio and new public restrooms. That last item matters on a long park day, since Dix Park's other indoor restrooms are at the Stone Houses, House of Many Porches and Gipson Play Plaza.
ABC11 reported on September 30 that the cottage had already become a popular weekend destination because of its skyline views.
The current Flowers Cottage page lists these hours:
- Thursday: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
No Monday through Wednesday hours are posted, and holiday closures are still listed as "TBD."
The deck is also a trailhead
The Conservancy's announcement doesn't say this outright, but the cottage sits at the start of one of the park's best short walks. Two of the five Thomas Dambo trolls, Mother Strong Tail and Dix, stand along the Pine Loop Trail. According to Dix Park's troll page, you reach them by crossing Flowers Field or by taking the social trails behind Parking Lot A. A coffee on the deck and a visit to the nearest trolls fit into one stop.
The other three trolls are farther away and on rougher ground:
| Troll | Where it stands | How you get there |
|---|---|---|
| Mother Strong Tail and Dix | Pine Loop Trail | Across Flowers Field, or social trails behind Lot A |
| Dax and Dux | Big Field pine grove near the Dog Park | Across grass; stairs lead into the tree line from the Dog Park side |
| Daddy Bird Eye | Hillside of the Grove | Steep, grass-covered terrain |
The park suggests closed-toe, sturdy shoes. All five trolls stand on natural, uneven ground, and there may be poison ivy in the wooded areas. You're welcome to touch, hug and photograph them. Climbing isn't allowed, with one exception: Mother's tail.
Two clocks to plan around this fall
The first clock is daylight. The park's outdoor spaces are open from dawn until dusk. The cottage's posted hours run to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. As the days get shorter, the order matters. Walk to the trolls first, then go back to the deck for a drink. Doing it the other way around can mean looking for Mother Strong Tail in the dark.
The second clock is the trolls themselves. They were assembled over three weeks in October 2025 and debuted at the end of that month, so they turn one at the end of October 2026. The Conservancy's 2025 announcement called them "permanent." The park's current FAQ calls them "long-term but temporary" and estimates they will last about 10 years. They are built from natural materials, exposed to North Carolina weather, and designed to break down eventually. A troll that lasts about a decade will look different in each of those years.
The cleared ground near the cottage
The cottage reopened in August. In late August, crews also took down the former state health department headquarters on the West Campus. ABC11 reported that four former North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services hospital buildings have been demolished. The sites are now fenced while crews clear them for a large new green space. Park officials said grass seeding would start soon. They expect the area to open to the public later this fall or in early winter, but no firm date has been announced.
Not every building is coming down. Park spokesperson Lauren Danforth told ABC11 that the Royster building, next to the chapel, will stay and be adapted for a new use. That follows the same pattern as Flowers Cottage: the park keeps a historic building, opens it up, and puts it back to work.
Danforth described the demolition as preparing "the canvas that we will build the future of the park on." The timeline behind that canvas:
- 2015: The city bought the Dix property from the state.
- 2019: A master plan was adopted.
- 2025: A 10-year implementation plan began, and Gipson Play Plaza became the first major project.
- 2026: The West Campus buildings came down, and Flowers Cottage opened.
Officials told ABC11 that a water garden and a theater area for art and cultural events are planned for later. The next major project is the Rocky Branch Restoration, which would restore a creek and build new pathways linking downtown Raleigh to Gipson Play Plaza. It is still in design.
One smaller project at the cottage itself hasn't been completed yet. In August, the Conservancy said a small natural play area and more landscaping would be installed "later this year." We couldn't find a later progress update, so if you're bringing kids, check before counting on it.
Dates on the park calendar through November
The Dix Park events calendar lists these through the end of November:
- October 16: Poetry in the Park
- October 17: Bird Watching, plus Music at the Market
- October 18: A Guided Walking Tour, Camera Obscura, and a Cyanotype Community Mural
- October 30: Skate Night at The Chapel, 5 to 10 p.m.
- November 14: Bird Watching and Learn to Ride a Bike
- November 15: A Guided Trolley Tour, Forest Bathing, and Indoor Yoga, among others
- November 18: Math Makers at Gipson Play Plaza, 3 to 5 p.m.
- November 21: Music at the Market, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- November 26: Trophy Trot 5k, 9 to 10:30 a.m.
- November 29: Sound Bath at The Chapel, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Skate Night on October 30 lands right around the trolls' first anniversary. That week, a Friday evening could start on the Pine Loop Trail before dusk and end at The Chapel. If you plan a Thanksgiving morning walk, keep the Trophy Trot in mind. The park warns of road closures and restricted entrances through 10:30 a.m. on November 26. Event listings change, so confirm details shortly before you go.
Getting in and parking
Parking at Dix Park is free. You can only park in marked spaces in paved and gravel lots, not on the roadside or the grass. For the trolls, the park recommends the Flowers Field, Big Field and Dog Park lots, along with Lots A, C and F. Free park-and-ride shuttles run on a route close to the troll access points. On busy days, though, the park says shuttles come less often and waits can be longer.
For accessibility: ADA parking is available in every paved lot. The shuttles don't have wheelchair lifts, and reaching each troll means crossing natural ground. The park's visitor map shows Flowers Cottage at the Flowers Field end, but it doesn't assign a specific lot to the cottage. If you're heading to Gipson Play Plaza at 715 Biggs Drive, Lots B, D, E and G are next to it. A drop-off and pick-up zone sits near House of Many Porches Market on Palmer Drive.
Questions about park access go to Dix Park staff at 919-996-3255 or [email protected].
Over the next several years, Dix Park plans to add more of these projects close to the cottage. If you'd like to talk through how projects like the West Campus green space and the Rocky Branch Restoration fit into your plans for living in Raleigh, Meagan Black at Triangle Home Sales is happy to compare notes, maybe over a coffee on the Flowers Cottage deck. Let's Connect.
