Take a "Road Trip Close to Home" to a special garden that's just about to bloom into its golden season with elements of East Asia.

The Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden in North Salem provides a unique way for visitors to center their mind, body and soul.

Executive Director Elizabeth Hammer said the stroll garden is meant to have many different viewpoints throughout.

It spans about 3 ½ luscious acres where visitors can understand nature at a deeper level.

"The way it's constructed is you're meant to walk around the path, but also there's another path behind, and that is meant to be like out in the mountains where you are undisturbed by people and just reconnect with the natural world," Hammer said. "Eastern philosophy holds that that is what keeps your spirit kind of grounded."

The story of the garden dates back to the late 50s when Natalie Hammond lived there.

She traveled to Japan, which inspired her to build the garden with Japanese elements as a peaceful escape.

Inside the Hammond Museum is a collection of works from artists near and far.

The current exhibit hopes to bring eastern inspiration with modern contemporary East Asian and Asian American works on paper.

Visitors will see woodblock prints, lithographs, etchings and more, all created by artists of Korean, Japanese and Chinese descent.

"It's an artform that's very old, very important, but it's been largely overlooked, so I hope people will find something new to be interested in," Hammer said.

Art and nature are blended into a beautiful stroke of serenity as seasons begin to change, and the garden will be gilded in gold foliage.

Plenty of programs and events also aim to educate the public in different ways, like the new ceramic arts school that launches on Sept. 16.

To learn more, click here.