Atlanta Botanical Gardens - A Midtown Oasis
The Atlanta Botanical Garden are located on the edge of Piedmont Park off of Piedmont Avenue in Midtown Atlanta. You can either take 14th Street from Interstate 75/85 until it runs you into Piedmont Park, and then the park will be on your right, or you can take Piedmont Avenue south and cross Monroe Drive, and the park will then be on your left. The entrance is clearly marked, and their is paid parking available after you pull in. When you get there you will have the option of buying a ticket for the day, which was $21, or buying a yearly pass. I would recommend the yearly pass. While prices vary based of age, Wendy and I opted for the family membership which was $100. That gets you into the park as often as you like, and came with four guest passes we can use to bring friends and family to the garden.
After entering we took the path to the left and entered the Levy Parterre first. A wonderful collection of flowers and shrubs, the highlight of this location is the Chihully glass sculpture in the center of the exhibit. There are several of the Chihully glass sculptures on the grounds, and they are amazing to look at when combined with the plant life around them. One of the exhibits on display now is a collection of people, animals, and mythical creatures made completely out of flowers and grasses located all around the garden. The first you will see is the Phoenix rising up with wings spread out of the bushes near the entrance of the park. The size of these living displays is impressive. I'm guessing here, but I would assume the Phoenix is over 15 feet tall. From there we continued into the Rose Garden. There are roses from all around the world, some are centuries old, while others are just a few years old. The signs in front of each plant will tell you the genus, species, and date the plant was first discovered. Walking from the Rose Garden, we headed toward the Great Lawn. There you will see the impressive display of a dragon watching over a sleeping princess. You have to remember these are not just foam structures, they are actually made up of living plants that are growing and will continue to change appearances over time. One of the signs in front of an exhibit said it takes 6-8 weeks to place the flowers and grass each spring into each display. The backdrop of the city behind the dragon makes for a unique site. From there we went to the Rock Garden and Aquatic Pond, which is a collection of desert plant life, and it also gives you an amazing view of Piedmont Park and the Atlanta skyline.
When you are done outside, head into the Fuqua Conservatory and Orchid Center. This collection of rooms, and the plants inside of them are beyond description. Wendy and I were completely mesmerized by the carnivorous plants on display. While everyone has heard of a Venus Flytrap, there are carnivorous plants on display that defy the imagination. Some looked like cylindrical tubes that invited the insects in for a drink, and never let them out. One looked like a possum hanging by his tail from a branch. When you are done trying to figure out how a plant learned to eat a living creature, wander through the rain forest section of the conservatory. Their are leaves hanging on trees that are bigger than a large child, and plants that hang from the ceiling that have roots that are more than 50 feet long. Look at how some of the plants also camouflage themselves. Some plants of the same genus had wildly different patterns. One set of an ivy looking plant had polka dots, while another species from the same genus had stripes like a zebra, and a third had spots like a leopard. When you get to the front spend some time looking over the frog collection they have from around the world. The habitats aren't very big, so finding them is not hard. One frog was just hanging out on the glass defying gravity while he slept with his eyes open. I hope he was sleeping or he is the worst frog ever because there was a bug crawling all over him that should have been lunch.
Leaving the conservatory you can head to the Edible Garden, which is a collection of fruits and vegetables from around the world. They also have an outdoor kitchen where they put on cooking displays for free in the afternoon. After stopping for a snack in the Quick Cafe, which is located beside their full service restaurant if you want to have a meal there, we went for a walk on the wilder side of the park. The Southern Seasons Garden is a stroll through a well-kept forest scene full of animal sculptures and water features. Look for the giant mammoth display hiding in the forest. From there you have two choices. You can take the Canopy Walk which is on suspended bridge that gives you a bird's eye view of the forest, and I would recommend is great for your walk back, or you can take the low road to the Cascades Garden. In the Cascades Garden you come to the gem of the fantasy displays, the goddess of Earth. More than 25 feet tall, this living display takes more than two months to build each spring, and is so realistic you expect it to wake up at any second. I can't properly describe how impressive this is, you just have to see it in person. From there, take your final stroll into the Storza Woods through what they call the Woodland Ramble. You will find it hard to believe you are surrounded by millions of people. It's so peaceful you want to sit down by a camp fire and relax for the afternoon. The last display is the Water Mirror, a massive orange glass sculpture that leads to a cascading set of waterfalls nearly 100 yards long. This was apparently funded by one of Atlanta's leading benefactors, Arthur Blank.
We did not do everything there, and I feel like we could have gone for a second day of all new sites. There is a children's garden in the rear of the park that looked like a great place for a family to spend some time. There was also one building that was under renovation that we could not get into for the day, but we will hopefully see on our next trip. One thing we almost missed as we were wandering around was the very small Japanese Garden. Located in the center of the Botanical Garden, you have to know you are looking for it to see it. This park is amazing, and I'm disappointed that it took me so long to visit, but I know we will be back soon. The peacefulness and beauty of the setting are inspiring. I have been to botanical gardens in several European cities and in Sydney, Australia, and the Atlanta Botanical Garden is as nice as any you can imagine.
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