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January 2024 by Kathija Ahmed
This is such a magical and beautiful place, especially when their light show is up. The Gardens are great for everyone, too. We bring our daughter, my hubby and I will stroll around, and it is great for a date with the girls. I highly recommend joining as a Friend of the Garden. And if you ever book an event in their gorgeous (and historically rich) event space, you have to get your catering from BasKat Catering (they never disappoint ✨️?)
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August 2023 by Anna O.
Never seem flowers and stuff like this ones their so dope I like coming to this place a lot it's freaking epic.
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August 2023 by Maggie B.
A beautiful stroll awaits you at the garden! Well kept grounds and greenhouse, but let this mama tell you about the SPECTACULAR Children's garden! A huge learn and play area that starts with a "creek" to play in, some misting mushrooms, sand, and a slab of granite you can "paint" with water. Continue on and find the playground and a vegetable garden where you can fill a small pail and water the plants. If you keep walking still, you come across a wooded play area with lots of climbing fun and a tree house. The children's area is so much better and more fun than the super expensive Atlanta Botanical Garden, and this one - accepts donations - but no entry charge. This mama is a fan!
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August 2023 by John B.
I was just blown away by the spread of things available at Georgia's State Botanical Garden. I've seen some nice botanical gardens, but here, I was treated right away to a splendid overlook directed downwards towards the greenhouse. Adjacent was a bonus art museum with naturalistic ceramic pieces and some scavenged specimens arranged as art. The greenhouse had a few places to sit and a substantial amount of exotic yet recognizable plants. More manicured gardens including a medicinal plants area were immediately outside. The park was further ringed by a series of woodland trails, offering one a chance to compare a more natural Georgia environment with the global display of curated plants inside the fence.I spent a couple of hours and by no means covered the complete grounds. The place was well-maintained and had ample amenities and a nice-looking children's play area. And it was all free. I don't know what else you could reasonably ask for.
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June 2023 by Chasity W.
So beautiful and they have a really cool ceramics museum I didn't know was there. Thanks
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April 2023 by Scott Wightwick
Lovely gardens. Easy to walk around and lots to see. Plants well marked so you know what they are. Very good maps available so you can easily navigate your way around. Childrens garden is really well done, not just good for children but adults as well. Plenty of parking.
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February 2023 by PJ C.
Would love to come back in another month or two when much more would be in bloom but I could tell from the little we saw and the layout of the gardens that this is a great place. Only a $2 suggested donation - a real bargain.The children's garden has a couple of great features including the map of the state in granite and the elevation waterfall. Really cool. We did not get a chance to check out the porcelain museum next door. Hopefully we will get back here on a future visit to the area.
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February 2023 by Jane B.
Worth a visit. Give yourself a couple of hours. The gardens are lovely and the gift shop is nice, too. Parking is adequate. Be ready to walk and take photos. Teens come here for prom pictures, so be aware of that during prom season (limited parking).
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December 2022 by Amber S.
Attended for the Winter Wonderland event! Prior to:We ordered tickets online as you must choose a time slot.Getting there is a bit of a mission for newcomers. There were NO signs directing regular parking from the VIP one- so we accidently drove to the VIP, but a very nice volunteer directed us to turn around and how to get back. Then there were a few busses that came to drive from the parking to the entrance of the event, which was very nice considering the weather and major traffic going on. Event: Tickets were about $15, so it was not too bad, and the area was massive, so we found it to be a nice outdoor holiday event to do with the family. There were hot cocoa and drink tents set up right after the entrance, which was perfect for the cold weather. Then, as you walk your way through, there are plenty of volunteers in each section as well as photo spots to enjoy with friends and family. The lights were truly beautiful and amazing to admire.After:There's two small gift shops at the end of the walk. One pop up for the winter wonderland we land and the regular one for the botanical garden. There were cute momentos like ornaments toys for kids and plant enthusiasts must haves.
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December 2022 by Cynthia P.
We went to the Georgia botanical garden in Athens to see the Winter WonderLights a couple of nights ago. I have to say it was beautiful. They had almost every tree and bush, covered in lights and many on the ground along the path. There were a couple of coffee and hot chocolate booths along the way. We stopped and got a mocha coffee and my daughter got a hot chocolate. They put a big scoop of marshmallows on top and they were delicious.They also had s'more stations throughout the light show, but we didn't stop and get any. There were lots of families, roasting marshmallows, over the campfires, and it looked like fun, but I just didn't want any more sugar after my mocha.They had one giant light up tree that was flashing in all kinds of different patterns. It was very cool to watch.I will try to add a couple of videos to this review, but sometimes the videos don't go through. So don't come for me if it's not there. LOL.At the end of the light show path there was a holiday gift shop that had a whole lot of interesting gifts to look at. We didn't buy anything because I'm about finished my holiday shopping and frankly I'm about spent out. There are some very nice gifts there if you're still looking for something for a special someone.I checked several different holiday light shows and this one was the most affordable of all. I think I paid either $13 or $15 for the tickets. By comparison, the one in Chattanooga is $30 per ticket and the one in Atlanta is $50 per ticket . I did not check any others because they were not so close. I checked the lookout mountain light show because I've been before and I really liked it. There's something very beautiful about being up on that mountain at night.You will not regret visiting the Georgia Botanical Garden to see the Winter WonderLights show. It's a great family event and everyone will enjoy it.
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October 2022 by Liz H.
If you are in the Athens area, stop by this place. It is huge and well curated. The garden has a lot of educational signs and walking paths. Really peaceful! Bathrooms were immaculate, which was a welcome surprise. They have an awesome conservatory with tons of tropical plants and a gift shop attached. They have a whole building on porcelain art too. They were setting up for Christmas lights so they will do that soon. I liked my visit except for the Day Chapel. Apparently, according to the woman inside, "We ain't open to the public!" It doesn't say that anywhere and the door was open. So don't bother going that way unless you are going there for services or a wedding or something. That was the only bummer of the visit.
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August 2022 by Estie T.
This is my favorite place in Athens. They have amazing trails that are well maintained, and it was my go-to running spot. They have a bigger loop that's about 4 miles long, with lots of offshoots and side trails to explore as well. The garden itself is also wonderful and free to visit!! This is a must-see when you come to visit Athens.
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May 2022 by Andrzej Tuczapski
Very beautiful, quiet garden. Super silent and relaxing walk. Good education, too.
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May 2022 by Ira B.
Beautiful location, quite a good sized garden. There are so many paths and unique areas that you can spend an entire day choosing to get lost in every twist and turn. We spent about 3 hours seeing everything - visiting in May provided a wonderful experience with all the flowers at their peak. This is a great event for couples, families, or anybody who loves nature. We saw plenty of photographers there as well taking photos of flowers and even a few ceremonial pictures like graduation and wedding/engagement.
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October 2021 by Andrea H.
This place is amazing and FREE! I have paid a lot of money in membership fees and entrance fees to botanical gardens in other states. The State Botanical Garden in Athens, Georgia could easily do the same. It's gardens rival others and may surpass them in many ways. They have a donation box in the main building where you can contribute to the continued upkeep of the garden and conservatory, but there is no pressure to donate at all. It is completely voluntary. I meant to do it, but was quickly distracted by the friendly volunteer who offered me a map and pointed me in the direction of the bathrooms and where to start my self-guided tour of the gardens. Amazingly, you can come here after hours too. A lot of people walk through the gardens after work for their daily exercise. What an inspiring place to do that. NOTE: The bathrooms are NOT available after business hours. Do your business before they close the doors to the main building where the bathrooms are located; otherwise, you will have to wait the semi-long drive home to go. The gardens are located somewhat out of town in farm country. Parking is free, partly shaded and plentiful. If you are ever in the area or passing through, the botanical garden should be on your list of places to visit, especially in the spring when so much is in bloom. This place is huge! You will need a map and a lot of time to explore the gardens. The pathways vary, but much of it is paved, tiled or boardwalk style. There are also some steps, especially in the rose garden, but it appeared you could wheel your way around even if you were chair bound. In addition to the cultivated gardens, there are wild nature trails all around the perimeter of the gardens. The trails are labeled by color and vary in distance. There were sign posts and laminated maps hanging from the posts at the start of these nature trails. These trails are on dirt paths, so you will definitely want some good walking/hiking shoes, and not sandals. They weave through forested areas and along a creek bed. Your chance of spotting wildlife is good both in the gardens and on the surrounding trails. The gardens also attract plenty of photographers capturing graduates, married couples, pregnant moms, and families looking for that perfect backdrop. Thankfully there is plenty of room for everyone to spread out and enjoy a quiet niche.The State Botanic Garden of Georgia located in Athens should be on everyone's "to do" list, especially if you live in the area.
