Your Entry To Paradise

Atlanta, Georgia is a energetic town popping with things to do.  There are several popular tourist attractions such as the Atlanta History Center, Inside CNN Atlanta, World of Coca-Cola, High Museaum of Art and the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  Fantastic world class restaurants over flow with regional flavors along with excellent night life and shopping.  But if you need an afternoon of peaceful leisure activity, go to see the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a celebration of life isolated from the hustle and bustle of Downtown Atlanta. Peaceful and magical, families will lose themselves in thirty acres of wonderful gardens, hardwood forests, an interactive children’s garden, and a giant orchid exhibit. The Garden is conveniently located near many delightful Georgia inns.

The Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory is the major attraction. This giant enclosed structure leads one through 16,000 square feet of plant life from all-around the world. Stroll in the Tropical Rotunda under the quiet shade of cycads, ferns and palms cultivated from far away places like the Madagascar, Seycelles, Comoros and Mascarene Islands. Don’t be surprised if poison dart frogs scurry away or if birds take to the air close by. Continue to the Desert House, where the flora and fauna of the desert are celebrated and where aged world succulents and spiny plants take root. There is a huge organic and natural fruits display, an exhibit of carnivorous plants, and one of the largest orchid collections in the world at the Fuqua Orchid Center.

Children, and adults, will have a super time in the interactive Children’s Garden. The diverse gardens in this section include Laugh, Live, Dinosaur, Creek Indian, Beehive Meadow, Soggy Bog, Treehouse, Rocky Pointe, and Grandma’s Gardens. Grow dirty learning how caterpillars become butterflies, how native plants were used for cooking and medicines, how trees grow from seeds, and take part in fossil digs.

A mixture of outdoor gardens are available, including the small but delightful Japanese Garden, the Woodland Garden, Rose and Camellia Gardens, and Herb Garden.

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9AM to 6PM. Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $7 for students. Children under three are admitted free. Admissions are discounted every Tuesday. A Garden Café on the premises serves snacks and refreshments to hungry tourists, but operates on restricted hours. Atlanta Botanical Gardens is found at 1345 Piedmont Avenue, conveniently situated near quaint Georgia vacation rentals.