The State Botanical Garden of Georgia
Open daily, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
2450 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, Georgia 30605
Athens, Georgia, is the home of the first Garden Club in America, founded in 1891. Founders Memorial Garden, on the University of Georgia’s historic North Campus, pays tribute. Athens is also home to Georgia’s official State Botanical Garden, a 313-acre preserve featuring trails, extensive themed gardens, and a stunning tropical conservatory. The latest addition to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia is the Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden, which opened to the public on March 23, 2019. The all-new, interactive garden includes a canopy walk with multiple observation decks, Theater-in-the-Woods, edible landscapes, an underground adventure area, pond, bog garden, accessible treehouse, and water play area. The grounds also feature the headquarters of the Garden Club of Georgia, Day Chapel, gift shop, café, and art exhibit space.
Macon’s International Cherry Blossom Festival
Friday, March 22-Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Central City Park, 150 Willie Smokie Glover Drive, Macon, Georgia 31201
With more than 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees, Macon becomes the pinkest city in the world when the trees are in full bloom. The 10-day International Cherry Blossom Festival includes more than 30 events celebrating the cherry trees.
From March 22 – 31, 2019, Macon will be buzzing with activity. Take a two-hour Cherry Blossom Riding Trail Tour and view Southern mansions, streets lined with cherry trees, and pink bows galore along this meandering route through the historic district of downtown, midtown, and north Macon residential areas! Head to Central City Park for the Amusement Ride Midway where you can ride traditional carnival rides, see live acts and dine on delicious fair foods.
Attend the 38th Cherry Blossom Parade that includes local marching bands, military units, and more. Dance the night away and dine on delicious Indian dishes by Sodexo at the Bollywood Ball. Shop from hundreds of vendors from across the country at the Mulberry Street Arts and Crafts Festival. While you are there snack on food from gourmet food trucks at the Food Truck Frenzy. End the 10-day long celebration with a tethered hot air balloon ride at the Tunes and Balloons Festival Finale and fireworks at Middle Georgia State University.
Lockerly Arboretum, Milledgeville
Open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and beginning March 1, Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Hwy 441 S. 1534 Irwinton Road, Milledgeville, Georgia 31061
Take a walk through Lockerly Arboretum, an outdoor horticultural laboratory that showcases flora native to this region of Georgia. Founded in 1965 in Milledgeville, the Arboretum boasts 50 acres of shrubs, trees, daylily beds, herb beds, a conifer collection, and an extensive camellia collection. Visitors can walk the trails, bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at the tables near the pond, watch birds and wildlife, and explore the Rose Hill mansion. As you enjoy your blissful spring stroll, you’ll see a new garden of azaleas native to the state of Georgia that has recently been planted; these add to the more than 50 specimens currently on the grounds.
Butterflies & Blooms in the Briar Patch, Eatonton
Open Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
617 N. Jefferson Street, Eatonton, Georgia 31024
Butterflies, skippers, and other pollinators must come in contact with certain plants to be able to reproduce. Volunteers have created a pollinator habitat to support and encourage native butterfly reproduction by establishing larval host and nectar plants at the Briar Patch Trail Park. Their mission is to establish a Georgia pollinator habitat that sustains butterflies throughout their life stages, monitors migrating monarch butterflies, and educate the public on how to incorporate larval host plants in their own gardens. The park offers a 0.25-mile walking trail, picnic tables, benches and is pet-friendly (must be on a leash). This is truly a one-of-a-kind park that demonstrates the beauty of nature.
Madison in May Spring Tour of Homes and Gardens
May 3 and May 4, 2019, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, 434 South Main Street, Madison, Georgia 30650
Historic Madison, renowned for being one of Georgia’s largest National Register Historic Districts, will celebrate the 2019 spring season in grand style with the region’s most popular tour event: the Madison in May Spring Tour of Homes! The 2019 Spring Tour will include distinguished private homes, as well as the 1895 graded school building, which houses the Romanesque Madison-Morgan Cultural Center. Together, these grand structures and gardens tell the story of a genteel, gracious city – Madison, Georgia. This truly will be a tour to remember!
27th Annual Hellebore Days at Piccadilly Farms
Open house first two Fridays and Saturdays of March, April, May, and October from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
1971 Whippoorwill Road, Bishop, Georgia 30621
Piccadilly Farm Nursery and Gardens is a family-owned business begun in 1984 located south of Athens in Oconee County. The gardens include hellebores, perennials, native plants, camellias, unusual shrubs and trees, and conifers planted throughout the woodland and pasture areas of the farm. The garden trails are open to the public. The nursery sells many of the plants featured in the gardens.
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