Not only is Atlanta Botanical Garden the loveliest place in all of Atlanta for those like me, who love nature dearly, but it’s also a beacon of hope in a world plagued by environmental disasters, pollution, and a lack of scientific understanding. Equal parts research & conservation facility and pleasure garden, Atlanta Botanical Garden is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown while learning about and supporting the Southeastern Center for Conservation’s mission, “To develop and maintain plant collections for display, education, conservation, research, and enjoyment.”
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Location: Atlanta, GA
Address: 1345 Piedmont Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30309
Admission: $26.95 / adult or FREE W/ AHS Membership
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday
9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Handicap Accessible: Partially
(Dirt pats, and parts are inaccessible to some due to stairs)
How to Reach Atlanta Botanic Garden
The drive from our hotel, St. Regis Atlanta, was a breeze. It took about 15 minutes by car, though walking wouldn’t have been safe as quite a bit of our route was along the highway, and it was too far to walk reasonably. Ride-sharing is also an easy way to get there if you’re not a local or are visiting without a rental car.
About Atlanta Botanic Garden
Founded in 1976, the Atlanta Botanical Garden has grown to include more than 30 acres of outdoor gardens, a large glasshouse, numerous walking paths, the Skyline Garden, and a charming canopy walk around which fountains and manufactured rivers flow. If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that I make a point to visit a garden in every city I visit because I not only love nature, but I love supporting the research and conservation efforts such places make. Atlanta Botanical Garden is one of the prettiest botanical gardens I’ve ever been to in the United States.
While here, we learned all about their efforts to protect endangered plants and flowers all around the world. Additionally, they work to restore and preserve fragile ecosystems threatened by human activity. Their incredible work not just in Atlanta, GA, and the United States, but globally in places like the Caribbean’s Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Virgin Islands, and Ecuador, the Atlanta Botanical Garden and their research arm the Southeastern Center for Conservation team, strives to ensure they leave the planet better than they found it.
Why I Loved Visiting
Imagine what the world could look like some day if more of us took an active interest in preserving, protecting, and restoring the natural world around us. While I do my best to recommend eco-friendly, sustainable, and low impact experiences, restaurants, and fashion whenever possible, I also hope to educate my readers on environmental issues and encourage sustainable, responsible travel. Visiting Atlanta Botanical Gardens gave me hope that more people than I may have realized try to live their lives the same way.
The beautiful gardens here, particularly their amazing orchid house containing hundreds of high-humidity plants, had more educational and informative signs than I’ve ever seen at any other botanical garden. Not only that, but people stopped to read them rather than just walking past. I loved seeing this, because it shows just how much the average garden visitor cares about the world around them.
Beautiful plants and rare flowers, unique art (like Chihuly glass art similar to what we saw in Seattle, WA,) dedicated research, and an incredible visitor experience made this one of my very favorite gardens. I can’t recommend adding a stop to this garden during your visit to Atlanta highly enough!
Explore more of my adventures in Atlanta and the United States. See gardens around the world, here.
Pam Koss says
My daughter lives in Atlanta and now we must go to the Botanical Gardens. Thank you for sharing .
Lauren says
This is stunning! Visiting Atlanta for a conference next week so I need to add to my list of things to do!