Atlanta Botanical Garden Facts

While speaking about the major botanical gardens of the United States, Atlanta Botanical Garden is worth mentioning. It is a 30 acre plot located northwest to the Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

It was founded in 1976 as a non-profit organization with an objective to grow and maintain plants for education, research, conservation, display, and recreation. It conserves rare and endangered plants, especially those adapted to extreme conditions like deserts and rainforests.

It exhibits vast flower gardens, orchid gardens, and woodlands. In fact, it comprises one of the largest orchid displays in the world featuring exotic and wild species of orchids. It is divided into several sections, each representing a particular theme.

The section near the main entrance is designed with formal garden layouts namely Japanese, herb, and rose garden. There are two large woodlands occupying about 15 acres, comprising large tree species and other flowering plants, especially the shade-loving ones.

Some notable features are the Gardenhouse (a permanent structure erected in 1985), Children's Garden, Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory, and Fuqua Orchid Center. The Children's Garden, as the name suggests, is exclusively designed for children.

The Fuqua Conservatory is an indoor exhibition of plants from rainforests. There is a separate room for tropical rainforest animals, viz. birds, turtles, and poison dart frogs.

Adjacent to the conservatory lies the Fuqua Orchid Center, which is maintained in controlled climatic conditions to favor the growth of rare and flavor orchids. The montane orchids, adapted at an elevation range of about 6,000 - 8,000 feet are major attractions of the Fuqua Orchid Center.

Among the various exhibitions hosted in the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the exhibition of glass art in 2004 was one of the most successful. It was hosted by Dale Chihuly, a famous glass sculptor and was titled 'Chihuly in the Garden'.

It lasted for about 8 months and more than 400,000 visitors had attended it. The museum shop is a special attraction for hobbyists who are interested in gardening. It offers books on basic and advanced gardening, gardener's supplies, plant seeds, and bulbs.

Everyday there are classes, exhibits, and tours in order to entertain the visitors. It also offers rental services for hosting private events. Be it parties or corporate meetings, it is a place to be considered. You can even conduct classroom lectures in it. It is also a perfect natural paradise for a wedding ceremony.

You can choose any spot for a capacity of about 250 - 300 people. In case of bad weather condition, you can opt for Day Hall or request for tenting at your favorite spot.

The Green Expansion Plan, implemented in 2003 to modernize it, emphasized on a new visitor center and canopy walk. About fifty percent of the new visitor center's roof has been covered by plants.