Atlanta Botanical Garden

The 30-acre botanical garden next to Piedmont Park comes as a surprise, right in Midtown Atlanta. This four-season attraction always has something in bloom, from its spring bulb display through the colorful autumn foliage, and at any time of year, its several indoor gardens transport visitors to the tropics. The Fuqua Orchid Center displays orchids of all shapes and colors, while the High Elevation House shows the astonishing variety of plants native to the Cloud Forests of the Andes. Here, exotic bromeliads, mosses, ferns, trailing vines, and miniature orchids surround a massive indoor waterfall, and more exotics thrive in the Tropical Rotunda.

Outside are an Edible Garden and Outdoor Kitchen, where fruits and vegetables are grown as landscape plants. The Rose Garden is at its height in late spring and again in late summer, and the Hydrangea Collection is one of the finest in the Southeast, as is the collection of water plants. The Japanese Garden features a teahouse, waterfall, pond, bamboo, dwarf Japanese maples, and a Moon Gate that provides a photo-worthy frame for the beds of bright annuals outside.

Official site: http://atlantabg.org

Address: 1345 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, Georgia

Phone: 404-876-5859

Google rating: 4.7/5.0