Historic Gardens and Victorian and Lee Playhouses
Approx. Time: 6 hoursActivity Level: Moderate
Including beautiful:
- Tullie Smith Farm Gardens -A rare Civil War survivor, the ca. 1845 Tullie Smith Farm is the type of yeoman home typical of Georgia's Piedmont region.
- Swan House Gardens -Elegant fountains surround the 1928 Swan House, acquired by the Atlanta Historical Society in 1966 from the Inman family. Atlanta residents Edward and Emily Inman traveled widely in Europe, collecting both ideas and antiques. In 1926, they employed local architect Philip Trammell Shutze to design a classically styled mansion and its accompanying grounds and formal gardens.
- Swan Woods Trail -The ten-acre Swan Woods Trail provides a link between the rural lifestyle of Tullie Smith Farm and the formal elegance of Swan House.
- Cherry Sims Asian-American Garden - The idea for an Asian-American garden was conceived by Center horticulturists in 1988 as a way to compare the evolution of Asian plants with those of the southeastern United States, two areas with many climactic similarities. Be sure to visit the beautiful gazebo!
- Frank A. Smith Rhododendron Garden - In the mid-1970s, the Azalea Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, led by late nurseryman Frank A. Smith, began constructing a new garden to illustrate two of Atlanta's most beautiful plants.
- Mary Howard Gilbert Memorial Quarry Garden - In 1972, an abandoned three-acre rock quarry was uncovered while trustees of the Atlanta Historical Society were searching for a place to construct McElreath Hall. The quarry had been active during the late nineteenth century, possibly as a source of gravel for county roads. The quarry operation ended in the early 1900s, and English ivy and undergrowth took over.