Atlanta Botanical
Garden

Inside the Conservatory: Tropics, Desert and Orangerie

The Fuqua Conservatory displays a wide variety of plants in tropical and desert environments. Priority is given to plants that are rare, threatened or endangered.

There are five main display areas to wander: Lobby, Tropical Rotunda, Desert House, Orangerie, and Special Exhibitss.

Fuqua Orchid Center’s tropical orchid collection is legendary. Look for a new group of montane orchids that grow only at high elevations.

Japanese Garden

The exquisite Japanese Garden is one of the oldest areas of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and reflects the reverence for nature that is the guiding philosophy of a Japanese garden. Most of its plants are evergreen. Color is used sparingly to highlight seasonal changes.

Traditional Japanese architecture and bamboo fences frame the garden's central features — a magnificent pruned pine tree, waterfall, and pond. Japanese maples, a rare weeping persimmon, and a collection of dwarf Nandina are highlights. A 300-year old lantern from Japan and a Chinese-style moon gate are also quite impressive.

The Children's Garden

The children’s garden is one of Atlanta’s favorite family destinations.

It’s a happy place. The two-acre garden was built in partnership with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to emphasize wellness and healing. There are slides, a green roof and 12 themed gardens to delight kids and adults, including a Sunflower Garden, Dinosaur Garden, Treehouse and Soggy Bogg and Beehive Meadow.

Art in the Garden

Dozens of pieces of art have been installed throughout the gardens to complement themes and plantings. The most prominent sculptures and water features include world-famous glass artist Dale Chihuly’s Blue and White Chandelier (pictured above), Lily Pond Reflecting Pool, Green Man fountain (outside the Children’s Garden), and a graceful, light-catching kinetic sculpture: Tendrils, Gingko Leaf Variation.

Plan Your Day

The Atlanta Botanical Garden website is a terrific tool for advance planning. Their Day Planner contains recommendations to apply according to the season, your interests and time available.

Look ahead by plotting your path on the Interactive Garden Map. Meander along wandering pathways – there are many within the hardwood forest that surrounds Fuqua Conservatory – and visit Rock, Rose, Edible and Southern Season’s gardens.

Indoor Collection: Orchid Center and Conservatory

Many of the Garden's most important and enjoyed gardens are located indoors, ensuring an unforgettable experience regardless of the time of year you visit or what Mother Nature tosses your way on the day of your visit.

The indoor collections are found in the Lobby, Tropical Rotunda, Desert House, Orangierie, Orchid Hall, High Elevation House and Display House.

Canopy Walk

Garden visitors may tour the city’s urban forest from 40 feet in the air. The long-awaited Canopy Walk – a reverse-suspension bridge designed to be virtually invisible from the ground – rises over the highly patterned woodland gardens below. Flowering hardwood trees, native azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, perennials and seasonal bulbs put on quite a show.

Chocolate: Seed to Sweet

Sept. 4, 2010-Jan. 2, 2011 – Included with CityPASS

This imaginative exhibition takes visitors behind the scenes of chocolate making, from the roots of the cacao tree to candy factory confections. The interactive journey features a giant cacao pod and a 20-foot flower dome that bring to life the history, production and uses of chocolate around the world. The fun, educational experience wraps up inside a miniature factory that showcases the candy-making process.