Smith-Gilbert Gardens is opening Tuesday, May 19!
Please note: We will continue to monitor visitation and may change our operational guidelines to continue to support safety and social distancing.
The Garden With Wings Butterfly House is open! Starting July 1 to August 1, join us for this extraordinary exhibit featuring native butterflies, their host and nectar plants. All visitors and members must purchase their timed tickets before arriving to the Gardens. Please click the link above to purchase tickets.
The main house, which includes the Gift Shop, will be closed. Staff will be on site, but may not be available during your visit. We are not selling tickets on site.
We cannot accommodate group tours, daycare facilities or summer camp tours.
Masks are not required, but we encourage you to wear a face covering, especially when using the public restroom.
Welcome to Smith-Gilbert Gardens!
Smith-Gilbert Gardens is the City of Kennesaw’s botanical garden. Voted one of the top five places to take children in the Atlanta metro area, the 17-acre property is rich with botanical, artistic and historic treasures.
Fifteen themed garden spaces, anchored by the reconstruction era Hiram Butler House, contain more than 4,000 curated plant species. The award-winning “Garden with Wings” butterfly house and pollinator garden promote conservation of beneficial Georgia native plants and insects. The crevice garden displays a gardening style and plant collection rarely seen in the southeastern United States. Robust collections of hydrangeas, camellias, conifers and roses along with woodland and perennial gardens inspire visitors to explore variety for their own landscapes. Blending horticulture and art, the bonsai collection includes more than 70 specimens, diligently trained during monthly work sessions that are open to garden visitors. Thirty remarkable garden sculptures by nationally and internationally known artists add drama to the landscape. Koi ponds, a waterfall, and child-friendly play structures throughout the property round out the experience.
Smith-Gilbert Gardens’ conservation mission is evident throughout the gardens. A minimal-toxicity ethic means that we curtail the use of chemical treatments in garden maintenance. Through best practices in collection management and collaborations with Georgia Power, State Botanical Garden of Georgia and Atlanta Botanical Garden, we work to preserve global plant biodiversity and improve local habitat. Our educational programs share knowledge of and passion for nature, while inspiring participants to be conservation minded.
We hope that you will enjoy your visit to our website, but most importantly, we invite you to experience firsthand the beauty and fascination of Smith-Gilbert Gardens.
NEWS
Did you know Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars are brown and white, resembling bird droppings?
Can you guess why? Later, as they mature, the caterpillars turn bright green and have two amazing black, yellow and blue false eyespots on the thorax above and behind their true eyes. The true head of the caterpillar is small, inconspicuous, and tucked under the body. If disturbed, the caterpillar is a quick-change artist. Now, instead of a harmless caterpillar, we or a bird or small mammal, are confronted with something very different: a snake’s head with glaring eyes a nose and mouth! Their host plants are Tulip Poplar Tree and Black Cherry!
Check out yesterday’s post to see the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly!
To reserve tickets to the Butterfly House to see more caterpillars and butterflies, visit: smith-gilbert-gardens.square.site
4 hours ago
How well do you know your butterfly facts? What is the official state butterfly of the state of Georgia? Answer in the comments below for a chance to win!
Visit 'A Garden With Wings' Butterfly House to see more than 700 butterflies, including Georgia’s Official State Butterfly!
Tickets must be purchased prior to your visit. To purchase & reserve tickets, visit: smith-gilbert-gardens.square.site/
How to win:
1. Like Smith-Gilbert Gardens’ Facebook page.
2. Like this post.
3. Leave your answer in the comment section below!
Winner will be announced on Thursday, July 16. Good luck!
1 day ago
Comment on Facebook How well do you know...
Tiger swallowtail
It’s the tiger swallowtail 💕💕
Tiger Swallowtail
Yellow Tiger Swallowtail
tiger swallowtail
Yellow Tiger Swallowtail
Tiger Swallowtail
Yellow tiger swallowtail
Tiger swallowtail
Did you know that before the Monarch Butterfly goes through metamorphosis, it is one hungry caterpillar?
They can gain about 2700 times their original weight! Monarchs consume a lot of food in a short amount of time in order to have enough food stored to go through metamorphosis! 🦋
Plan your visit to Smith-Gilbert Gardens today to see the Butterfly House, here through August 1! Reserve your tickets at smith-gilbert-gardens.square.site/.
2 days ago
Make your visit to the Gardens a little bit sweeter! After visiting our Butterfly House, stop by the gift shop in the Hiram Butler House for a King of Pops Popsicle!
📸: Keri Brittain
4 days ago
Comment on Facebook Make your visit to ...
I did--Raspberry Lime--Yum!!
EVENTS
Guided Bird Walks
3rd Saturday of every month, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
A haven for wild birds
Smith-Gilbert Gardens lies along a major migratory flyway, and is a convenient destination to see a great diversity of wild birds. The gardens are an oasis for the scores of migratory bird species that fly through each spring and fall. Dozens of year-round resident bird species call the property home as well. A diverse habitat attracts and sustains them: seventeen acres of forest edges, grassy areas, perennial borders, as well as ponds and streams. The garden staff curtail the use of chemical treatments and so the property offers a healthy buffet of fruits, seeds and bugs for the birds and other wildlife to gobble up.Watch with us!
Come enjoy watching birds with us! Our expert birding guides have spent years learning to identify birds by sight and sound, and have a passion for wild bird conservation. You’ll learn keys to bird identification, where you can look for wild birds in your neighborhood, how to make your own backyard a habitat for wild birds, and more. This monthly meetup is included with garden admission.
Led by Bonsai Curator Rodney Clemons
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bonsai Study Group with Bonsai Curator Rodney Clemons will be onsite and available to answer questions.
While the exhibition will be closed for visitors to enter, you will have the opportunity to see the trees and talk with members of the Study Group.
Discover the mystery behind creating these living works of art.
Guided Bird Walks
3rd Saturday of every month, 9:30-11:00 a.m.
A haven for wild birds
Smith-Gilbert Gardens lies along a major migratory flyway, and is a convenient destination to see a great diversity of wild birds. The gardens are an oasis for the scores of migratory bird species that fly through each spring and fall. Dozens of year-round resident bird species call the property home as well. A diverse habitat attracts and sustains them: seventeen acres of forest edges, grassy areas, perennial borders, as well as ponds and streams. The garden staff curtail the use of chemical treatments and so the property offers a healthy buffet of fruits, seeds and bugs for the birds and other wildlife to gobble up.
Watch with us!
Come enjoy watching birds with us! Our expert birding guides have spent years learning to identify birds by sight and sound, and have a passion for wild bird conservation. You’ll learn keys to bird identification, where you can look for wild birds in your neighborhood, how to make your own backyard a habitat for wild birds, and more. This monthly meetup is included with garden admission.
Led by Bonsai Curator Rodney Clemons
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Bonsai Study Group with Bonsai Curator Rodney Clemons will be onsite and available to answer questions.
While the exhibition will be closed for visitors to enter, you will have the opportunity to see the trees and talk with members of the Study Group.
Discover the mystery behind creating these living works of art.
On Saturday, September 19, 2020, we will host a single KGPRS race to benefit all six community non-profits!
You can register here:
https://raceroster.com/…/…/the-kennesaw-grand-prix-2020-race
Did you register for a previously-scheduled 2020 race? Email Race Director kelly@orionsportstiming.com and she will email you a promo code valid for a free entry in the September 19 race!
Our non-profits count on this race series to fundraise and it was a tough decision to evolve the series this year. We are looking forward to a fantastic 2020 race and thank you so much for your patience and support!
