Azaleas near PEAK at Callaway Gardens in Georgia

Callaway Gardens

If you have been wondering when will be the best time to see the azaleas at Callaway Gardens, now is the time!

Located at Pine Mountain, Georgia, the gardens feature some of the most spectacular azalea gardens in the world. This year's blooms may be the most spectacular ever.

Conceived in 1930 by Cason J. Callaway after he and his wife found a rare wild azalea growing on overworked farm land, Callaway Gardens have emerged to become one of the most beautiful gardens anywhere. They cover more than 16,000 acres of rolling mountain terrain at Pine Mountain between Atlanta and Columbus.

A highlight each spring is the Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl, a massive azalea garden that explodes with color. The cold wet winter was very good for the azaleas and officials at the gardens say that this may be the best year for azaleas in their more than 80 year history.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/callawaygardens1 or www.callawaygardens.com.  Here is a special video invite from Edward Callaway:

Azaleas are early in Muskogee, Oklahoma!

Muskogee Azalea Festival

The annual Muskogee Azalea Festival is one of the finest events of its kind in the world. It runs from April 1st - April 30th, but this year the blooms have arrived early!

According to the Friends of Honor Heights Park, the azaleas are now in bloom and my well be gone by the time of the annual Azalea Festival Parade on April 14th!

Carriage in Honor Heights Park

The warm spring and lack of a late freeze has the thousands of blooming plants, trees and shrubs at Honor Heights Park out early and now through the weekend of April 7th & 8th is probably going to be the best time to go and see them. That according to a statement provided today by those who help care for the park.

Predicting the timing of the blooms always involves a bit of watch and wait, but they normally come out in the first week of April and peak in the second or third. This year, however, the flowers are all coming in early and so if you hope to see them, you should make plans to go immediately!

For more information on this year's festival, please visit: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/okmuskogeeazalea.

Maclay Gardens are in Bloom inTallahassee, Florida

Maclay Gardens in Tallahassee

The most beautiful corner of Florida's capital city is now in bloom, thanks to warm weather and an early spring!
Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park spreads across hundreds of acres of hills, forests and water off Thomasville Road in Tallahassee. It is a stunning place year-round, but spring is the season when all eyes turn to the beautiful gardens that give the park its name.

Park officials report that the azaleas and dogwoods both began to bloom in late February and, as they are all across North Florida, the trees and shrubs are alive with flowers and color right now.

Path at Maclay Gardens

Maclay Gardens originated in 1923 when the land was bought by Alfred B. Maclay, a key figure in the New York financial markets. He and his wife, Louise Fleishman Maclay, named their Florida place Killearn Plantation and Gardens and set about creating a wonderland of blooming trees and plants, flowers, water features, open greens and winding paths. Over the next 21 years, the Maclays developed the gardens and even hosted the Duke and Duchess of Windsor there.

Stunning Beauty at Maclay Gardens

Mr. Maclay died in 1944, but Mrs. Maclay continued to work on the development of the gardens until 1953 when she donated the entire property to the State of Florida. Originally called Killearn Gardens State Park, the stunning site was renamed Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park during the 1970s and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

The entire park now covers 873 acres, with the ornamental gardens and related historic structures comprising 28 full acres.

The Maclay House itself will be open to the public through April 30th. The park entrance fee is $6 per vehicle ($4 if the driver is the only occupant) or $2 for pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. There is a separate $6 per adult fee to see the gardens ($3 for children ages 2-12).

To learn more about Maclay Gardens and to see additional pictures, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/maclaygardens1.html.

Callaway Gardens Azaleas are nearing full bloom!

Azaleas in bloom at Callaway Gardens

I just received notice this morning from the staff at Callaway Gardens that the azaleas and other spring flowers are nearing full bloom and that NOW is the time to go see them!
The Gardens team reports that the azaleas will be in full bloom from now over the next two weeks. The Overlook Azalea Garden and Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl both look incredible and spring has definitely arrived at Pine Mountain!

The Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl covers 40 acres and features more than 3,400 hybrid azaleas along with 2,000 other blooming plants and shrubs. The setting is stunning, with a pavilion, gazebo, flowing stream, walking paths and arched bridge. The garden was gunded by Ely Callaway, Jr., who funded it with a donation of $3 million and named it in honor of his ancestors, Ely Reeves Callaway and Fuller Earle Callaway.

Woods in bloom at Callaway Gardens

The Overlook Azalea Garden, meanwhile, features 700 varieties of cultivated azaleas and has been called "one of the most beautiful places on Earth."

The blooms only last about two weeks so from now through the end of March is the time to go.

In addition to the azaleas, the staff reports that dogwoods, native azaleas, silverbells, sweetshrub, red buckeye and early spring wildflowers are in bloom throughout the gardens.

Callaway Gardens are located in Pine Mountain, Georgia, not far from Warm Springs and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Little White House. The gardens are open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Special event admission from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. is $25 per adult; $12.50 per child age 6 to 12; children 5 and younger are admitted for free. Callaway Gardens Annual Passholders are admitted for free. Military (active and retired with valid ID) are admitted for half-price during Celebrate Spring! From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the facilities will close but the Gardens will remain accessible for half-price admission.

You can learn more at www.callawaygardens.com and see additional photos from a couple of years ago at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/callawaygardens1.html.

Here are some other great points of interest in area:

• Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
• Dowdell's Knob on Pine Mountain
• Warm Springs, Georgia
• FDR's Little White House