Smith Gilbert Gardens
Smith Gilbert Gardens
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 AM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 AM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 AM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 AM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 AM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 AM
About
With a variety of plantings, the Hiram Butler Home (ca. 1880) and 31 sculptures, Smith-Gilbert Gardens has something for everyone. At the center of Smith-Gilbert Gardens is the historic Hiram Butler House, dating back over 150 years. The house was once owned by Mr. Butler, a Confederate railroad man, who worked the lines most of his life and was present during the "Great Locomotive Chase." In 1970, Mr. Richard Smith and Dr. Robert Gilbert bought the Hiram Butler House and surrounding acreage in Kennesaw, Georgia. Over the following 35 years, they realized their dream of developing the house and grounds, with an emphasis on unique plantings and thoughtfully positioned sculpture. Now open to the public, Smith-Gilbert Gardens is 16 acres of serene setting with over 3,000 species of plants, several rare in American gardens. United by woodland paths, the Gardens consist of separate groupings with individual elements of fascination. These include the Bonsai Exhibit, Palladino Camellia Garden, tea house and waterfall area, Rose Garden, and Conifer Display. Our Garden is a proud member of various horticultural groups including the American Conifer, American Daffodil, American Hosta and the Southeastern Camellia societies. We are also a designated wildlife habitat by the Atlanta Audubon Society. Both our Rose Garden and the Conifer Collection have received special recognition as places to visit by their respective societies.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
118 reviews
Excellent
71
Very good
32
Average
8
Poor
1
Terrible
6
DeAnna V
5 contributions
Apr 2023
If you have a gardens membership BEWARE! We have a membership with the Atlanta Botanical gardens and the Smith-Gilbet Gardens is listed on the website for the RAP program for reciprocal benefits. When purchasing the membership we were told it has reciprocal benefits for all gardens listed in the RAP program but some gardens do have a 90 mile exclusion that they enforce (so if your home gardens us over 90 miles away and they enforce it the membership will not work). When we checked the website the Smith Gilbert Gardens does show that they enforce the 90 mile exclusion bit we were within the 90 miles so it should work. When we got there to use the membership the lady said Atlanta gardens is too close and they don't except that membership. According to the lady working our home garden has to be over 60 miles away. And sense they enforce the 90 mile exclusion (which we were aware of) it also has to be within 90 miles as well?? So narrow a 30 mile radious? No where on the membership information for garden members does it say anything about a 60 mile rule as well added the 90 mile exclusion. I swear she made this up (we have used this pass for another garden within 60 miles with no issue) and she then claimed to have no idea about the 90 mile exclusion which is clearly listed on all the membership info (and clearly listed for their garden online) when I brought that up. The only reason we visited this garden was because we had the membership and we got the info from the membership site. This garden should not be able to be listed on the RAP sheet if they DO NOT ALLOW RAP benefits. Was not worth the drive or price for us.
Written 7 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve K
3 contributions
Oct 2022
The sad truth is the City of Kennesaw is not committed to maintaining SGG as a horticultural garden. The University of Georgia has a similarly sized garden that looks great,but it has a horticultural staff of 20+ professionals. The City of Kennesaw has one horticultural manager and one or two technicians. It's been that way for years.
Now the City is pursuing a project that will wipe out the bonsai and butterfly garden areas. It's likely the bonsai will be lost forever. This work could be carried out in phases to safeguard these collections and allow continued public access. But the City is not interested.
If you care about the SGG and want to see it preserved as a horticultural garden, contact the City of Kennesaw.
Now the City is pursuing a project that will wipe out the bonsai and butterfly garden areas. It's likely the bonsai will be lost forever. This work could be carried out in phases to safeguard these collections and allow continued public access. But the City is not interested.
If you care about the SGG and want to see it preserved as a horticultural garden, contact the City of Kennesaw.
Written 10 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Womack
Atlanta24 contributions
May 2012 • Friends
What a great little surprise! I have lived 2 miles from the gardens for 12 years and only visited for the first time last week. I expected a small, mediocre, backyard garden but I was wowed by everything this site has to offer. The staff there is friendly and helpful, identifying flowers for us and sharing the history of the gardens. Even the resident art teacher introduced herself and went out of her way to take us to a particular part of the garden and sharing an interesting back story about it. We stayed for 2.5 hours and could have stayed longer. Enjoyed it so much, I think I will purchase an annual membership. As close at it is, it would be a great place just to stroll around or picnic when the weather is nice.
FYI, there are picnic tables onsite in a beautiful wooded area, or you are welcome to bring a blanket and make your own spot. The gardens offer many classes for gardeners (not a gardener myself, but they sound interesting.) There is a plant nursery where one can purchase plants propogated on the premises. There is a large bonsai garden with probably 40+ specimens. There are several places throughout the gardens where chairs and benches have been strategically place to encourage quiet, restful enjoyment of the gardens. And last, something I'm excited about - they have beehives on the property. I was told they sell the honey that is harvested from them in the fall. Yummm..honey with the medicinal value of being local, to boot!
FYI, there are picnic tables onsite in a beautiful wooded area, or you are welcome to bring a blanket and make your own spot. The gardens offer many classes for gardeners (not a gardener myself, but they sound interesting.) There is a plant nursery where one can purchase plants propogated on the premises. There is a large bonsai garden with probably 40+ specimens. There are several places throughout the gardens where chairs and benches have been strategically place to encourage quiet, restful enjoyment of the gardens. And last, something I'm excited about - they have beehives on the property. I was told they sell the honey that is harvested from them in the fall. Yummm..honey with the medicinal value of being local, to boot!
Written 21 May 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jackalie B
Atlanta, GA222 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
My spouse and I visited early one morning. It was wonderful. I loved seeing all the conifer specimens, the roses, and camelias. but probably the best thing is just learning what will grow in the shade in Northwest Georgia. Some of the plants here are incredibly large and old and others have been planted in the last few years. They label each plant with the year it was planted. At the end of our trip, my husband signed up to volunteer.
Written 9 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RG50
Atlanta, GA8 contributions
Apr 2013 • Couples
This is a small garden compared to gardens in Georgia like Callaway Garden, but is filled with samples of plants from around the world as well as local plants that will grow in the Metro Atlanta climate. Don't miss the large exhibit of bonzai trees. There is no food or snacks, but there are small intimate picnic areas in the garden, so bring a lunch. Things were just starting to bloom in early April when we visited. Parking is limited so the garden is never crowded and you can enjoy a peaceful stroll.
Written 7 April 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anitamax
Atlanta, GA14 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
What a memorable afternoon it was spending our 53rd wedding anniversary touring that lovely garden, with it's nice, well labeled walking paths and interesting and varied sculpture! The only way it could have been improved was if there had been a little coffee shop. After several hours, we would have liked to have had a little place to get "refreshed".
Written 18 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kdbjones
Marietta, GA30 contributions
Jul 2013 • Couples
We tried to visit Smith-Gilbert on Sunday per the hours posted on a Google search. Set off on our trip looking forward to seeing something new. It was easily found but not so easy to get in. One sign said Sunday hours and the other said closed on Sunday. Their web site calendar does not say closed Sunday as it does for Monday but looking closer after we got home, it does say closed on the right side of e page. Wish everyone would get the info right.
Written 15 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wildtofu6
Kennesaw, GA21 contributions
May 2013 • Family
The gardens are really well kept and beautiful. They have a community garden area where kids can walk around and see where their food grows. There is plenty of space to just hang out too. We took a blanket and a picnic lunch and just relaxed for a bit. Lots of shade and places for the kids to play. Since its a garden, we didn't let the kids run all crazy and loud but they were able to just be kids. We will definitely be coming back.
Written 17 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
28jcris
Nashville, TN10 contributions
Jul 2019 • Solo
Enjoyed a quiet and picturesque morning here. Most of the trails are shaded and contain benches along the way so even in the hot weather it is enjoyable. There are fun activities for the younger kids to enjoy so it has a little something for everyone. My favorite part were of course the butterflies.
Written 17 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Belle5
Kennesaw, GA77 contributions
Feb 2019 • Family
An incredible find! Gardens, bonsai, butterflies, birds, art, and history - all in one place! Lots of activities and classes for all ages and interests, and a lovely place to have a wedding, too.
Written 17 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are well behaved dogs on leash ever allowed?
Written 14 February 2019
It is possible..
But I would definitely call in advance to be sure.
Written 15 February 2019
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