Sat, May 28 2011 - Hike Botanical Gardens of GA & lunch in Athens (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Allston, Katherine Bennett Participants: Katherine Bennett, LaTrina, Pedro R, Pam W, John Christopher, Nora, Allston, Stan, Beth H, Jim Martin, Steve Wilder, Andrea S.

Write Up:
We had wonderful weather for our trip to the GA State Botanical Gardens this past Saturday.  The first part of our visit was spent touring the various areas of the gardens such as the International, Native and Herb Gardens.  There were many plants blooming and some terrific photo ops. Our group then proceeded to the tiered garden section which included fields of wildflowers, a wildlife viewing platform and a meditation garden.  We also visited the on site Chapel, which was built in the Craftsman style and had gorgeous woodwork and carvings. 

After touring the formal garden our group branched out onto the trail system, walking down to the river on the Purple Trail and then continuing on the Orange and White Trails in a big loop back to the Visitor's Center.  After completing our tour of the gardens we drove into Athens and had a delicious lunch at The Grill downtown, with fries n' Feta and hand-made milkshakes, before heading back home.

Altogether we had a very fun time and were very impressed with the gardens.  We will definitely be planning more trips there in the future, including further exploration of their trail system.

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