Louisiana native and LSU Alum (Geaux Tigers!), Jackie has lived in Louisiana for over three decades and currently lives in New Orleans. She's been writing for OnlyInYourState since 2016 and can often be found with a coffee at her side, dreaming of her next adventure.
Ball Ground is a sleepy little town in Cherokee County that’s hiding one of Georgia’s best-kept secrets. Tucked away at the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains lies one of the most incredible gardens you’ve ever seen, and that’s Gibbs Gardens. What started as one man’s passion grew into one of the largest residential estate gardens in the country, including one of the most impressive wildflower butterfly gardens in Georgia, and it’s simply magical. The 376-acre garden is so magical, you’ll feel like you’re walking through a fairy tale. You might even have a butterfly land on you!
Gibbs Gardens is so large, you'll want to be sure you carve out enough time to get the full experience.
The property is 376 acres with the house and gardens utilizing over 300 of those acres, making it one of the nation’s largest residential estate gardens. People usually spend about 3-4 hours here, so plan accordingly! Don't forget to wear comfortable shoes, too.
As you make your way through the gardens, you can't help but feel like you're walking through a fairy tale.
There are 24 ponds, 32 bridge crossings, and 19 waterfalls that all add to the enchanted gardens. You'll even stroll the largest Japanese gardens in the U.S.
There's always something blooming, but you can always check their website to find out what’s in bloom before you head over.
The 15-acre wildflower garden is planted with thousands of cosmos (Cosmos Sulfurous and Cosmos Bipinnatus). These annual flowers resemble daisies and are very attractive to butterflies. It's one of the most breathtaking butterfly gardens in Georgia, and worthy of a road trip from any corner of the state to see it in person.
Did you know there are nearly 20,000 species of butterflies in the world? Of course, you won't see all of them here, but you will see several different kinds.
The flowers are planted in such a way that there are new blooms every 1-2 weeks, so there's always something for these beauties to enjoy.
These are the most recognizable butterflies of the bunch, and they've been known to migrate anywhere from 1,200 to 2,800 miles during the winter. These beauties were recently added to the endangered species list in July 2022, which is one of the reasons the garden expanded its butterfly garden from three to 15 acres. Now, these delicate creatures have a safe habitat to live their best lives, undisturbed.
Don't pass up an opportunity to spend an autumn afternoon surrounded by these beauties.
The garden is typically open Tuesday – Sunday. Advanced tickets aren’t required, but they are recommended. Head over to the Gibbs Gardens website for hours and start planning your trip to this magical butterfly garden in Georgia today!
While this dreamy garden is a wonderful place to feel like a Disney princess (or prince) for a day, did you know that monarch butterflies in Georgia have their own gorgeous spring migration that you can see from wherever you are? You won’t want to miss it! If you need a good excuse to get away from it all, this charming and secluded home on an animal sanctuary might just be the perfect place to admire them… and get some llama snuggles while you’re at it.
