An Outer Space Exploration

from Select Traveler Spring 2023

Magnificent gardens await your group

Home to the world’s largest space museum, “Rocket City” has much for visitors to explore. Featuring breathtaking outdoor vistas, fun-filled attractions, and vibrant art & entertainment districts, Huntsville, Alabama, has something for everyone.

Memphis Botanical Gardens Memphis, Tennessee

In the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, the Memphis Botanical Gardens spans almost 100 acres, offering a respite from the hustle and bustle of Beale Street. It features 30 specialty gardens, including the Japanese garden, whose iconic bright red bridge is a Memphis landmark.

“We got started in 1953 as an iris garden, and next year marks our 70th year anniversary, which we’re very excited about,” said director of marketing Olivia Wall. “We’re known for our pollinator garden and our diverse herb garden, too. We have a variety of adult group programs that range from talks on butterfly gardening to native plants to tree identification — there are about 30 topics to choose from.”

The Memphis Botanical Gardens also offers hands-on workshops that allow participants to create something to take home with them, like a terrarium or herb garden. Guided tours, either on foot or on a tram, offer an overview of the garden’s highlights. The staff can also guide special topic tours focused on a particular area of interest in the garden.

Dining options include the on-site cafe, a prearranged boxed lunch to picnic or a catered event.

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Old Salem Museums and Gardens Winston Salem, North Carolina

Founded in 1766, Old Salem was a Moravian community whose structures still stand in Winston Salem, North Carolina, functioning as museum spaces and telling the stories of the Moravian, Black and Indigenous people who lived in the South at the time. Groups will want to explore all the houses and their exhibits in addition to the gardens.

“The founders were meticulous record-keepers, and we have great documentation that helped us restore the gardens to how they were then,” said Eric Jackson, director of horticulture at Old Salem. “We have restored kitchen gardens that guests can explore and a seed-saving lab where we showcase the different varieties and species of plants we grow because they’re all authentic historic plants.”

Since Old Salem is stewarding historic seed collection and preservation, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history of the plants, giving them another layer of understanding. The gardens are planted with what would have been there before 1850, and the horticulturists also employ a number of sustainable practices.

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Whether it’s learning about the natural world in Decatur and Gulf Shores, the past and future of space exploration in Huntsville, visiting sights where Rock ‘n Roll hits were made, or the history of the Civil Rights Movement, we can supply you with itineraries for several group tours. Trouble is...deciding which tour to take ﬁrst. We’ll keep adding to the list, you just keep coming for new adventures. www.alabama.travel