Georgia Gardens

Barnsley Gardens

Gibbs Gardens

Smith-Gilbert Gardens

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Vines Gardens

Editor’s Note: We joined forces with our sister publications, Reporter Newspapers, to put together this guide for some colorful garden road trips. The Road Trip feature will pop up from time to time when we find recommendations on where you should go to get out of town.

As spring returns and nature begins to color the landscape, it’s a good time to check out places where flowers really strut their stuff. Here are seven gardens located in Georgia.

Some have stories to tell. Others offer exotic flowers or displays of floral beauty. Clean out the SUV, load up the family and take a moment to smell the roses, or the irises, or the daffodils.

Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta

Efforts to create an Atlanta garden began in 1973, and the garden opened in 1976. It now occupies about 30 acres and five main buildings, and operates as a nonprofit charged with developing and maintaining plant collections for display, education, research and conservation.

Address: 1345 Piedmont Avenue

Hours: Tuesdays through Sundays – 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. November through March; 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. April through October; Thursdays – 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. May through October; closed Mondays, except holidays.

Dunaway Gardens

Callaway Gardens

Dunaway Gardens, Roscoe

Actress Hetty Jane Dunaway in 1934 opened a “theatrical training ground” on her husband Wayne P. Sewell’s property six miles from Newnan, Dunaway Gardens says on its website. Her stone-walled gardens hosted theatrical and dance performances. They fell into disrepair and were overgrown by kudzu and ivy for nearly half a century. Owner Jennifer Bigham began restoring the gardens in 2000, and the gardens reopened in 2005.

Address: 3218 Roscoe Road

Hours: Scheduled to be open only on selected weekend days in April, May and June. Open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon until 4 p.m. on Sundays. Cost: $10 for adults; $8 for children.

What it’s known for: Past association with celebrities, such as Minnie Pearl, an amphitheater, the Hanging Gardens.

For more information: (678) 423-4050 or dunawaygardens.com.

Gibbs Gardens, Ball Ground

Retired landscape company founder James H. Gibbs started building a combination of 16 gardens in 1980 on 220 acres around his Cherokee County home, the gardens’ website says. He opened the house and garden to the public in 2012.

Address: 1987 Gibbs Drive

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, from June 12 through Dec. 12.

Cost: $20 for adults; $18 for seniors 65 and older and for children aged 4 to 17; free for children 3 and younger.

What it’s known for: Daffodils, ferns, a lane shaded by maples and cypress.

For more information: (770) 893-1880 or gibbsgardens.com.

Barnsley Gardens, Adairsville

Cost: $18.95 for adults; $12.95 for children aged 3 to 12; free for children younger than 3. What it’s known for: Orchids, roses, hydrangeas, a Japanese garden, desert plants, high elevation plants.

For more information: (404) 876-5859 or atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

Vines Gardens, Loganville

Address: 3500 Oak Grove Road, Directions: Take I-285 East to Exit 39B. Take U.S 78 East for about 21 miles. Turn left on Hoke Okelly Road SW, then turn left onto Oak Grove Road.

Hours: sunrise to sunset, unless otherwise posted. What it’s known for: 25-acre garden, a model railroad that opens May 10. For more information: (678) 277-0890 or gwinnettcounty.com.

Smith-Gilbert Gardens, Kennesaw

The 16-acre gardens grew up around the historic Hiram Butler House, which was built in 1880. Robert Gilbert purchased the property in 1970 and over the next 35 years, Gilbert and Richard Smith added the gardens and sculpture collection. The house and gardens, owned by the city of Kennesaw, now feature more than 3,000 species of plants.

Address: 2382 Pine Mountain Road

Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays.

Cost: $7 for adults; $6 for senior citizens and active duty military; $5 for children aged 6 to 12. What it’s known for: The garden features 31 sculptures. For more information: (770) 919-0248 or www.smithgilbertgardens.com.

Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain

Cason J. Callaway, a textile magnate from LaGrange, and his wife, Virginia, conceived of these gardens in the 1930s and began working on them in the 1940s, according to the garden’s website. Open to the public since 1952 and now operated by a foundation, this 2,600-acre resort complex offers golf, water sports and restaurants. The garden features a butterfly house, and claims to be home to the world’s largest azalea garden. Peak azalea blooms are expected in late March and early April.

Address: 17800 U.S. 27

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: $18 to $25 (depending on type of ticket) for adults; $15 to $20 for senior citizens 65 and older; $9 to $12.50 for children 6 to 12; 5 and younger, free.

What it’s known for: Azaleas, butterflies, native plants, seasonal special events such as a hot air balloon festival in the summer, and holiday lights in November and December.

For more information: 1-800-225-5292 or callawaygardens.com.

In the 1840s, Englishman Godfrey Barnsley bought acreage in northwest Georgia and began building a mansion and formal garden for his wife, Julia. She died before the project was completed and work stopped until Barnsley dreamed that Julia appeared in the garden and told him to finish the project. Barnsley’s descendants lived at the property until 1942. In 1989, Prince Hubertus Fugger Babenhause of Germany bought the land and restored the garden. The property now is home to the Barnsley Resort, which includes cottages, restaurants, a spa and golf course.

Address: 597 Barnsley Gardens Road

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Cost: $10 for adults; $8 for seniors 55 and older; $5 for students and children aged 4 to 11; free for children younger than 4. What it’s known for: 19th century boxwood gardens, wildflower meadow, rose arbor. For more information: 1-877-773-2447 or (770) 773-7480 or barnsleyresort.com.