A Summer Evening at Huntsville’s Botanical Garden

Two weeks ago, my 13-year-old attended Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, located in Huntsville, Alabama. Nicholas is 13 years old, and neither one of us was comfortable sending him down to Alabama on his own. I am an attorney and can work from just about anywhere, so I escorted him down to Huntsville. While he was at camp, I stayed at and spent most of my time working. Unfortunately, most of the historical sites closed by 5:00 pm, so I did not get to see as much as I would have liked. However, I did manage to visit Huntsville Botanical Garden for an evening.

Visitor’s Center and entrance to the Garden. -Photo courtesy of Huntsville Botanical Garden

The Garden sits on 112 acres of land, once owned by the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. It’s opened year-round and one of the top three places to visit in the state of Alabama. It boasts a picture-perfect aquatic garden, a spectacular wildflower and nature trail, and numerous specialty gardens and plant collections. It is home to the Purdy Butterly House, the nation’s largest open-air butterfly house. There are also eight specialized gardens aimed at children.

Upon entering the parking lot, you see the magnificent visitor’s center. Inside is the atrium where guests check into the Garden.
The 3,500 sq. ft. facility has a cafe with fresh meals and snacks, a gift shop, gallery space for exhibits, offices and conference rooms, along with a balcony overlooking the Garden. An interesting fact about the visitor’s center, the columns in the front are made of limestone and were part of the third Madison County Courthouse which had opened in 1914.

The Garden is opened to the public the following hours:

April – September

  • Monday – Thursday: 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
  • Friday & Saturday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
  • Sunday: 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

October – March

  • Monday – Saturday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Sunday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Members and children under 2 are free. Adults are $14.00, with discounts given to military personnel ($12), Students ($12) and Seniors (55+ $12). From November through February, the admission rates are discounted $2.00.

Upon purchasing my ticket, I was given a map of the grounds. The gentleman at the counter explicitly told me not to miss numbers 5 and 15.

The first thing I noticed as I exited the visitor’s center was how quiet it was outside. There were very few people, and it was just so peaceful. I turned to look at the back of the visitor’s center and was struck at its beauty.

Back of the Eloise McDonald Propst Guest Center
Simply beautiful.
Little Smith Lake

As I was making my way to the Garden Railway, I came across Teledyne Terrace. Teledyne is a company that focuses on aerospace and a contributor to the Garden. This structure was erected in their name.

The fountain is called the Groom’s Fountain.
Looking at it from the side.

Also on my way to the Garden Railway, I came across the thought table.

Each rock had either a word or a picture painted on it. The idea is to create a message with the rocks. Once created, you snap a photo, upload it to social media with the #hbgmoments. This was mine.

I love America.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of the Garden Railway. Imagine my surprise when it resembled another garden railway that I love, in one of my favorite places, Epcot!

The Garden Railway is a miniature landscape that contains a village, farm, waterfall, pond and train trestle and tunnel. I love watching it go on by.

Next, on my walking tour, I came across a cute hammock area and some areas for children to play and relax.

Little playhouse
Hammocks to rest on. I would love to read a good book on one of these.

As I kept walking, I knew I was getting closer to # 5 on the map. If you recall, the gentleman at the front desk told me not to miss #5 and #15. Number 5 did not disappoint.

Aquatic Garden
Aquatic Garden

The Damson Aquatic Garden is a 100-foot pool divided by the Aquatic Pavillion featuring lotus, water lilies and many creatures that make their home in this complete ecosystem.

Another highlight of the Garden is the Children’s Garden. It is eight gardens in one! There is the land of the dinosaurs, space travel, rainbows and prisms, traditional nursery rhymes, learn about bamboo, and create a maze. In the summertime, there are multiple water features, including a wading pool and Pollywog Bog.

Last but certainly not least, the Purdy Butterfly House. At 9,000 square feet, this is the nation’s largest open-air butterfly house featuring over 2,000 butterflies, quail, frogs, fish, and turtles. No wonder this was highlighted on the map. It was beautiful and I could have spent hours here relaxing.

Overall the garden was beautiful. Many of the flowers had already bloomed, but there was still enough to see. I can imagine the fall is absolutely gorgeous.

Speaking of the fall, through September and October the Garden hosts a scarecrow trail, weekend hayrides, hay bale art, a con maze, pumpkin display, and a Halloween event, Bootanica! So if you happen to be in the area in the next two months, make sure to check these out.

About The Author

Heather

33 COMMENTS

  1. Leeanne Miller | 10th Sep 19

    What a fun place. My parents had a koi pond with water lilies and I loved sitting next to it to relax. The buildings are also so beautiful.

    • Heather | 20th Sep 19

      Thank you. It was gorgeous!

  2. Tiffany | 23rd Sep 19

    This looks like an awesome spot to go! Beautiful.

  3. Magan | 23rd Sep 19

    What a beautiful looking place! Great photos! Makes me want to spend a retreat day there.

  4. Ramae Hamrin | 23rd Sep 19

    What a beautiful place! I would enjoy the aquatic garden and the butterfly house very much!

  5. Jelane | 23rd Sep 19

    I have family in Huntsville and have visited them many times but I’ve never been to the Botanical Gardens. After seeing your beautiful photos, I will definitely be going there on my next trip to Huntsville.

  6. Robin Frields | 23rd Sep 19

    I love anywhere there are botanical gardens! It is always such a peaceful place and this one looks incredible! Thank you for sharing 🙂

  7. Malia | 23rd Sep 19

    What a gorgeous place! I love the aquatic garden and the thoughts table (what a cool idea, and I love your message!). It looks like a lovely place to spend a day.

  8. Tricia Snow | 23rd Sep 19

    Wow! I love all of your photos! This looks like a great place to hang out for the day. Thanks!

  9. Angela | 23rd Sep 19

    Beautiful location. The butterflies , the hammocks and the aquatic garden would be my favorites.

  10. Jennifer L Markell | 23rd Sep 19

    I love this! My hubby and I always like to visit the local botanical gardens when we go on vacation. He actually proposed to me in our local gardens. Thank you for sharing the details…I love that cute little town for sure and based on the map they have a lot to see.

  11. Holly Bird | 23rd Sep 19

    What a truly beautiful garden! I will put it on my list to do the next time I am in Huntsville! Love this!!

  12. Lisa | 23rd Sep 19

    What beautiful grounds with so much history!

  13. Karen | 23rd Sep 19

    What a beautiful place to visit. Your pictures are gorgeous. I love the Thought Table. What a unique idea.

  14. jody | 23rd Sep 19

    This looks like a amazing place to visit someday. The pictures are amazing.

  15. jen | 23rd Sep 19

    What a stunning and fun place! For sure something we would go and do. I love the rock garden!!! OK… so did you sing the munchkin song and skip on the yellow brick road??

  16. Candy K | 23rd Sep 19

    Such a beautiful location. I love the hammocks!

  17. Lisa | 23rd Sep 19

    This garden looks fun for both adults and children. So beautiful!

  18. Jen | 23rd Sep 19

    Absolutely beautiful! I love the rock you created!

  19. Karla Petersen | 23rd Sep 19

    Beautiful and wonderful! The photos are gorgeous and I’m sure don’t do it justice. I love gardens!

  20. Stacey Billingsley | 23rd Sep 19

    Wow, this place is gorgeous and your pictures are wonderful! I does look like a peaceful place to visit. I haven’t spent a lot of time in Alabama, but I hope to visit more in the future. This is definitely on my must-do list!

  21. Melissa Jones | 23rd Sep 19

    That looks beautiful! I’ve been to the Space and Rocket Center but never heard of this. Thanks for sharing!!

  22. Eva | 23rd Sep 19

    The pictures are beautiful, especially the Aquatic Garden. We’re not far from there (we live in Warner Robins, GA); maybe we’ll take a road trip to check it out.

  23. Cameron | 23rd Sep 19

    Looks like so much fun – especially with kids. Thanks so much for sharing it with us!

  24. Suzan | 24th Sep 19

    What a beautiful botanical garden. I especially love the thought garden! What a beautiful interactive way to leave a message for the next passerby.

  25. Lisa | 24th Sep 19

    Oh my goodness what a gorgeous botanical garden. We are always looking for something new to visit and this definitely made our list. Thank you for sharing your time there.

  26. Kendra | 24th Sep 19

    Gorgeous! I love the Thought Table! Very cool idea! The aquatic gardens are amazing!

  27. Cindy | 24th Sep 19

    I love touring botanical gardens! This one looks amazing. I love the aquatic garden and the butterfly house especially.

  28. Jenna | 24th Sep 19

    Looks like a fun place to visit! I’m adding this on my list of places to see one day!

  29. Jenny | 24th Sep 19

    We really enjoy going to botanical gardens. Looks like this is a beautiful place.

  30. Lina Thao | 24th Sep 19

    What a gorgeous place to visit! I love visiting botanical gardens and this one looks pretty awesome.

  31. Alexandra | 27th Sep 19

    this place looks beautiful and peaceful! thank you for sharing! definitely something my husband would love – we love botanical gardens!

  32. T.M. | 29th Sep 19

    These are stunning photos and such an interesting destination to explore! I was completely mesmerized by your photos of the Aquatic Gardens!

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