Our Favorite Spring Visits to North Georgia's Gibbs Gardens Find Daffodils in Late Bloom and Tulips in Full Splendor

As the winter fades to Spring, it's time to make a visit to colorful Gibbs Gardens to catch the first-blooming daffodils and the soon-to-arrive tulips.

For us, a perfectly-timed visit to Gibbs Gardens means blooming daffodils and tulips arriving in full splendorPhoto byDeanLand /OurTravelCafe.com

For us, our first trip each year to Gibbs Garden is a sure sign that our spring outdoor season has begun. The hills are alive with the colors of daffodils, and picture-perfect scenes frame the surrounding North Georgia mountains. In our view, a perfectly-timed visit means catching the daffodils just as they begin to wane, and the tulips as they arrive in their full splendor.

A bloom schedule is available online, allowing visitors to plan visits throughout the season to catch brilliant, changing colors.

More than 50 acres of hillsides are devoted to the early-blooming daffodils. Marked trails allow visitors to explore all the varieties.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

Located just over one hour north of Atlanta near Ballground, GA, the 300+-acre estate is one of the country's largest residential estate gardens. The brainchild and passion of retired landscape company owner Jim Gibbs, the property features16 gardens including specialty plantings at the Manor House Gardens, Japanese and Waterlily Gardens.

Working with the natural landscape of rolling hillsides, Gibbs Gardens includes 24 ponds, 32 bridge crossings and 19 waterfalls. Gibbs planned the plantings for colorful blooms throughout the March to November opening seasons. (If you're planning to visit one of the links that follows, some may contain advertising where the website or author may receive payments.)

Fields of daffodils stand at attention, just waiting for you to snap that perfect photo.Photo byDeanLand / OurTravelCafe.com

First up in spring are the daffodils and tulips, brightening late winter and early spring with nearly eight weeks of changing colors. Early daffodil blooms arrive from late February through mid-March. Mid-period bloomers are expected at peak color through mid-April, before the latest-bloomers complete the daffodil season toward the end of March. The daffodil gardens encompass more than 50 acres -- an area itself larger than most botanical gardens -- and more than 200 different varieties.

The early-blooming tulips arrive with the daffodils. In winter, Gibbs gardeners plant more than 30,000 tulip bulbs. The tall, statuesque tulips are symmetrical symbols of spring's approach.

By mid-March, cherry blossoms appear in the Chinese Garden and other areas, followed by dogwoods and Georgia's well-known azaleas.

With a little luck and a fast zoom lens, you can catch pollen-covered bees doing nature's good work.Photo byDeanLand /OurTravelCafe.com

Reasons to Visit in All Seasons

With beautiful reasons to visit in all seasons, pass holders enjoy year-round admission benefits to optimize visiting during peak bloom seasons. Theme festivals also welcome guests throughout the year.

Tips for Planning a Visit

It's easy to reach Gibbs Gardens by traveling up I-575 toward Ballground, GA, or north on GA 400. Check out this link for directions. And here's a link to some dining options nearby.

You can also combine a spring visit to Gibbs Gardens with a visit to Amicalola Falls to see one of Georgia's natural wonders. If you're pressed for time, drive in to the park and follow the short, rubber surfaced West Ridge trail leading to the mid-falls overlook bridge.

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