5 Tips For Visiting Gibbs Gardens

Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground, Georgia is a MUST DO if you love flowers and like visiting gardens! They are the largest residential estate gardens in America. The gorgeous scenery includes over 220 acres of stunning gardens with 24 ponds, several streams, 19 waterfalls and 32 bridge crossings for the perfect spring time stroll.

Tips for Visiting Gibbs Gardens:

1. Visit During The Spring ColorFest!

If you can time your visit for the spring, I highly recommend it! There are millions of daffodils! No really, 20 million to be exact. They have over 150 varieties of daffodils that bloom at different times throughout March and April for a six week period. The daffodil gardens span an area of 50+ acres. This is the largest display of daffodils in America!

During the spring ColorFest at Gibbs Gardens, you will see tulips, azaleas, dogwoods and cherry blossoms blooming as well. It’s a spectacular time to visit.

2. Be Prepared To Walk

Plan on a lot of walking! With 220 plus acres, you will get your steps in for the day. There are small hills, so be prepared for a small elevation change as well. Wear comfortable shoes!

Most of the gardens are wheelchair and stroller friendly.

There used to be a tram service for $5, but it is not running at this time.

3. Allow Two to Four Hours to Spend in Gibbs Gardens.

The gardens are massive at 220 acres, so allow a few hours to see them. This of course, will depend on how long you want to stroll around the property and how much you want to see. We were on a time crunch and only had an hour dedicated to the gardens. During this time, we were able to see all the Daffodil gardens and the Japanese garden. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to see the English manor house and the gardens surrounding it.

4. Be There When It Opens.

This is my general tip for everywhere we go, but it really does help.

For one, we ended up with one of the closest parking spaces to the entrance. This was very convenient for when we had to go back to the car for something and when it was time to leave.

Also, there were no crowds yet. There was a good chunk of time that we had certain sections of the gardens to ourselves. We didn’t have to worry about cropping people out of our pictures.

5. Check the Website Before Coming to Gibbs Gardens.

For one, they recommend purchasing your tickets online, so you can save time from waiting in line. You can purchase tickets HERE.

It’s also helpful to check the website to see if there are any special events going on. They host several different events during the year. Sometimes they change their hours for certain circumstances and may close early.

Finally, they keep their website updated with what’s blooming in the garden at that moment. So you’ll know beforehand what to expect.

Here’s a link to their main webpage HERE.

You can check out what’s blooming HERE.

Things To Know Before Visiting Gibbs Gardens:

• They do not allow staged photography like senior pictures, engagement or wedding photo shoots. No changes of clothes or photography equipment like reflector pieces.

• No dogs allowed except service animals.
• No outside food or drinks permitted except water.
• There is a cafe onsite with decent food options like sandwiches and salads.
• There are nice bathrooms on site as well. Don’t be fooled by the port a potties in the parking lot!
• Again check the website before visiting!

Location:

Gibbs Gardens is located in Ball Ground, Georgia. It makes a great day trip from Atlanta, since it’s only an hour north from the city.

1987 Gibbs Drive Ball Ground, GA 30107

Admission:

As of this posting, Gibbs Gardens admission price is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $10 for children. There was no charge for parking.

Gibbs Gardens Hours of Operation:

The gardens are open to the public Wednesday through Sunday year round from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Certain times of the year, they will be open on Tuesdays as well. Last entry time to enter the gardens is 4:00 PM. Check the website HERE to confirm their hours before visiting.

Gibbs Gardens are spectacular and a must see when in the area. I’ve only been during the spring, but I imagine that they are beautiful year round. I highly recommend taking the time to visit these beautiful gardens!

Want to visit another beautiful garden in Georgia? Check out my post about Callaway Gardens. It’s about a two hour drive from Gibbs Gardens.