[Nelumbo74]

Since most aquatic gardeners are also terrestrial gardeners, you should try your best to also see the Atlanta Botanical Garden while you're in town. It's one of the best, and the new state of the art orchid houses are amazing with both highland and tropical sections. There are Nepenthes in there bigger than your forearm. Also, the Camellias will be beginning to bloom in the woodland garden, and they have some exceptional dart frog paludariums in the lobby of Fuqua conservatory.

 

[Nelumbo74]

For you convention-goers:

For those coming in early or leaving late: check out the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It comes highly recommended to those who love plants.

Yes, the ABG is amazing. The Fuqua Orchid Center contains two orchid houses and a tissue culture lab that are attached to the main conservatory. I believe each orchis house is at least 10,000 sq ft. The tropical house is very ornamental with all the basic commercial orchids, and then some that you would never guess are orchids, as well as tropical Rhododendrons, Gesneriads and multiple Bromeliads. Also, the vanilla orchid has bloomed there at least once. If you go there, ask one of the docents about it. The highland orchid house is set up to replicate a high altitude habitat complete with fog and much cooler temps. There you will not only find amazing highland orchids, but you will see Nepenthes bigger than your forearm, and unbelievable Heliamphora. As for the tissue culture lab, it is situated behind large glass windows, so the public can view their work. It's very interesting.

Also, there are multiple paludariums that contain dart frogs, and some of the dart frogs roam free in the main Fuqua Conservatory. You can actually hear them singing.

Unfortunately, my favorite part, the Woodland Shade Garden is closed due to renovations and expansion of the garden. It has one of the best Camellia gardens in the country. They would just be beginning to bloom right now, but unfortunately this section is closed until May 09.

This truly is an amazing, world-class public garden.

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/our_gardens/garden_map.html

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/site/our_gardens/plant_collections

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/our_gardens/InBloom.do

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/site/conservation/amphibian_research

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/site/conservation/tissue_culture