Visitor Center Closing Early

The Visitor Center and Conservatory will close early at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Introduction to Graminoid ID

Register OnlineMelanie Flood, special project botanist, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program The term “graminoids” refers to three types of monocots – the grasses, sedges, and rushes. In this course, students will learn the basic morphological differences between gra......More

Register OnlineMelanie Flood, special project botanist, North Carolina Natural Heritage Program The term “graminoids” refers to three types of monocots – the grasses, sedges, and rushes. In this course, students will learn the basic morphological differences between graminoids, as well as how to identify some larger genera within each family. The class will begin inside to learn some background on the families and look at some plant specimens up close and personal under a microscope, and then we will take our newfound knowledge outside to the trails of the State Botanical Garden to look at these differences among living plants.

State Botanical Garden Visitor Center, Classroom 2, 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, 30605

Summer Camp - Georgia Critters

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-......More

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-10 Learn to bound like a deer, sneak like a fox and build a home like a beaver. From reptiles and amphibians to birds and mammals, we will study a variety of creatures that call Georgia ‘home’ and learn what they need to survive in their habitats. Come to this week of camp and leave a Georgia animal expert.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia, 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, 30605

Insect Pollinators in Our Gardens

Register OnlinePaola Barriga, Faculty, academic professional, UGA Department of Plant Biology This course allows participants to evaluate plant-insect interactions in gardens from an ecological perspective. For instance, we will focus on the importance of maintaining pl......More

Register OnlinePaola Barriga, Faculty, academic professional, UGA Department of Plant Biology This course allows participants to evaluate plant-insect interactions in gardens from an ecological perspective. For instance, we will focus on the importance of maintaining plant and insect pollinator diversity and the ecological factors that may influence this outcome. Among the factors that will be discussed in this course are the role of disease and pesticides on pollinator’s survival and how these factors could interact with plant species and produce certain outcomes.   

Virtual Lecture – Zoom

Summer Camp - Georgia Critters

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-......More

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-10 Learn to bound like a deer, sneak like a fox and build a home like a beaver. From reptiles and amphibians to birds and mammals, we will study a variety of creatures that call Georgia ‘home’ and learn what they need to survive in their habitats. Come to this week of camp and leave a Georgia animal expert.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia, 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, 30605

Summer Camp - Georgia Critters

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-......More

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-10 Learn to bound like a deer, sneak like a fox and build a home like a beaver. From reptiles and amphibians to birds and mammals, we will study a variety of creatures that call Georgia ‘home’ and learn what they need to survive in their habitats. Come to this week of camp and leave a Georgia animal expert.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia, 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, 30605

Nature Ramblers

Free Leaders rotate among a group of local naturalists and biologists featuring guest guides. Meet at children’s garden arbor. Join the Nature Ramblers to learn more about the natural areas, flora and fauna of the State Botanical Garden while making new friends and enjo......More

Free Leaders rotate among a group of local naturalists and biologists featuring guest guides. Meet at children’s garden arbor. Join the Nature Ramblers to learn more about the natural areas, flora and fauna of the State Botanical Garden while making new friends and enjoying the fresh air. Rambles start with an inspirational reading by a nature writer such as Annie Dillard, John Muir or Janisse Ray. Ramblers are encouraged to bring their own nature writings or favorite poems and essays to share with the group. This is a ramble, not a hike stopping to view interesting plants, insects, butterflies and mushrooms, etc., along the way is part of the experience each week. You can join for just one or all sessions. These informal rambles are free, but donations are accepted in the garden’s donation box in the lobby of the visitor’s center. To get a feel for what these rambles are like, visit http://naturerambling.blogspot.com.

Shade Garden Arbor, 2450 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA, 30605, United States

Summer Camp - Georgia Critters

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-......More

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-10 Learn to bound like a deer, sneak like a fox and build a home like a beaver. From reptiles and amphibians to birds and mammals, we will study a variety of creatures that call Georgia ‘home’ and learn what they need to survive in their habitats. Come to this week of camp and leave a Georgia animal expert.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia, 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, 30605

Sweet Pea Club

Ages: 3-5 | $3 per class Register OnlineJoin the State Botanical Garden of Georgia education team for Sweet Pea Club at the Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden. Families will join one another for a morning of adventure in the garden through a variety of activities that ......More

Ages: 3-5 | $3 per class Register OnlineJoin the State Botanical Garden of Georgia education team for Sweet Pea Club at the Alice H. Richards Children’s Garden. Families will join one another for a morning of adventure in the garden through a variety of activities that can include songs, puppets, stories, hikes and games.  Each week will highlight a new theme, such as water, soil, foods we eat, pollination, plants or trees. The Sweet Pea Club program is an informal way to give young naturalists a better understanding of the importance of our shared earth. This program is geared towards ages 3-5. Please note this program typically takes place outdoors, and the location may change depending on weather. Registration is required.

Alice H. Richards Childrens Garden, 2450 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA, 30605, United States

June Friends First Friday Founders Memorial Garden

$12 general admission | $10 for members Register OnlineGareth Crosby is the Director and Curator of the Founders Memorial Garden for the College of Environment and Design at UGA. She manages the day-to-day garden work, rentals, publicity, development and building mainte......More

$12 general admission | $10 for members Register OnlineGareth Crosby is the Director and Curator of the Founders Memorial Garden for the College of Environment and Design at UGA. She manages the day-to-day garden work, rentals, publicity, development and building maintenance. Gareth will talk about the Founders Memorial Garden, a local secret garden that is loved by UGA students, staff and local Athenians alike. Gareth gained her Master of Fine Art in Landscape Design at the Conway School of Landscape Design and has worked in both public and private gardens in Athens since 2010. Much of her focus has been on useful plants in sustainable landscape design and plants of cultural importance to the state of Georgia. Prior to joining the College of Environment and Design, Gareth was Curator of the Heritage Garden at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia for nine years. At home, she has two children and a husband. They grow a small vegetable garden that produces excellent strawberries, garlic, onions and asparagus, as well as other seasonal annuals. Her orchard is 90% heirloom apples, and she stewarded the Georgia Heirloom Apple Collection while at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. She is a crafter and shepherdess, growing cashmere goats for their luxurious fiber, which she combs from their coats, spins into yarn and then uses to knit items for family and friends. She is also fascinated by dye plants and the magical process of indigo dye. The registration deadline is noon on May 30.

Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum – Classroom, 2450 S. Milledge Ave., Athens, Georgia, 30605, United States

Summer Camp - Georgia Critters

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-......More

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-10 Learn to bound like a deer, sneak like a fox and build a home like a beaver. From reptiles and amphibians to birds and mammals, we will study a variety of creatures that call Georgia ‘home’ and learn what they need to survive in their habitats. Come to this week of camp and leave a Georgia animal expert.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia, 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, 30605

Carnivorous Plants of the Southeast U.S.

Register OnlineWill Rogers, research professional II, State Botanical Garden of Georgia If you are amazed by carnivorous plants, you’re in legendary company the great Charles Darwin also shared your passion and enthusiasm for them. This course will be a dynamic, hands-o......More

Register OnlineWill Rogers, research professional II, State Botanical Garden of Georgia If you are amazed by carnivorous plants, you’re in legendary company the great Charles Darwin also shared your passion and enthusiasm for them. This course will be a dynamic, hands-on experience getting to know various native carnivorous species and a few others from across the world. Learn about various prey capture techniques, unexpected symbiotic relationships, growing requirements, and genetic work conducted here at UGA. There will also be a feeding tutorial since some lucky participants will be going home with a carnivorous plant of their own!

State Botanical Garden Visitor Center, Classroom 2, 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, 30605

Summer Camp - Aquatic Adventurers

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-......More

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-10 Come explore the wacky world of water. Catch salamanders and crayfish in our stream, play water games that leave you soaked, and learn what you can do to keep our water clean. This week of camp is sure to cool you down and excite your imagination.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia, 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, 30605

Summer Camp - Aquatic Adventurers

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-......More

Register OnlineThe State Botanical Garden education department offers 6 different week-long summer camps for ages 5-10. Each week focuses on a different outdoor theme to inspire fun and to connect with nature. Fee: $300 Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Ages: 5-10 Come explore the wacky world of water. Catch salamanders and crayfish in our stream, play water games that leave you soaked, and learn what you can do to keep our water clean. This week of camp is sure to cool you down and excite your imagination.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia, 2450 S Milledge Ave, Athens, 30605