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Health & Fitness

Secrets Gardens of Atlanta

Ever want to visit a secret garden and one that is off the radar of most people?

I've been wanting to do a series of blogs on secret gardens; places WAY off the radar, and I thought I'd start with the secret gardens of the Olmsted/Historic Druid Hills district in Atlanta.

The Druid Hills District is a beautiful and historic residential neighborhood envisioned by Joel Hurt in the 1880's, who wanted to create "an ideal residential suburb".  Druid Hills was actually laid out and designed by the noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.  

Olmsted's idea was to have a main road (Ponce de Leon Avenue) curving gently through the residential neighborhood of Druid Hills, that served as the main thoroughfare for commuter traffic in and out of downtown.  What is unique about Olmsted's plan is that he designed a second road (S. Ponce de Leon Avenue) that runs parallel to the main road and that was designed specifically for pleasure traffic.  In between these two roads Olmsted designed a series of interconnected parks or green spaces.  These parks are still in use today.  

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Two secret gardens exist in the Druid Hills Historic District. The first is the Cator Woolford Gardens on S. Ponce de Leon.  Cator Woolford was one of the founders of what is now Equifax and was the original owner of this property.  If you can believe this, the Woolford Garden is nestled on 39 acres!  The Woolford home is now owned by The Frazer Center, but the gardens are intact, are used frequently for special events, and the public is welcome to visit as long as the gate is open. Interestingly, my good friend Nancy Beckemeyer, who is a landscape architect and was formerly an arborist for the city of Alpharetta, told me that her father once worked for Mr. Woolford tending this estate. The picture with this blog was taken at the Woolford Gardens.  

Another secret garden in Druid Hills is the Lullwater Conservation Garden and Bird Sanctuary.  Owned and maintained by the Lullwater Garden Club for many decades now, this 6.5 acre parcel is a beautiful and serene place with the Lullwater Creek running through it, a walking path and spectactular tree canopy.  It is open to the public.  

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While you're in the Druid Hills area, take a drive down Lullwater Road, and Oakdale and Springdale and Clifton.  You will be amazed at the homes and the tree canopy.  If you are a suburb dweller it will inspire you to dream of how beautiful suburbs can be with the right vision, long term thinking and the goal of connecting people to nature.

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