Bellingrath Gardens and Home, Historic botanical garden in Mobile County, Alabama, United States.
Bellingrath Gardens and Home is a botanical garden and historic estate in Mobile County, Alabama, combining more than 65 acres (26 ha) of planted grounds around a waterfront residence. Paths wind through beds of azaleas, camellias, and roses, while the fifteen-room mansion stands on a low rise above a reflecting pool.
Walter Bellingrath, an early bottler of Coca-Cola, and his wife Bessie turned their fishing retreat into a public garden starting in 1932, providing work and hope during the Great Depression. The house and grounds were later converted into a museum that continues to welcome visitors today.
The name honors Walter and Bessie Bellingrath, who turned their private retreat into a public destination that now draws visitors from across the region. The interior rooms display furniture and objects that make the lives of wealthy Southern families during the 1930s easy to understand.
The garden opens every day of the year and offers guided tours through the house as well as changing plantings with the seasons. Groups can take advantage of special arrangements, and the paths are mostly accessible, though some areas have gentle slopes.
The winter Festival of Lights displays more than three million lights that transform trees, paths, and water surfaces into glowing scenes. The illumination extends across the entire grounds and creates nighttime landscapes that visitors can explore on foot.
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