Goizueta Gardens

Explore the Goizueta Gardens led by Atlanta History Center’s Vice President of Goizueta Gardens and Living Collections, Sarah Carter.

Weather permitting, every Saturday afternoon between 2 and 3 it’s time for sheep to stroll and goats to promenade. That’s when Brett Bannor, Manager of Animal Collections, walks animals from the Smith Farm flock around the campus, giving visitors a chance to meet and learn about our heritage breed livestock.

As the days shorten and temperatures drop in autumn, plants begin a series of physiological processes to prepare for the cold. Plants are generally about the same temperature as the surrounding air, so to deal with cold they must employ alternative methods.

On October 30, 2023, Olguita’s Garden will celebrate its 5th anniversary! This special garden was created in honor of Olga C. de Goizueta. Special thanks to The Goizueta Foundation for their generous support of Atlanta History Center through the years, and specifically for their continued commitment to Goizueta Gardens.

Although in the heart of a busy urban neighborhood, the Goizueta Gardens are host to many species of native wildlife including six species of salamanders.

Honeybees battle immense pressure due to diseases, pests, lack of nutritious floral resources, and pesticide exposure (especially mosquito spraying). The Gardens staff bee team has recently rehomed a swarmed colony and expanded the apiary to include 6 thriving hives thanks in large part to donations received during their GivingTuesday 2022 Save the Bees campaign.

On December 24, thermometers dipped to 8 degrees Fahrenheit, the coldest temperature seen in our area since 2014. Damages to the gardens in the metro area as a result of this polar plunge are now fully manifesting, and Goizueta Gardens is no exception. All this carnage certainly brings a tear to every gardener’s eye but not everything is dead! Though it may seem that way initially.

Looking back on the past ten years with Atlanta History Center’s Gulf Coast sheep.

Although it may seem there is little to see in a winter garden, Olguita’s Garden will show you otherwise.

A short walk around the woods on the History Center grounds will reveal many large loblolly pines with their tops above the surrounding deciduous trees. These pines reveal that the land preserved within Goizueta Gardens began to reforest shortly after the end of the American Civil War, between 1862 and 1872. The forest that covers much of the campus today is the forest that began to grow at that time.

There is always something new to discover in this garden of flowers and fragrance, just behind the museum. To achieve year-round bloom, Goizueta Gardens staff carefully select seasonal plants to incorporate into the beds and borders that complement the permanent collections.

The diverse botanical landscapes and healthy forests of the Goizueta Gardens are perfect for producing insects and caterpillars and are perfect for summer birds. These are just a few of the birds that are found here in spring and summertime; take a moment in the gardens and you may hear or see them yourself.

As February rolls into March, the weather begins to warm and the first of the new year’s spring wildflowers begin to push their fresh growth through last autumn’s leaves. In our Goizueta Gardens, southeastern native plants are a central part of our living collections—spring ephemerals included. They are making their spectacular appearance now, and a few are highlighted here.