Walking Through the Sky

One of my earliest posts here on Buckhead Betty was about finding ways to act like a socialite in the city while on a budget, and how the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is a perfect option. A Dual Membership to the Gardens is only $75, and gives you free entrance to the park for a full year. It also gives you perks like free entrance to special events, such as Cocktails in the Garden all summer. Last night, we were lucky enough to be able to attend a more unusual special event - the Members Preview Party for the brand new Canopy Walk and park expansion!

The Canopy Walk is set to open tomorrow, May 1, in all it's amazing glory. It hangs 40 feet in the air, suspended by these massive cables from a reverse suspension bridge. It gives an unique view of the gardens from up there, and an amazing feat of engineering.



This new area adds 15 acres to the Gardens -- doubling the amount of ground you can explore when you come visit.



Because we have been to the Gardens so much, we skipped over some of the areas we had visited before to continue checking out what was new. The next stop was the Edible Gardens. This place has serious event-space potential.



Full of herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables, this space was amazingly a parking lot before becoming a natural garden fully ready to eat.



These were my favorite -- walls of herbs! I wish I could do something like this on the wall of my porch!



And don't forget the Outdoor Kitchen. This space is fantastic. It features a full Viking Range (hello client! I had no idea!), and will be featuring cooking demonstrations with Atlanta's top chefs all summer long. Last night, they sampled gazpacho shooters, yum!

As part of the Garden exhibits for the summer, they have Blown Organics: The Glass of Cohn-Stone Studios featured throughout the plants. It is very similar to when the Chihuly exhibit was there -- what at first appear to be huge fruit are actually beautiful blown glass shapes! That picture above has Cohn tomatoes strung along the top of the planters.

All in all, I can't emphasize enough what a destination the Garden is for everyone. Parents can bring the kids to explore nature from a whole new angle up in the air. The Cocktails in the Gardens events are perfect for a group of girlfriends, or for a date night -- they have complimentary appetizers and a cash bar. They even have a Concert Series during the summer for everyone, too. Daily admission prices are reasonable, though the best deals are through membership.

Have you been to the Gardens? What are you looking forward to most about the Gardens this year?