BELLINGRATH GARDENS AND HOME

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF SOUTHERN CHARM IN 2007!

With the camellia blooms in winter, the azaleas in spring, roses in the summer, chrysanthemums in autumn and the famed Magic Christmas in Lights during the holiday season, Bellingrath Gardens and Home is a 65 acre estate of year-round beauty. It encompasses approximately 900 acres along the Fowl River in Theodore, AL, just outside of Mobile, and is definitely something you want to see anytime of the year. But, the Magic Christmas in Lights is almost overwhelming. There is so much to see - and there’s something for everyone. You do not want to miss it!

Bellingrath Gardens and Home, originally known as Belle Camp, was intended to be a fishing camp for its founder, Walter D. Bellingrath, Mobile’s first Coca-Cola bottler. Wow! Did that ever change. The Gardens were the creation of Walter and his wife, Bessie Morse Bellingrath, and first opened to the public on April 7, 1932 while a national garden club meeting was taking place in Mobile. Mr. Bellingrath placed an ad in the Mobile paper, announcing that anyone who would like to see the spring garden could do so free of charge. A major traffic jam ensued and admission was charged thereafter for maintenance of the Gardens.

After the overwhelming response, the couple decided to keep the gardens open year-round, beginning in 1934. Mr. Bellingrath once said, “The Gardens are like a beautiful woman with a different gown for each week of the year.” Walter D. Bellingrath also founded the Bellingrath-Morse Foundation at the age of 80. The foundation benefits Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL and Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL. A true loss to the community of Mobile, Bessie Morse Bellingrath died in 1943 at the age of 64 and Walter D. Bellingrath died in 1955 at the age of 86.

Throughout the year, Bellingrath Gardens and Home boasts an abundance of year-round blossoms and always has a beautiful array of blooming flora. From April through December, everything is coming up roses at Bellingrath! Colors, fragrances and scenic views await you on a self-guided walking tour. You may enjoy the 2004 Top Public Rose Garden in the U.S., as awarded by the All-America Rose Selections, experience the Bayou Boardwalk, marvel at Mirror Lake, behold the Great Lawn, view the Asian-American Gardens, stroll through the Butterfly Garden, observe formal garden terraces and more!

Tour the Bellingrath Home, complete with its original furnishings and Mrs. Bellingrath’s extensive collection of decorative arts. Built in 1935, the 10,500 square foot home was designed by prominent architect, George B. Rogers. The style of the Home was dubbed “English Renaissance” by Rogers.

Additionally, you may take a 45-minute cruise along the Fowl River aboard the Southern Belle. As you enjoy your relaxing cruise, learn about birding habits, ecological systems and civil war history of the area. The Southern Belle departs daily from Bellingrath Gardens and Home between March and November.

Many special events and weddings are held throughout the year on the Bellingrath property. Should you want to hold an event or have a wedding there, it’s only a phone call away.

Don’t miss the Cascade Mums on Display from Thursday, November 1 through Thursday, November 22 this year. The mums are on display throughout the gardens with peak blooming during the second and third weeks of November.

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Ah, yes. The Magic Christmas in Lights. On Friday after Thanksgiving, the magic begins and is there for everyone to see through New Year’s Eve (except for Christmas Day). Holiday light displays featuring 3.5 million lights, 605 set pieces in 12 scenes throughout Bellingrath Gardens and Home 65 acre estate excite even some of the toughest Scrooges. The show changes every year. New set pieces are added to the scenes and this year Bellingrath has a complete new scene.

Major scenes this year include:  Butterflies in Flight; Peace on Earth; Toyland; Critter Cove;  Cajun Christmas; Lotus Land; Over the Rainbow; Emerald Forest; Candyland; Flower Walk; Nativity; and The Night Before Christmas (new). As the pathway winds through the gardens, the lights captivate everyone with little Christmas villages popping up everywhere and every Christmas scene you can imagine just around the next bend. Even tiny tots are enthralled with the lights as their parents push them along in their strollers. I took my grandson, Caleb, who was four years old at the time to see the Magic and he didn’t want to leave. His big, blue eyes were wide with delight and he was so thrilled that he just couldn’t see enough at one time!

The Bellingrath Café is open year round during the day for lunch and has snacks in the afternoon. Beginning on the Friday after Thanksgiving and continuing through New Year’s Eve, the Café is also open for dinner during the Magic of Christmas Lights. Dinner is served each evening during this time (except Christmas) and the Gift Shop is loaded with fabulous holiday gifts and decorations. Shop early. You may find the perfect gift for that special person on your Christmas list.

Bellingrath Gardens and Home is open 364 days a year, closing only on Christmas Day, and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except during Magic Christmas in Lights (Day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve) when the Gardens remain open until 9 p.m. Guests should allow 1 to 2 hours to tour the entire Christmas show.

Located 20 miles southwest of Mobile, Alabama, it is one of the top public gardens in the United States. Bellingrath continues as a treasure for the Mobile community and a favorite of tourists and guests world-wide. Everyone should visit Bellingrath Gardens and Home at some point in each season. It’s a virtual on-going tour of color, flowers, and lights all year long, as is the magnificent Bellingrath home.

For more information, admission prices and/or reservations, please visit the Bellingrath website at:  www.bellingrath.org. You may also contact Leslie Schraeder, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at 251-973-2217, extension 137 or 1-800-247-8420, extension 137.

Many thanks to Ms. Schraeder for much of the information and the photographs for this story.

Written by Gayle Thrash

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