Plan Your
Gainesville Visit

Updated 4/4/2022

Regarding COVID-19, see current policy below:

Guests are no longer required to wear masks in the Garden. Masks are optional in all areas.

PROHIBITED ITEMS

To preserve the natural environment of the Garden, the following are prohibited:

• Outside food or beverages
• Smoking, cigars, chewable tobacco, e-cigarettes, vaping, and any illegal substances
• Firearms and weapons of any kind, including items that look like weapons
• Balloons and confetti
• Sports equipment, including footballs, baseballs, soccer balls and Frisbees
• Bicycles, rollerblades, scooters, skateboards, hoverboards, Segways, remote controlled vehicles and drones
• Portable music players without headphones and musical instruments
• Rice, birdseed and flower petals (for Garden wedding guidelines, contact the Events department)

GUEST SAFETY AND GARDEN CARE

 For your safety and the care of the Garden’s collections:

• Stay on designated pathways at all times. Do not block pathways or access for other visitors.
• Children must be supervised at all times.
• Climbing on walls, exhibits and other structures (other than Children’s Garden play structures designated for that purpose) is prohibited.
• Use caution on stairs and wet surfaces, which can become slippery when wet.
• Do not collect or remove seeds, flowers, fruits and vegetables, plant labels, etc., or touch or handle plants or special exhibits (other than in designated areas of the Children’s Garden).
• Do not wade or swim in ponds or fountains.
• Do not feed or handle any wildlife.
• Pets are not allowed inside the Garden. Service animals are permitted. Please do not allow service animals to defecate or urinate in the Garden.
• Dispose of waste and recyclables in trash receptacles. All trash is sorted for recycling off-site.
• Keep your personal items with you at all times. The Garden cannot be held responsible for missing items.
• Please turn in any recovered items to a staff member at the Visitors Services desk in the Kay and Douglas Ivester Visitor Center.

DRESS

The Garden is a family-friendly environment. The Garden reserves the right to deny admission to or remove any person wearing attire that is considered inappropriate or attire that could detract from the experience of other Guests. Dress for an outdoor, walking experience. Attire that is not appropriate for the Garden includes but is not limited to:

• Clothing which, by nature, exposes excessive portions of the skin that may be viewed as inappropriate for a family environment
• Clothing or tattoos with objectionable material, including obscene language or graphics

Shoes and shirts are required at all times (comfortable shoes for walking are recommended). Adults may not wear bathing suits inside the Garden at any time.

BEHAVIOR

Please respect the Garden’s staff and your fellow guests:

• Professional photography sessions must be reserved and paid for in advance. No walk-in photography sessions, please. To arrange a photo session, please contact specialevents@atlantabg.org.
• The Garden will not tolerate inappropriate behavior, including, but not limited to, yelling, violence, intimidation, threats, harassment, aggression, swearing, damage, abuse, or sexual harassment. Individuals who are aggressive toward staff or other guests will be escorted off the property.

Personal Photoshoot
Guests are invited to take photographs and videos of the garden for personal use. Personal photo shoots, including engagement photos, wedding/bridal photos, and family portraits are scheduled through the Private Events department in advance. All sessions require a booking fee.

Intimate Photography Session $100
Garden admission for up to 4 people for up to two hours. Count includes photographer, second, videographer, etc. Children 3 and under are excluded from count.

Party Photography Session $300
Garden admission for up to 10 people for up to two hours. Count includes photographer, second, videographer, etc. Children 3 and under are excluded from count.

Photo shoots can only be accommodated during daytime business hours. Additional guests/vendors subject to charge and availability.

See more details on all Photoshoots here.

Guests grant permission to the Atlanta Botanical Garden Gainesville to utilize their image, likeness and/or sound recordings for the purpose whatsoever in perpetuity. All manner of drone photography and video of the Garden is strictly forbidden.

Contact the Special Events Department at 404-888-4762 to schedule a personal photo shoot.

Nearly all areas are accessible to guests with wheelchairs and scooters. Complimentary wheelchairs are available at the Gainesville Visitor Center and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and cannot be reserved.

For questions about accessibility, please call 404-888-4760, option 1.

The Garden is open rain or shine. Nearly all the display gardens are outside, so dress appropriately for local weather. Refunds or rain checks on admission ticket purchases are not granted for weather-related reasons.

In the event of inclement weather that forces closure for safety reasons, the Gainesville Garden will post on all its Facebook page.