The Gardens

The Spring Garden, Butterfly House, and Lake

Today Matt and I explored Airlie Gardens. It was a drizzly day, but as a result the air was cool and we almost had the entire place to ourselves! Not only were the tickets reasonably priced ($5 for military), the gardens were simply breathtaking. There were very few flowers in bloom this time of year, but the beauty of the garden rests in the oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. So quintessentially Southern! We saw turtles sunning on logs, swans floating on a lake, and butterflies drinking nectar in the little butterfly house we toured.

Airlie is comprised of multiple tourist spots connected by paths. One such spot was a long pergola that in spring will be covered in flowers. At the end is a fountain and a view of the lake. This is where the weddings take place, and I can see why!

My favorite sight was the Airlie oak that is estimated to be 467 years old. It was gigantic! Matt's favorite part was the bottle chapel dedicated to the artist Minnie Evans. The whole building was simply cement amd glass bottles. Matt enjoyed identifying all the different bottles used.

I want to return to this lovely place one spring so I can see the gardens in bloom.

Airlie Oak

Bottle Chapel