For the price $9/adult, it was mostly worth a short stop on our trip. The small butterfly…read moregreenhouse had far fewer butterflies than I expected to see and just took a few minutes to circle. There's a pleasant nature walk and lovely unkempt gardens overflowing with native and tropical flowers for the local bees and butterflies. There are two bee hives on the property. The monarch butterflies we saw were outside in the garden, so don't skip the outside portion. They have a small plant sale with a lot of cuttings. If you need a place for a toddler to run around on a car trip, this would be a good place to stop.

Wonderful stop for anyone with young kids, or even some of us of an older age looking for a fun /…read morepeaceful change of pace. Kudos to the staff that have done a lot to expand this charming area. A special shout out to Natalia and Willett for their engaging nature and wealth of experience! Don't leave without a discussion with one of them. Cheers! RS

A interesting mind provocative experience for things that go bump in the night. I was surprised by…read morethe level of evidence and thought put into the experience. Definite a must stop to scratch that itch. Well done.

Definitely an interesting experience. Totally worth the $9 ticket. Only complaint is that we wished…read morethere was a tour guide. Thankfully there was a true believer who was there at the same time as we were so we were able to listen to his fun facts.

Honestly, save your time and go apple picking at a specific farm instead. This fair was much more…read morecraft-oriented and the number of actual apple products was severely lacking. Food was fine, but was primarily just fried foods you can get at any fair (not specifically apple-y). Only a few stands were selling fresh apples, and of those, only one had apple cider! Very crowded, and admission did not feel worth what we got.

After seeing the apple festival on Instagram, I knew it would be the perfect fall activity for me…read moreand my friends. We headed up north and had a relatively easy time with parking. We parked at the school for $5 and were easily able to get in and out. The festival had over a hundred vendors available for browsing, with lots of unique handcrafted items, interactive activities, and yummy food. You can get everything from tacos to barbeque to ribbon fries. We opted for some tacos, street corn, a pretzel, and some apple dumplings and all the food was great! The apple dumpling and the pretzel were personal highlights for me. The event itself does get really crowded, so be prepared to wait in lines for a good portion of your experience. Many of the vendors are cash only, and the day we went the credit card system was offline, causing a reliance on Venmo or other online payment options. Just like every other fair, the prices will be a bit high, so bring a decent amount of cash so you can enjoy your time. One thing I would hope to see in the future is more participation from local orchards. There was a lot of variety with vendors, but I was hoping to see more of a focus on apples as the star of the show. Overall, the festival was a fun experience I could see becoming a yearly tradition for our friend group.

Visited today on a spectacular spring day (happened to be Earth Day.) The sky was so blue, the…read morebirds were singing, and the gardens were bursting with color. My favorite part of the gardens is the Japanese garden with its countless deep red Japanese maples, reflecting pools, shaded benches for contemplating the gardens' beauty. It's a beautiful place to take a stroll and have lunch in the shaded outdoor dining area next to the sandwich shed. Sandwiches are delicious, prepared by the fabulous Home Restaurant in the area. Make a day of it! Bring your book, have some lunch, and walk the gardens for a peaceful day out in nature.

There are plenty of parking spaces, you will see guides to lead your car to available spot…read more Currently tulips are off from its peak season, you can still see some, daffodils are in full bloom, also the azaleas are poised to burst forth at any moment. With weak or no cellular signal or Wi-Fi available within the gardens, visitors can pay full attention on admiring the beauty of nature. The gardens occupies total of 376 acres, featuring over 250 acres of landscaped gardens divided into several distinct sections: the Japanese Gardens, the Monet Waterlily Gardens, the Daffodil Gardens, and the Manor Gardens. The Japanese Gardens occupy a central position within the estate, covering 40 acres and featuring streams, ponds, miniature islands, small bridges, and Japanese maples. As one strolls through this section, one can deeply contemplate the core tenets of Japanese aesthetics: *Mono no aware* (物の哀れ the pathos of things), *Wabi-sabi* (侘寂 Wabi-austere beauty and sabi -rustic patina or beauty in aging), and *Yūgen* (幽玄 profound and mysterious grace and subtleness rather than obvious beauty. mystery). *Mono no aware* is certainly palpable here; the seasonal colors are vivid, yet most of the tulips have already faded. However, visitors do not see the withered blooms, as they are swiftly cleared away. This practice is, in fact, an authentic element of Japanese aesthetics--one that does not seek to deliberately pander to visitors. After all, imperfection and impermanence inevitably evoke a sense of melancholy, which lies at the very heart of Japanese aesthetic philosophy. As for *Wabi-sabi* and *Yūgen*, they are subtly woven into every detail of the landscape, inseparable from the whole. I could sense the garden's inherent simplicity and minimalism--its use of "negative space" and evocative atmosphere--such as the circular stone steps leading into the lake, only to come to an abrupt stop. Is it perhaps an example of the essence of sudden enlightenment found in Buddhist philosophy? Throughout the gardens, various Japanese-style shrines and stone lanterns are scattered everywhere, exuding that distinct aura of ethereal elegance and profound tranquility characteristic of traditional Japanese gardens. The floral plantings are meticulously designed to rotate with the changing seasons: spring brings a display of tulips and daffodils; summer features water lilies--specifically in the "Monet Water Lily Garden," which boasts 140 varieties of lilies and a replica of Monet's bridge; and autumn offers a vibrant tapestry of colorful foliage alongside sweeping fields of Sulfur Cosmos wildflowers. I visited the Butchart Gardens in Victoria over 30 years ago--a truly stunning garden that, at the time, was awash with tulips. In terms of sheer size, Gibbs Gardens is more than six times larger than Butchart Gardens.

We had the pleasure of attending Mean Girls, the play, at the Menagerie in Dahlonega GA, last…read moreSunday. It was an amazing cast and show! So much local talent and such an amazing environment for self expression and community theatre. Kudos to Neva Garrett, and all the time and effort she puts into this facility to ensure our local talent shines!

Always a welcoming place for creatives to explore and showcase their talents. From technical…read moretheatre, to singers, to dancers, to actors , and everyone in between, The Menagerie Theatre and Event Center is a welcoming, accepting , inclusive environment for all. The theatre is beautiful on the inside, and everything from the stage , to the dressing rooms, and even the restrooms are fully ADA compliant, so that all can enjoy performing and watching theatre.

What a beautiful place! A friend and I went on an afternoon in June and all of the Daylilies, and…read moremany other flowers, were in full bloom. Every color you can imagine. The owner is super friendly and has worked very hard for many years on this garden. You can buy the daylillies or just wander around and take pictures. She has a covered porch to sit on for shade and tables to have a picnic or just relax and enjoy the view. She does charge $20 per car (you just leave cash in a box when you park) and that goes toward care of the garden. I highly recommend stopping by. It's only about a 15 minute drive from the outlets in Dawsonville.

If you want to learn about the history of Ellijay this is the place. Very knowledgeable and…read morefriendly docents. Just a block from the square. Very interesting.

$ - $$$ Festive apple festival in Ellijay, Georgia. my…read morefellow yelper, Melody, and I had a great time, walking up and down the avenues of handmade fares and meeting the people who created them. They had a good crowd today, which is nice, and the weather was spectacular for walking around the fairgrounds. Definitely recommend trying some of the food... I picked up some kettle corn and some handmade lemonade, which was absolutely delicious! I love meeting the people, who served us with a smile, and were willing to tell us all about the items they created. Festivals in any county or town are always fabulous! Safe journeys to everybody, and go make memories!