Bellingrath Gardens are not easy to find. Lola, our Tom-Tom GPS has no record of Bellingrath Gardens though it did find the Bellingrath Holiday Inn and Bellingrath RV park, neither of which are close to the gardens. So we checked at the hotel and the directions they gave us said go to exit 15-A on I-10 and follow the signs to Bellingrath Gardens and Home. So that is what we did. Exited at junction 15-A and turned south on US-90. After almost three miles we turned left onto County Road 59 after almost missing a giant billboard that told us to turn at this particular junction. Another nine miles down this road and we came to the parking lot for Bellingrath.
It was early afternoon but the gas lights that are perhaps intended to illuminate the parking lot – or at least provide ambience - at night were lit. It may be that the cost of gas to keep the lamps lit is less than the cost of sending someone out in the morning to extinguish the lights and again at night to light them with a taper. There were few cars in the parking lot, though it was interesting to note that out of the ten or so cars, seven states were represented on the license plates – Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Texas and Florida.
We paid our $11 each to view the gardens ($19 if you also want to see the house) and started the self guided tour. This was winter so we did not expect much from the rose garden, though the conservatory was full of interesting colors and tropical plants. There were, of course, no butterfly’s in the butterfly garden and the brick patio and great lawn were given over to Christmas light decorations that end to look rather lifeless and stillborn during daylight. But then we got to the Mermaid pool and Fountain Plaza and the gardens sprang to life. The absence of color was hardly noticed as we discovered the water cascading through the Bellingrath Grotto, the delightful views of Mirror lake and the interesting signs and markers on the Ecological Boardwalk.
We really enjoyed the walk along the north side of Mirror lake, past the lion statue, across the rustic bridge and then we sat for a while beside a small waterfall and stream cascading across rocks rushing down a narrow gorge towards the lake. It was peaceful and romantic. A great place for Patricia and I to rest a while and absorb the beauty and the calm.
We were not quite finished yet. The last garden on the tour is the Oriental-American garden with narrow path that winds around a lake surrounded by bamboo and crossed by a Japanese bridge. We stayed in the gardens for more than two hours and made a promise that we would return in spring or early summer to see the gardens in full color.
From Bellingrath we asked Lola to take us to the nearest coffee shop. She directed us to Sedia’s Coffee 15 miles north, so we followed instructions until Lola announced we had arrived at our destination, then we switched her off and looked around for the coffee shop in one of the adjacent strip centers. Eventually we found a sign over a store that said “coffee and ice cream” and went in. We were there, except the coffee shop is now called the Joyful Cup Café. The Caramel Machiatto coffee was OK, but not up to the standards set by the chain stores, though Patricia and Sofia enjoyed the ice cream.
From there we went looking for an Italian restaurant and from the selections offered by Lola we set off in search of Bilotti’s Italian Café. Lola found the restaurant without trouble and we enjoyed a homemade Spinach and Artichoke dip with hot slices of crispy toast and a Meaty pizza with extra mushrooms. A good meal in pleasant surroundings with reasonable service. 4 out of 5 stars for restaurants of its type which we would class as small local pizzerias. One appetizer, one large pizza with extra topping and one beer, $40 including tip.
It was early afternoon but the gas lights that are perhaps intended to illuminate the parking lot – or at least provide ambience - at night were lit. It may be that the cost of gas to keep the lamps lit is less than the cost of sending someone out in the morning to extinguish the lights and again at night to light them with a taper. There were few cars in the parking lot, though it was interesting to note that out of the ten or so cars, seven states were represented on the license plates – Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Texas and Florida.
We paid our $11 each to view the gardens ($19 if you also want to see the house) and started the self guided tour. This was winter so we did not expect much from the rose garden, though the conservatory was full of interesting colors and tropical plants. There were, of course, no butterfly’s in the butterfly garden and the brick patio and great lawn were given over to Christmas light decorations that end to look rather lifeless and stillborn during daylight. But then we got to the Mermaid pool and Fountain Plaza and the gardens sprang to life. The absence of color was hardly noticed as we discovered the water cascading through the Bellingrath Grotto, the delightful views of Mirror lake and the interesting signs and markers on the Ecological Boardwalk.
We really enjoyed the walk along the north side of Mirror lake, past the lion statue, across the rustic bridge and then we sat for a while beside a small waterfall and stream cascading across rocks rushing down a narrow gorge towards the lake. It was peaceful and romantic. A great place for Patricia and I to rest a while and absorb the beauty and the calm.
We were not quite finished yet. The last garden on the tour is the Oriental-American garden with narrow path that winds around a lake surrounded by bamboo and crossed by a Japanese bridge. We stayed in the gardens for more than two hours and made a promise that we would return in spring or early summer to see the gardens in full color.From Bellingrath we asked Lola to take us to the nearest coffee shop. She directed us to Sedia’s Coffee 15 miles north, so we followed instructions until Lola announced we had arrived at our destination, then we switched her off and looked around for the coffee shop in one of the adjacent strip centers. Eventually we found a sign over a store that said “coffee and ice cream” and went in. We were there, except the coffee shop is now called the Joyful Cup Café. The Caramel Machiatto coffee was OK, but not up to the standards set by the chain stores, though Patricia and Sofia enjoyed the ice cream.
From there we went looking for an Italian restaurant and from the selections offered by Lola we set off in search of Bilotti’s Italian Café. Lola found the restaurant without trouble and we enjoyed a homemade Spinach and Artichoke dip with hot slices of crispy toast and a Meaty pizza with extra mushrooms. A good meal in pleasant surroundings with reasonable service. 4 out of 5 stars for restaurants of its type which we would class as small local pizzerias. One appetizer, one large pizza with extra topping and one beer, $40 including tip.
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