~Maclay Gardens~

Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park in Tallahassee.

The gardens are just a small part of this 1,200 acre State Park.

New York financier Alfred Barrymore Maclay bought this land overlooking Lake Hall in 1923 and created this beautiful garden for his family's southern retreat.


Entrance to the Gardens.

 Late winter is the best time to see the splendor of the gardens.  There are several varieties of Japanese Magnolia.  The spanish moss adds a romantic feeling to the garden.

Japanese Magnolia

Brick path to the Maclay house.

The camelias had been in bloom for awhile and the wind had blown many of the petals off the trees. But there were still many to view.



 So many different colors~

Red Camelias next to Japanese Magnolia

Canopy walk to the Maclay house.

Huge oaks with silvery spanish moss formed the canopy along the path to the house.

Lake Hall

 We made a brief stop at the family residence; a small, unpretentious and exquisitely decorated home. The house sits on top of a hill overlooking the lake.

 From the house we followed the Camelia walk arriving at the Walled Garden.

The walled garden

A view of the Reflection Pool from the south portal to the walled garden.

From the walled garden we continued to "the pond".

There is a lovely path that encircles the pond.

 More Magnolias...

The attendant at the Visitor's Center identified a few flowering trees that we were not familar with and also told us that the Azaleas would be in bloom in 2 weeks.  That will be a spectacular sight.

What a magnificent winter retreat!