Alfred B. Maclay Gardens: Tallahassee’s Springtime Riot of Camellias and Azaleas

Every winter, while much of the country shivers under gray skies, a hillside garden in Tallahassee bursts into extravagant color. Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park is one of the South’s great ornamental gardens, and its timing is gloriously contrary.

The gardens were the creation of New York financier Alfred Maclay and his wife Louise, who bought the property in 1923 as a winter retreat. Alfred designed the plantings to peak from January through April, exactly when northern gardens lie dormant, so visitors could escape the cold and find spring waiting.

The result is breathtaking. Brick walkways wind past more than a hundred varieties of camellias and masses of azaleas in pink, white, and flame red. A long reflecting pool mirrors the blooms, a secret garden hides behind walls of foliage, and towering live oaks draped in Spanish moss frame it all.

Beyond the formal gardens, the park spreads along Lake Hall, with trails, a swimming beach, and quiet picnic spots shaded by pines. It is a place that rewards both the serious plant lover and the family looking for an easy afternoon outdoors.

When the camellias open and the azaleas blaze, Maclay Gardens feels like a painting come to life, proof that in north Florida the brightest season can arrive in the dead of winter.

Official page: Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park