Rock City Gardens will host its 12th annual Southern Blooms Festival, on May 8-9 and 15-16 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. New this season are live fairies in Gnome Valley, 30-minute “Living Fountain” character performances featuring mime artistry in the pavilion, and a Mother’s Day Tea at Grandview.
Treat Mom to an elegant tea with soaring views at historic Grandview on Lookout Mountain, located adjacent to Rock City Gardens. Savor items like blueberry scones, lemon bars, finger sandwiches and signature Citrus Blush Punch. Purchase includes timed entry to Rock City’s Southern Blooms Festival and a keepsake plant on May 9, with limited seating at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. For reservations, go towww.seerockcity.com/mothersday.
Hear a harpist, smell the aroma of spring flowers, take some beautiful photos and taste delicious southern cuisine at eateries throughout the park, including Café 7. Try their specialty drink of butterfly pea tea and lemonade (that looks as good as it tastes), as well as southern spring rolls with veggies and flowers.
Returning favorites to the event include a fairy garden workshop at 2 p.m., with additional assistance throughout the day to help make these fairy garden kits. A separate pre-packaged planting kit for kids is also available, included with the price of admission. Guests can purchase plants at Frieda’s Flower Sale, honoring Rock City’s co-founder and original gardener Frieda Utermoehlen Carter. A virtual scavenger hunt is also available by scanning the QR code at the ticket desk featuring Rocky the Elf. Visitwww.seerockcity.com/southernblooms for more.
Rock City’s returning community partner for this event is Partnership for Families, Children and Adults’ Family Connections Supervised Visitation Center. They provide a safe, home-like environment for supervised visitations between children and their non-custodial parent. PFCA is a community impact agency that has been empowering people to build better lives through counseling, crisis intervention, prevention and education programs for 140 years. PFCA serves tens of thousands of people in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama and is a United Way Member Agency. For more info, go towww.partnershipfca.com.
Rock City’s 89th anniversary is May 21. Just six miles from downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, Rock City Gardens is an enchanted, 4,100-foot walking trail showcasing lush gardens, caves and soaring rock formations. Rock City is home to over 400 species of plants and flowers, including those currently in bloom: native azaleas, mountain laurel, rhododendrons, rose campion and many more.