Huntsville Botanical Garden is a gleaming jewel in Huntsville’s cultural, environmental, and educational offerings for locals and visitors alike. A full calendar of events is available throughout the year, such as Galaxy of Lights during the holidays, butterfly release days in the Purdy Butterfly House, Shakespeare in the Garden on six summer nights, firefly garden hikes, and many types of educational programs for youth and adults.
In addition to strolling the gardens, which are a photographer’s delight, the Fern & Feast Bistro is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and you can browse the Garden Gift Shop seven days a week. Admission fees for one-time visitors are $20 for adults and $13 for children and students. However, if you buy a yearly membership, you can visit as often as you wish, free of charge.
An exceptional event happens on Friday nights from May through September, which makes the Garden accessible (both physically and financially) to everyone. The Golden Hour takes place from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and is absolutely free. Live music adds to the “golden” atmosphere, and local vendors set up their wares on the 3rd Fridays, May through August. Fern & Feast has food for sale from their food truck, so it is easy to take a blanket and have a picnic on the lawn by the lake and in front of the musicians.
The Demonstration Vegetable Garden in the summer displays heirloom plants and placards sharing such important facts as Thomas Jefferson’s favorite vegetable. 🙂 Take a guess, then keep reading for the answer.
A magnificent sculpture (referred to as a troll) by Danish artist Thomas Dambo was added to the garden and made its debut on April 1, 2025. It is called Mama Zelda’s Hair, and her “hair” is created from lush greenery and berry bushes woven to create a maze you have to walk through to reach Mama Zelda herself. You can’t miss her. She’s almost 20 feet tall!! Watch a video about this creative process here. Zelda is part of a worldwide network of trolls, and Dambo’s dream is to have one of his trolls in all 50 U.S. states. Twenty-six states either have trolls completed and installed, or else they are currently in the works. How fun that Alabama is one of those lucky 26! It is amazing how Dambo brings recyclable materials back to life!
Make your plans to visit Huntsville Botanical Garden soon. It truly is one of North Alabama’s treasures. That’s why I included it in both of my soon-to-be-released books.
- Thomas Jefferson’s favorite vegetable was English peas. 🙂
Travel Gardens Trolls Thomas Dambo Butterflygarden Huntsville Botanical Garden
