Kids and Family

Come explore our 106 acres!

Tea Maze

Located at the top of the WinterGarden, the shape of tea maze is inspired by a Chinese medallion from the Ming Dynasty. These plants were grown from cuttings of the plants from the old Lipton Tea plantation in Baldwin County. Did you know that tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis? Have fun exploring – you could get lost!

Koi Pond

The Koi pond located in our Fragrance and Texture Garden is easy to get to and just a short walk from the office. We are happy to give you a little cup of koi food- just ask us in the office. All of the koi were generously donated to us and some are well over 20 years old!

 

Little Free Library

Located throughout the Gardens, you’ll find several tiny libraries that have been decorated with fun paintings by our members. Take a book, leave a book, or just sit and read a book! 

Woodland Trails

Take a hike through our woodland trails!

The Katherine Shropshire Trail is one of the earliest trails marked in the woods, was dedicated to one of the Gardens’ earliest supporters in 1981.

Renovated in 2014, this marked trail is a 1/4 mile walk through a wooded area. It meanders along the banks of the small stream that leads to the Three-Mile Creek (Path A on the trail map). Longer trails branch off from this smaller trail and offer a true deep woods experience!

The careful observer may be treated with the sight of many different forms of wildlife as well as a wide variety of plants and trees native to our area.

Don’t forget about our 35-acre Longleaf Conservation Forest which is located outside of our gated design gardens. It is filled with great walking trails, educational signage, and free and open to the public year round. Look for information on scheduled controlled burns – a truly exciting experience for both kids and adults! 

Picnic

Grab your picnic basket and a blanket and come on over! We have lots of great places to have a picnic including tables by the Koi Pond, in the Herb Garden, and in the Longleaf Forest. 

Meet the Artist

On select Saturdays, we host local artists who are represented in our Artful Garden Giftshop. Sometimes there are even demonstrations! Check our events page for more info. 

A Literacy program of reading books and sharing activities. Designed for preschoolers and homeschoolers. Every Thursday morning at 10:30am the group will read a book at various locations in the Gardens. On rainy days the group will meet in the Larkins Classroom. FREE to MBG members, cost of admission for nonmembers, and registration is required. All children must be accompanied by parent or assigned adult guardian.

NatureBLAST!

This week long summer camp is a wonderful introduction to outdoor experiences and nature for rising 3rd and 4th graders will cover such topics as “Bees, Butterflies and Botany”, “Reptiles and Amphibians”, and “Woodland Monsters and Fairy Houses”. Activities include hikes on nature trails, nature scavenger hunts and daily investigations of how plants and animals interact. The program is typically scheduled for the 3rd week of June.