Nestled in the middle of LaGrange, GA is a beautiful estate called Hills and Dales. Built in 1916 by Fuller Callaway, Sr., the Italian villa style home was built on the site of the old Ferrell home, where previous gardens had been started and cultivated by Sarah Coleman Ferrell in the years between 1841 and 1903. After Sarah’s husband died in 1908, the estate was sold at auction and Fuller Callaway, Sr. purchased the estate and renamed it Hills and Dales, a very apt name for this beautiful piece of property.
Entrance to the estate.
The Visitor’s Center with gift shop and bathrooms. Don’t miss the 15 minute film shown in the visitor’s center about the history of the house and gardens, it’s very informative.
Come along with Mark and I and I’ll give you a tour of the gardens at Hills and Dales. We did the complete home and garden tour last week, but they don’t allow pictures inside. If you’re local to Atlanta, I would definitely urge you to go. I have just found out about this Southern treasure in GA and want to share it with all of you. It’s been open to the public for over 20 years. I don’t know how I missed this news, but it’s new to me. With 35 acres in the middle of a small Southern town, the home and gardens is quite impressive. The home was occupied by 2 generations of Callaways and with the passing of Alice Hand Callaway, the wife of Fuller Callaway, Jr. in 2004, the house and gardens is open to the public as a house and garden museum through the generosity of Fuller E. Callaway Foundation as a gift to the community. You can find them on Instagram under Hills and Dales.
Of course, as someone who grew up in Georgia, my family has been going to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA for years and I grew up going there as a child. My daddy used to play in preacher golf tournaments there and we would all go for a few days. It was so fun and picturesque. Callaway Gardens was founded by the brother of this estate, Cason Callaway. There were 2 Callaway brothers and both of them were very successful.
I took so many pictures of the gardens, so you can get an idea of how vast it is. The meandering pea gravel pathways are peaceful to walk and you will see so many different types of plants in the formal garden as well as the greenhouse.
I loved this sweet hummingbird gate in the side yard on the walk over from the Visitor’s Center, which is just a 1/4 mile away.
A foot bridge on the walk over.
You can see the massive estate peeking through the trees, a look at what’s to come.
There are garden structures all around the gardens.
The formal boxwood gardens were started early on in this estate. We saw several groundskeepers working on the gardens and I imagine it’s a fulltime job for several people.
It’s such a peaceful ambience to walk through these gardens.
Loved this garden saying.
There’s a pretty pond/fountain straight out from the house on one side, which is lined up perfectly from strategic windows in the house all the way to the stone sitting bench. This area is listed as the Sunken Garden on the map.
The tulips were blooming, along with daffodils, saucer magnolias, and camelias were the main bloomers this time of year.
Me and Mark.
I love gardens and nature and always enjoy a tour like this. It was such a fun place to visit for the day and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
The bench that Alice Hand Callaway had made for the garden. Isn’t it gorgeous?
Beautiful pansies in an iron planter.
Another glimpse of the stately house.
This Italianate style house was the perfect choice for this property. We had a wonderful tour guide, Beth, who gave us a personal tour of the house. It wasn’t busy that day so we had it to ourselves and what a wonderful house it is. It’s completely furnished with many pieces that belonged to the family. Other areas are filled in, but it looks so warm and inviting as a home.
This is the South side of the house with lots of windows and doors.
The surrounding gardens really accent the entire experience.
The front portico of the house and the official front door.
This columned portico was magnificent.
A look at the North side of the house with covered patio. The house is 13,000 s.f. and very impressive inside. It’s been imaculately taken care of and the attention to detail is unsurpassed.
Side courtyard and porte-cochere entrance which horse and buggies used.
This is where we excited the house tour.
Saucer magnolias in full bloom, these are early bloomers and always beautiful to see.
The Ray Garden built in the 1950’s by Alice Callaway, where she grew roses and ornamental conifers. The rays are now planted with colorful annuals and perennials. I’m sure it’s stunning in the summer months.
The greenhouse was built in 1916 and remodeled in 1949 and maintained much the same as it was back then. It was filled with lush plants and we met the floral designer and greenhouse manager, David Brown, who makes all the arrangements for the house and they were stunning as we walked through the house. We enjoyed chatting with him in the greenhouse.
This area was pretty as well and I’m sure it’s full of blooms later in the summer.
So gorgeous!
Found inside the greenhouse.
More pea gravel paths around the greenhouse.
There’s even a kennel for the dogs they had.
And I think they had some cows and horses on the property at one time.
The vegetable garden.
Camelias blooming outside the visitor’s center. We sure enjoy the tour of the magnificent Southern estate and I hope you enjoyed seeing at least the gardens. Again, I would tell you if you’re in the area, do yourself a favor and take a day trip to LaGrange to see Hills and Dales for yourself. You will not regret it! It’s a treasure to behold and experience.
What gardens! A dream job for a gardener. Thanks for sharing!
Just beautiful!