Stroll Tennessee's Botanical Gardens and Wildflower Hiking Trails

You’ll want to spend hours among the beautiful gardens at Memphis Botanic Garden. Enjoy 96 acres of 30 specialty gardens including an Azalia Trail, Hosta Trail, Prehistoric Plant Trail, the Japanese Garden, Daffodil Hill and much more. While dogs aren't allowed unless they are certified service animals, the garden does host Dog Day special events throughout the year. Have a delicious lunch at Fratelli’s Café which is located between the Water Garden and Sculpture garden. Outdoor seating is available on the terrace.

Discovery Park of America is home to several gardens on its property from The Civil War Memorial Garden in Freedom Square to the American Garden with its pergola and dramatic entrance to the covered bridge. Spend some time in the Japanese Garden which has a beautiful water feature with koi fish or the European Garden that has a fountain, stately columns and has a geometric layout reminiscent of the formal gardens you’ll see in Europe.

Learn about Tennessee history while walking through the manicured garden at Carnton. The home was the site of the 1864 Battle of Franklin, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Today, you can tour the home and the grounds. The garden is a square acre and has been restored to its mid-19th-century layout and appearance. Spend a few moments strolling the space that is full of roses, vegetable beds and concord grapes, which was the grape of the year in 1849 and 1852.

Explore where the wild things grow in Tennessee. At Short Springs Natural Area, you can see some of the best spring wildflowers in the state. Slopes are covered in bluebells, larkspur, trout lilies, thickets of mountain laurel and more. While at Short Springs, see Machine Falls and the Upper and Lower Busby Falls which are responsible for creating such lush landscapes. Nearby Tims Ford State Park offers 6.5 miles of hiking trails for even more flower viewing and lakeside cabins if you want to stay the night.

Enjoy the outdoors, sculptures and beautiful flowers found at the University of Tennessee Gardens in Knoxville, heralded as the State Botanical Garden of Tennessee. Stroll through the Beall Family Rose Garden that is home to 120 rose bushes, making it the largest public rose garden in East Tennessee. Walk among perennials, see the shade garden and kids will love the Children's Garden, designed with little ones in mind.

The Sculpture Fields at Montague Park in Chattanooga are free and open to the public. Here, you can walk 33 acres featuring world-class sculptures from international artists. There are over 50 large-scale sculptures throughout the space. Bike or walk more than 1.5 miles of trails. Spend the day in this outdoor art museum, spread a blanket on the grounds and let time stand still for a while. The sculpture fields are pet-friendly, so you are welcome to bring your leashed, friendly dog. There are sanitation stations throughout the park as well to clean up after your pet.

Within the Cherokee National Forest lie the Roan Highlands, rich with lush wildflowers, mountain balds and forests. In June, experience the most beautiful rhododendron blooms in the region. Visit Rhododendron Gardens which bloom around mid-June. Hampton Creek State Natural Area and Roan Mountain are popular around this time. In spring, hike the Moffett Laurel Botanical Area as well as nearby Laurel Snow State Natural Area for beautiful spring wildflowers including trillium and ephemerals.