See colors pop at Rock City’s 14th annual Southern Blooms Festival, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 6, 7, 13, and 14, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Savor the sights, scents and sounds of the Enchanted Trail as Rock City Gardens honors its original gardener, Frieda Utermoehlen Carter (pictured, below).

New this year at Southern Blooms: meet an artist. Watch as Rock City artists create original works of art inspired by the surrounding beautiful blossoms. Also, see a fountain statue come to life. This beautifully ornate “living statue” pours water periodically throughout the day beginning at 10 a.m.

Plein air painters are also scheduled throughout the park to create original artwork. Dana Shavin is one of the featured artists painting a large-scale floral canvas in real-time, inviting guests to engage in her process by incorporating their brush strokes into her piece. Guests can create their own masterpieces, too. Art materials are available at various stations for anyone to draw what naturally inspires them.

Grab a plate of food such as onion petals with comeback sauce at Café 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Other appetizing entrées include pimento cheese with baguette toast, Georgia caviar, black-eyed pea hummus with pita chips, fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese, catfish fingers, barbecue, seasonal desserts, and purple butterfly pea tea.

Harpist Rachel Payne and the Old Time Traveler Matt Downer are onsite with musical performances as well.

Explore a vibrant variety of over 400 native plants and flowers throughout the gardens, including rose campions, rhododendrons, mountain laurels, native azaleas and petunias. Festival goers can stop by Frieda’s Flower Sale at the pavilion to pick a bouquet to take home. Admission is $29.95 for adults, and $19.95 for children 3 through 12.

Rock City’s Mother’s Day Brunch

Treat Mom to a special lunch at Big Rock Grill before or after a stroll through Rock City May 14. Featured menu items include a miniature quiche, chicken salad on a croissant, chicken tenders, Café 7 salad, and dessert. This lunch reservation also includes one keepsake plant and souvenir photo per party. Arrival time is 12:45 p.m. for a 1 p.m. meal seating. Reservations are available online until May 5, and tickets are limited.

Rock City’s annual community partner for this event is Partnership for Families, Children and Adults’ Family Connections Supervised Visitation Center. 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.

On Lookout Mountain in Georgia (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.

(Photos courtesy of Rock City)