The words “walking” and “hiking” are not associated with either Frank or me – at least they were not before we started our fulltime RV journey. Now we find ourselves walking / hiking on a pretty regular basis. On our second day in Hot Springs, we headed out to Garvin Woodland Gardens and discovered a perfect place for walking and enjoying nature. (Sadly, the entire time I lived in the Houston area, I never visited Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. That will have to change! It is now on my list of things to do when we return to the Houston area.) The Garvin Woodlands Gardens was a wonderful experience for us, and I hope you will check them out when you are in the Hot Springs area. (I hear Christmas time is just “magical.”)
The weather was just perfect! Not hot and not cold, simply perfect. We did arrive shortly after they opened at 10 a.m.; we walked the gardens, and I took a lot of photos as we followed the paths. The hardest part was a slight incline up to a lookout point. Don’t get me wrong and think we hiked the entire area. There is an “undeveloped” area known as the Hixon Family Nature Preserve that had a long trail around it and is noted for its birding opportunities. We did not venture into that area or that trail. The two miles and approximately two hours we spent was just right. (There were lots of stops for photos and enjoying nature.)
According to the Garvan Woodland Gardens website, the land for the gardens was clear cut in 1915 and Mrs. Verna Cook Garvan vowed never to let it be cut again. According to the garden’s website, “Mrs. Garvan’s father had operated Wisconsin-Arkansas Lumber Co. and the brick company (Malvern Brick and Tile) before his premature death in 1934. Shortly afterward, she assumed control of the company’s various holdings as one of the first female CEO’s of a major southern manufacturing business and served in that capacity until her retirement in the 1970’s.” That would be impressive today, but it is even more impressive that she did this in the 1930s. Mrs. Garvin had a rather interesting life. Her first husband, Lonnie Alexander, tried to commit her to a psychiatric ward in Florida when they were going through their divorce. OH MY! Finally, the divorce was settled, and she remarried in 1960 to Patrick Garvan, Jr. a wealthy man from New York. They decided to remain in the Hot Springs area where they met.
In 1956, after the demise of Verna Garvan’s first marriage, she began developing the land into gardens and considered making it a future residence as it bordered Lake Hamilton. The plans for a home were scratched when her second husband passed in 1972. She marked every tree and laid out all the paths. All the new plants were chosen by Mrs. Garven and she selected each location. She worked on the gardens for 40 years introducing thousands of plants. There are more than 160 different types of azaleas, so I would love to revisit the gardens in the spring when they are blooming. Mrs. Garvin chose award winning architect E. Fay Jones, of Thorncrown Chapel fame, and his business partner, Maurice Jennings, to design an open-air pavilion of native stone and redwood. It was under construction when Mrs. Garvin passed in 1993. She left the property to the Department of Landscape Architecture through the University of Arkansas.
The paths are mostly shaded and are either paved or are packed gravel. Visitors are allowed to bring dogs on a leash for a $5 fee. If I lived in the area, I would certainly purchase a membership and use it for walking and enjoying nature. Please remember, before we started this RV life, I never walked. I guess I’m starting to like nature and enjoy walking in different places. Who knew? As I told Frank, every area is different and interesting. It’s not like walking in a subdivision where you just pass the same houses every time and of course in Houston in the summer, it is HOT!
There are different areas in the gardens with various styles of bridges as there are numerous small waterfalls. A children’s area features a maze of rocks for them to figure out, plus a waterfall and man-made cave. To top that area off, there is a treehouse bridge. What child wouldn’t like that? Be sure to take your young children; they will enjoy the children’s area, the bridges, the waterfalls, and skipping down the paths.
Anthony Chapel, one of the famous “glass chapels” is located at Garvin Woodland Gardens. Maurice Jennings, who worked with E. Fay Jones to design Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs in 1979, and the Mildred Cooper Chapel in Bella Vista, mainly designed the Anthony Chapel, the largest of the three glass chapels in Arkansas. It is gorgeous and a perfect place for a wedding for those with the money to pay for the venue. I always thought the chapel was open air due to the way it looked in photos, but it is glass, six stories tall, and can seat 160 guests. (They do offer cheaper “elopement” packages.)
Photo courtesy of the Garvan Gardens Facebook Page.
I don’t want to give it all away, but I urge you to check out Garvin Woodlands Gardens if you are in the Hot Springs area or even make a special trip to check it out. It is a $15 fee per person and children 4-12 cost $5 each. Those that aren’t able to walk the paths can do a Golf Cart Ride tour for an additional $15 per person.
Until Next Time,
Beth
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