The Garden

The Incredible Beauty of Mobile’s Bellingrath Gardens and Home – Day 155

Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Mobile, Alabama is another perfect example of the incredible hidden gems that exist all over the Unites States. And do we ever love finding them!

Unbeknownst to us before our travels, several of our followers listed it as a “must-see” for our time in Alabama. And it certainly is just that – a must see!

The Bellingrath estate is the former home of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath. Mr. Bellingrath, along with his brother William, made their fortunes in the early 1900’s with Coca-Cola.

Bellingrath Gardens
The courtyard at the estate home at Bellingrath. Mrs. Bellingrath used recycled materials from all over the Mobile area to create the stunning home. She really was ahead of her time in many ways.

Together, in 1903, they purchased franchise rights to sell Coca-Cola in Montgomery, Alabama. Soon after, they purchased the rights for the Mobile area as well. Both of the investments of course, paid off handsomely over the years.

As the business boomed, Walter and Bessie, long-time residents of Mobile, purchased a large section of land that bordered up to the Fowl River.

Bellingrath Gardens
The pathways and walkways around Bellingrath are filled with plants and blooms in every direction.

Originally used as a weekend get-away and fishing camp, Mrs. Bellingrath, with her love of gardening, turned the grounds into an unbelievable personal garden. Finally, by the mid-1930’s, the two decided to turn it into their full time home.

The Bellingrath Gardens

The gardens are a sight to behold. Camellias were one of Mrs. Bellingrath’s favorite flowers and the flowers play a prominent role on the grounds.

With over 400 varieties of this gorgeous blooming perennial, it is a glowing tribute to the state flower of Alabama. And did we ever hit the timing of their blooms perfectly – they were out everywhere!

Camellias at Bellingrath
With masses of Camellias, Azaleas & Roses in every direction, the grounds are simply stunning. There truly is something in bloom for every season. Our visit found us in perfect timing for the Camellias, with the Azaleas just preparing to unfold.

But there is so much more than just camellias at the gardens. The azaleas are just about to burst onto the scene as well, and summer will bring the color of roses, hydrangeas and soaring tropicals. It is never ending. In fact, on Bellingrath Gardens website, you can even find a link to see what is in bloom, month by month. See : What’s In Bloom at Bellingrath

As she continued to create more and more gardens at the estate, Mrs. Bellingrath eventually convinced her husband to open the grounds up to the public for their enjoyment as well.

Strolling through the 65 acres, you can’t help but be impressed with the walkways, water features and flowers.

And so it was that even long before the two passed away, the public began to visit Bellingrath.

With our shared passion of all things gardening, we fell in love with the gardens instantly. So much so that we are going to do a full feature on it for an upcoming article on our This Is My Garden site as well. There is just so very much to enjoy!

The Bellingrath Estate

As if the 65 acres of Bellingrath Gardens wasn’t enough to impress, there is the 10,000+ square foot estate home. With 15 rooms, open courtyards and spectacular views of the Fowl river, it is a marvel to see.

We took a fascinating one-hour tour through the home, learning about the family’s history along the way. The residence is kept just as it looked when the family lived there – and it really is interesting to see it all just at it was.

What a kitchen this must have been in the 1930’s! Two stoves, two dishwashers, and plenty of space to cook.

The home was designed by the well-known and respected Mobile architect George Rogers – with quite a bit of input from Mrs. Bellingrath along the way.

Mobile Alabama
The tour of the home was so interesting to both of us. Mrs. Bellingrath was quite the collector, from fine china, to dolls, porcelain figurines and more.

In addition to her love of all things gardening, she was quite ahead of her time in reusing materials in the building process. Much of the flagstone, brick and iron used throughout the home were salvaged from buildings, hotels and walkways in Mobile, New Orleans, and other cities of the south.

All in all, it was truly a fascinating day. Bellingrath Gardens & Home is for sure a must see! Happy Traveling – Jim and Mary

CURRENT TRIP STATUS TO DATE:

  • Day 155 of 365
  • States : 20/50
  • National Parks / Monuments : 20
  • Stayed In : Mobile, Alabama
  • Miles Driven : 54.2
  • Total Trip Miles To Date : 16,763.5
  • Total Gallons Used : 1206.00
  • Biking Miles : 0.0
  • Biking Miles To Date : 158.4
  • Hiking Miles : 4.7
  • Hiking Miles To Date : 350.6

About Our Living Simple Tour

On September 9th, 2019, we set out in our NuCamp T@B 400 Teardrop Camper to travel to every state. You can check out all of our dates here : Dates for the States

You can follow along by signing up for our twice weekly email updates at the bottom of the page. You can also follow us on Facebook : Live Simple Tour Facebook and Instagram : Live Simple Now Instagram Page.

1 thought on “The Incredible Beauty of Mobile’s Bellingrath Gardens and Home – Day 155

  1. Collette M. Renfro

    Happy Valentines Day, to you how wonderful this mansion an it’s gardens sound. It’s 10 degrees here in Chicago an I just took photos of the seeds I plan to swap tomorrow at the Sand Ridge Nature Center in South Holland, Illinois and texted them to my cousin in Mobil that just moved there from Hawaii. Long story short your story today had made to gardeners very happy. Only one problem her flowers are blooming an I have 7 inches of snow. Please keep the articles coming I share them often. Collette Renfro

    Reply

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