Garvan Woodland Gardens
550 Arkridge Road • Hot Springs, AR 71913
Office Phone: 501-262-9300 • 800-366-4664
www.GarvanGardens.org
Verna Cook Garvan had a vision when she donated her 200+ acre peninsula on Lake Hamilton to the University of Arkansas with instructions to continue her decades of work. Garvan Woodland Gardens has become a world-class botanical garden with an impressive array of rare trees and shrubs and thousands of flowering plants managed seasonally so there’s always something in bloom. Highlights include interesting bridges and architectural structures plus a Holiday Lights display second to none.
Garvan Woodland Gardens’ mission is to preserve and enhance a unique part of the Ouachita environment; provide people with a place of learning, research, cultural enrichment and serenity; develop and sustain gardens, landscapes and structures of exceptional aesthetics, design and construction; and partner with and serve communities of which Garvan Woodland Gardens is a part.
How We Are Funded
Garvan Woodland Gardens is a division of the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. The Gardens generates part of its operating budget from admissions, memberships, weddings and other special events. The remainder of funds comes through the generosity of friends who wish to ensure that the Gardens will be beautifully sustained for generations to come. Gifts benefiting the Gardens are deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Biggest Fundraiser
Holiday Lights is the Gardens’ holiday extravaganza running from mid-November through New Year’s Eve. Nearly two million brilliant bulbs transform 17 acres into a memorable animated holiday display. A multitude of free holiday concerts, children’s activities and outdoor model train garden combine to transform the Gardens into a winter wonderland. Open nightly 5-9 p.m., closed Thanksgiving and Christmas days.
Wish List
- For every Arkansan to visit Garvan Woodland Gardens at least once yearly.
- For the Gardens to have many loyal members who frequently enjoy its beauty and serenity.
- For friends of the Gardens to give generously, enabling our unique, natural environment to be enhanced and sustained for generations to come.
- For every Gardens visitor to experience nature in a new and profound way, and gain a greater appreciation for the beauty of our region.