Celebrate 85 Years at Rock City Gardens at the 9th Annual Southern Blooms Festival

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Tenn. – Rock City honors the legacy of its original gardener, Frieda Utermoehlen Carter during the 9th annual Southern Blooms Festival in conjunction with the attraction’s 85th anniversary celebration 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 13-14 and May 20-21 at Rock City.

Meet southern belles and Rocky, enjoy live harp performances and try delicious food during the event.

Rock City Gardens opened to the public on May 21, 1932, and to commemorate such a special date, a Founder’s Day offer is available this May 21 for guests to purchase an annual pass for $19.32 (less than the cost of a one-day admission). Author Tim Hollis is onsite May 20-21 to sign copies of his new book featuring Rock City.

Guests can see Rock City barn painting demos along Legacy Lane at select times during Southern Blooms and take a look at Rock City’s history with coinciding world events displayed through the decades. Guests can also “Walk in Frieda’s Footsteps” on a guided tour to learn about the enchanting history of the founders and gardens.

The festival also offers gardening advice from Master Gardeners of Hamilton County, “Garden 2 Go” activities, fairy garden workshops (advance registration required), southern belle makeovers and interactive planting demonstrations with the horticulture team.

Rock City hosts an Enchanted Mother’s Day Lunch 1 p.m. May 14. Enjoy a three-course meal set at a beautifully decorated table, with live harp music, a souvenir photo and a fresh flower for the guest of honor. For reservations and more information, visit www.seerockcity.com/southernblooms.

Other savory food options include lunch with a one-of-a-kind view 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Café 7 or enjoy a homemade chicken salad sandwich topped with an edible flower at the Big Rock Grill. Sugar cookies with green icing as served on opening day are also available.

Rock City’s new community partner for this event is Partnership for Families, Children and Adults’ Family Connections Supervised Visitation Center. They provide a safe, home-like environment for supervised visitations between children and their non-custodial parent. Partnership 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. PFCA operates over 20 programs within four centers of service: Victim Support Services, Elder Services, Stability Services and Mission Driven Enterprises. Last year, Partnership served over 45,000 people in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. PFCA is a United Way Member Agency and is accredited by the National Council on Accreditation.

About Rock City Gardens

Just 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. Rock City is home to over 400 species of plants and flowers.