Greenhouse effect:
New York's
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Outdoor venues are in again, now that winter is
over and flowers are back in bloom. And what’s a more natural stage
for a springtime event than a botanical garden? The New York
Botanical Garden (www.nybg.org), for example, offers 250 acres of
rolling hills covered with exotic flowers, wetlands, flowering
trees and group space. The facility’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is
the nation’s largest Victorian glasshouse, featuring a 90-foot
dome, a reflecting pool and room for up to 500 people. Next door,
visitors can gather in the Conservatory Tent, which offers ballroom
space for up to 1,000.
Themed gardens are the signature of the Chicago Botanic Garden
(www.chicagobotanic.org), where groups can stroll
through 26 verdant landscapes sporting names like English Oak
Meadow, Waterfall Garden and Midwestern Prairie. Nearly 2 million
plants can be found throughout the collection. For events, the
garden offers 11 venues, including a lakeside pavilion
accommodating 340 guests.
At the 30-acre Atlanta Botanical Garden (www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org), found next to
historical Piedmont Park, visitors can meander through fragrant
herb gardens or catch a glimpse of the wildlife in a recreated
mountain bog. Other highlights: a showcase of carnivorous plants
and a 60-foot water-lily pool. A fragrant “orchid hall” hosts
groups of up to 300. For parties of around 90 people, the garden
offers an exhibit center with bamboo floors and Palladian doors
leading to a fountained courtyard.