Bellingrath Gardens and Home - Theodore - Things To Do Reviews

In 1917, Walter Bellingrath, the originator of Mobile, Alabama's Coca-Cola bottling operation, and his wile, Bessie, created Bellecamp, a rustic fishing camp 20 miles southwest of the city. On their 1927 European trip, impressed by the Continent's grand gardens, they decided to turn Bellecamp into a country estate, concentrating first on the gardens.

When a garden club and the public came to see the results in April, 1932, the unexpected traffic jam from Mobile encouraged the Bellingraths to open the gardens that year. Since then, even when the Bellingraths constructed and lived in the home, visitors have paid to see the horticultural splendor. Today, Bellingrath Home and Gardens in Theodore ranks among America's most popular destination gardens.

THE HOME

Architect George B. Rogers completed the home in 1935. On guided tours, visitors learn the home appears today as it did when opened to the public in 1956.

The 15-room mansion's exterior is a combination of French, English, and Mediterranean styles. The interior blends primarily English Renaissance and Colonial America.

Recycling of building supplies was the home's mainstay. For example, the hand-made bricks came from demolished antebellum Mobile structures. A major source was the 1852 residence of Murray Forbes Smith, whose daughter married William K. Vanderbilt and later O. H. P. Belmont of Newport, Rhode Island.

Folks facing hard times during the Depression came to the Bellingraths' door to sell their treasures, which Bessie eagerly purchased. On trips to Mobile, she'd stop at a disheveled house, send her driver to the door, and offer to pay the owner as much as $300 for a particular shrub she had spotted in the garden.

She spent more than 40 years furnishing the home with antique furniture, rare porcelains, fine china, silver, and crystal. This became known as the Bessie Morse Bellingrath Collection and includes Meissen, Dresden, and Sevres.

In the Bottle Room, visitors note Walter Bellingrath's collection of character and utilitarian bottles, including many Coca-Cola bottles. The pantry contains a collection of silver Coca-Cola trophies awarded Mr. Bellingrath.

Madame Pontalba, creator of New Orleans' famed Jackson Square, previously owned the 20-piece parlor set. Sir Thomas Lipton of tea and sailing fame once possessed the main dining room's banquet table and Chippendale chairs.

Friends and family gave Mr. Bellingrath, at his 80th birthday party, 16 loving cups now housed in the porch dining room. At that time, he announced the formation of the Bellingrath-Morse Foundation, which now runs Bellingrath Home and Gardens.

Upstairs, visitors find more of Bessie Bellingrath's porcelain collection. In one of the guest rooms, look for exquisite Mardi Gras costumes. Few realize Mobile had a Mardi Gras long before New Orleans. The writing desk in Mr. Bellingrath's bedroom is an inlaid chess table given by Queen Victoria to American chess champ Paul Morphy in 1858.

The Bellingraths constantly entertained. In 1939, they added a guest house, six-car garage, and small chapel. In 1967, the garage was refitted to house the Delchamps Gallery of Boehm Porcelain, touted as the largest display of Boehm porcelain in the world.

The chapel, once used for religious services and as a viewing room for 16mm films of the garden, is now a wedding site.

Near the home are docks for 45-minute scenic cruises on the Fowl River. Departing February to November, the cruises provide excellent opportunities for spotting a variety of bird life. Another choice is the dinner cruise with entertainment.

THE GARDENS

Visitors always find colorful flowers. During spring, tulips and daffodils complement displays of more than 200,000 azalea plants in pink, lavender, red, and white. In April fragrant lilies represent the promise of Easter in the home's courtyard. From April through the first frost, visitors admire some 2,000 roses in more than 75 varieties. The All-American rose selections are tested here each year before their release to the open market.

Nearby is the Conservatory and Palm House, lush with tropical plants. From the rose garden, flower-bordered trails lead to the Oriental-American section, then on to Mirror Lake.

The Dwight Harrigan Bayou Preserve's highlight is a quarter-mile stroll on the bayou's Exxon Ecological Boardwalk. This area, in stark contrast to the gardens' formal beauty, contains almost all major ecosystem habitats native to south Alabama.

Mid-May through September, visitors find colorful annuals such as marigolds and a variety of tropicals including hibiscus, allamanda, and chenille plants. Bellingrath's glorious fall season, October 1 through November 30, presents the Chrysanthemum Extravaganza with cascading mums everywhere. Blooms spill from every railing and balcony.

Magic Christmas in Lights occurs from the day after Thanksgiving through December. Millions of lights shine in the gardens, choirs perform, the cafe prepares holiday food, and staff decorates the home in its finest. Highlights include poinsettia displays in the home and Conservatory, and the towering poinsettia tree in the gardens. A life-size Fontanini Nativity scene is identical to one on view at the Vatican in Rome. Bellingrath presents hardy annuals and camellias from December 15 to February 15.

by Nancy Baren Miller

Gardens Only Package
Adult $10.00
Children: (Ages 5 - 12) $5.50
Children Under 5: Free
Includes:
Gardens Tour - 65 acres of year-round floral beauty


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