The Top Weight Loss Clinic in Ball Ground, GA

Ball Ground is a sleepy little town in Cherokee County that’s hiding one of Georgia’s best-kept secrets. Tucked away at the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains lies one of the most incredible gardens you’ve ever seen, and that’s Gibbs Gardens. What started as one man’s passion grew into one of the largest residential estate gardens in the country, including one of the most impressive wildflower butterfly gardens in Georgia, and it’s simply magical. The 376-acre garden is so magical, you’ll feel like you’re walking through a fairy tale. You might even have a butterfly land on you!

Surround Yourself With 3,000 Brilliant Japanese Maples When You Visit Gibbs Gardens In Georgia This Fall

The garden is typically open Tuesday – Sunday. Advanced tickets aren’t required, but they are recommended. Head over to the Gibbs Gardens website for hours and start planning your trip to this magical butterfly garden in Georgia today!

While this dreamy garden is a wonderful place to feel like a Disney princess (or prince) for a day, did you know that monarch butterflies in Georgia have their own gorgeous spring migration that you can see from wherever you are? You won’t want to miss it! If you need a good excuse to get away from it all, this charming and secluded home on an animal sanctuary might just be the perfect place to admire them… and get some llama snuggles while you’re at it.

Millions Of Monarch Butterflies Are Headed Straight For Georgia This Spring

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Jennifer | April 02, 2024

What are the best botanical gardens to visit in Georgia?

It seems fitting that the gorgeous Peach State would be equally full of stunning botanical gardens! This spring, peruse lush havens of tropical flowers, stroll through stunning rose gardens, and be wowed by the beauty of Mother Nature at your fingertips. Here are just a few of the prettiest botanical gardens in Georgia:

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Ball Ground, Ga. — Perhaps it was inevitable. When Margaret Gibbs gave birth to a son, Jim Gibbs, at Murphy General Hospital in 1942, she was already a blue-ribbon winner of the Murphy Garden Club.

She was so good, in fact, that after winning another first-place ribbon one year, she overheard one of the ladies from her garden club say, “If Mrs. Gibbs enters next year, there’s no sense in me entering. She’s going to win it.”

The following year, Gibbs’ mother did not enter, but instead taught other women in town about gardening. However, it wasn’t just Gibbs’ mother who had a passion for flowers. His grandmother and great grandmother were both avid gardeners, as well as his four aunts.

So what was a young boy to do but learn how to build and grow flower gardens? Eventually, Jim Gibbs would grow his family hobby into a world-class, award-winning 327-acre floral garden.

But first there was the weeding.

“I grew up in a household talking about gardening,” Gibbs said, “you take it all in.”

‘Enjoy it like I do’

His grandmother raised his mother and four aunts on a 1,000-acre Antebellum farm just outside of Spartanburg, S.C.

“She let them cut flowers and bring in to decorate the rooms,” Gibbs said with a laugh. “They lived out in the country and she said it kept them busy.”

As a young boy, Gibbs grew up outside playing in any number of the family gardens, as all five sisters planted gardens in their homes as well. His mother taught him gardening from the basics.

“Nobody likes to weed,” Gibbs said. He often grumbled to his mother about all the time he spent weeding her garden.

“She would say, ‘Jimmy, you’ve got to learn to weed so you don’t pick the flowers.’ ” He swore he’d never had a garden when he grew up.

“I would work in my mother’s garden and complain,” Gibbs said. “I told her, ‘I’m never going to have any garden or flowers at my house.’ ”

His mother took it all in stride. “Remember,” she told him, “when you have your own house you can do what you want to do, install and maintain what you like; you will enjoy it like I do.”

A mother must know best, because Gibbs knew by high school that he wanted to be a professional gardener.

‘Just full of color’

Gibbs said he loved growing up in Cherokee County.

“We had a summer cabin at Hiawassee Lake, near Great Creek just past Hanging Dog,” he recalled. “Murphy was a beautiful place to grow up.”

Except for the winters. In the 1950s, many houses were heated with a coal stoker that burned into a big furnace, but the system was inefficient and Gibbs was often cold.

“I didn’t care much about the winters in Murphy; it could be pretty rough,” Gibbs said, then laughed. “The insulation was not as thick, back in those days.”

But how he loved spring and summer.

“In the spring, when the perennials bloom, it’s just full of color,” Gibbs said, adding, “The lavenders of Russian sage, the yellow daffodils, with their warm colors, it is just beautiful.”

Before he left for the University of Georgia, his mother told him that there were two types of gardening.

“If you’re very creative,” she told him, “you’ll go into more of the design and planning of gardens. But if you want to know how plants grow, you’ll need to learn horticulture.”

Gibbs said his family knew early on he had talent for the creative side. But he wanted to know all aspects of gardening, so he studied both landscape architecture for the design side and horticulture for the knowledge side.

He stayed in Georgia after graduation.

“Georgia is a big, big gardening state,” Gibbs said. “There are more gardening clubs in Atlanta than in any other city.”

With his degree, he opened his own business, Gibbs Landscape Co., and over the years earned more than 300 awards for excellence in design.

‘World-class garden’

Gibbs began traveling the world to learn more about gardens, flowers and design.

“When I was studying in Japan, I told my wife that I wanted to find a piece of property and begin to build a world-class garden,” he said.

Gibbs wanted that garden to be his legacy. So they moved back to Georgia, purchased 350 acres and built a Manor House on the property. Then he got to work digging 19 ponds and multiple waterfalls, while designing 16 gardens, each with its own specialty.

Gibbs Gardens won the national award for the Garden of Excellence in 2019, only to top that in 2020 when it was named one of the 13-best American botanical gardens.

“I have hundreds of springs that flow through the gardens,” he said. “All that water ends up in the Cherokee County Reservoir.

“I turned 80 years old in June. Every morning, early in the morning, first thing I do is go out into the gardens.”

Gibbs said he walks about 45 minutes through the springs and ponds.

“I like seeing the changing light on the plant materials” he said. “I have a huge Ferndale shade garden; it’s so peaceful and restful with the waterfall. I do that every morning. I get so much joy from it.”

Gibbs said gardening continues to teach him patience.

“Weather is unpredictable, labor is unpredictable, put the two together, and you have to have to learn to have patience and to deal with it,” he said.

He wishes he had learned patience early.

“When I was younger, I did not have the patience. Today, I accept so many things that are out of my control,” Gibbs said. “Why do I worry about this or that? I know it is out of my control. Today, I have truly accepted that fact that I don’t have control.”

Gibbs’ favorite time to enjoy the gardens is in the cool of the morning.

“The garden is at peace then. Everything is fresh and alive,” he said. “There is nothing to see but the beauty of it. I’m not disturbed there.”

BALL GROUND, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A local animal casting company is looking for new talent to add to its roster. Animal Casting Atlanta in the tiny Cherokee County town of Ball Ground is holding an open call on Sunday.

Greg and Carol Tresan started their animal casting business back in the 1990′s.

Since then, hundreds of their pets have been cast in hundreds of commercials, TV shows, and movies. Carol says there is never a dull moment when you’re on set with a pet.

“It was a big Clydesdale, and he was playing a rhinoceros because he’s really wide so the actor could sit on him as if he was as wide as a rhinoceros. They switched him and CGI - and I was told oh nothing’s happening, it’s just a boring scene. Suddenly hundreds of warriors from Wakanda come racing down the hill, screaming with swords and shields, and my horse was like mom you told me that nothing was going to happen! "

Despite all the distractions she says her horse still managed to hit all his marks. Some of their other horses appeared in the first five seasons of The Walking Dead, which was filmed in Georgia.

The Tresans also operate a pet boarding facility Dog Works, which allows them to scout talent. In fact, one of their dogs named Slate plays Cosmo in “Guardians of the Galaxy” volume 3, which is in theaters right now.

“Through our boarding kennel, a lot of people bring their dogs to board with us. We have a pickup and delivery that runs all the way to Atlanta. They’ll bring really neat animals here. We train them up for the movies and put them in the movies,” said Carol Tresan.

Many of their animal actors live on their farm, but they’re always looking to add to their roster.

“The best film animals are the most relaxed animals. The ones that can deal with the different scenarios that occur. All the different things that happen on set. There’s so many people, so much equipment,” said Greg Tresan.

If you think your pet has what it takes, you’re invited to stop by their farm on Sunday for an open animal casting call from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Animal Casting Atlanta is located at 1690 Julius Bridge Road., Ball Ground, GA 30107. You can also learn more about animal casting by visiting their website here.

Copyright 2023 WANF. All rights reserved.

With a new year ahead of you, new opportunities await. There is always something exciting about starting a new year, especially when you realize that there are 12 full months ahead to pepper in some exciting adventures. If you happen to be a foodie, like us, then we have the ultimate calendar of places to go. These 12 bucket list restaurants in Georgia should absolutely be part of your plans for the new year, one for each month. Who’s ready to feast?!

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Discover Authentic German Eats At Rosenhof Restaurant And Grocery In Georgia

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Have you been to any of these 12 bucket list restaurants in Georgia? Share with us your experience in the comments section! Or if you have more restaurants that you think would be a great fit for another list, make sure to shout them out, too!

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Katie Feldkamp | November 30, 2022

What are some little-known restaurants in Georgia?

Sure there are well-known big cities and big restaurants throughout the Peach State, but there are also some truly amazing little-known restaurants in Georgia tucked all throughout the state. See how many you know or have been to:

Check out this list to find out more about these and several other little-known restaurants in Georgia.

What are some of the most unique restaurants in Georgia?

For an unforgettable dining experience, check out these unique restaurants in Georgia:

Check out this list to find out more about these and several other unique restaurants in Georgia.

Where are some of the best restaurants in Georgia?

It’s hard to narrow down where the best of the best restaurants in Georgia are located, but it can be guaranteed that there’s an amazing restaurant just waiting for you, no matter what type of restaurant you’re seeking. Take a look at some of the following:

Construction progress continues with major milestone

ATLANTA, Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlanta Gas Light today announced the placement of its second LNG storage facility rooftop August 2 at its liquified natural gas (LNG) facility in Cherokee County. Weighing 444 tons, or as much as 11 humpback whales, the domed roof is approximately 200 feet in diameter and 36 feet in height. The air raise of the roof took approximately 4 hours to complete. Construction of the inner LNG containment shell within the outer wall will begin in the coming months. Once complete, the new LNG tank will store an additional 2 billion standard cubic feet of natural gas onsite to meet Atlanta Gas Light natural gas supply needs.

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Construction of the LNG storage facility has been underway since November 2021 and will be completed in phases over the next three years.

"Placement of the LNG storage tank roof is a major milestone for the project, reflecting the hard work and dedication of our team as we transition this facility closer to operation," says Atlanta Gas Light President and CEO Pedro Cherry. "This LNG project is critical natural gas infrastructure necessary to continue providing fuel to our customers safely and reliably in the decades when demand is at its highest."

The project will allow Atlanta Gas Light to double the facility's capacity, store gas when it is most affordable and then have access to that supply during periods of peak demand in the county and surrounding regions.

Liquefied natural gas is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state, at about -260 degrees Fahrenheit, for shipping and storage. The volume of natural gas in its liquid state is about 600 times smaller than its volume in its gaseous state in a natural gas pipeline. While stored as LNG, it's returned to its gaseous state, or regasified, for use by customers.

This facility is part of Atlanta Gas Light's first-ever Integrated Capacity Development Plan (i-CDP), which was approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission in November 2021. The i-CDP provides insight into the company's long-range plans for initiatives that will enable it to meet increased demand and deliver superior customer service while continuing to serve the energy needs of the state safely and reliably.

Check out Atlanta Gas Light's YouTube channel for video of the roof placement.

For more information about Atlanta Gas Light, log on to our website or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

About Atlanta Gas LightAtlanta Gas Light is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Atlanta Gas Light provides natural gas delivery service to approximately 1.7 million customers in Georgia. In operation since 1856, the company is one of the oldest corporations in the state. For more information, visit atlantagaslight.com.

About Southern Company GasSouthern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America's premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.3 million natural gas customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with approximately 666,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.

SOURCE Southern Company