Hamilton Rhododendron Gardens — Attraction in Hayesville

We were generally underwhelmed by the Hamilton Rhododendron Gardens. Our family of five visited one morning in mid-April and some plants were blooming which were pretty to see, but generally, we did not get much out of this. It's a wooded slope with plantings going down to the shoreline interrupted by parallel walking paths and many "In Memory of..." benches or "sponsored by" bricks/signs. There was no educational component or information about what is there or why, nor is there anything engaging to help you get more out of this compared to walking (free) trails elsewhere. They did offer guided golf cart tours, but I remember the cost being relatively high. Our family paid the suggested donation at the gate and even our 3 kids afterwards said they much rather preferred the scenery along the various hiking trails we took in the mountains surrounding the area which were all free compared to this garden where they knew it cost money. I would not recommend this to others, especially when there are so many other attractions, hikes, and scenery in the area that are more engaging...

First time visiting Hamilton Park. My husband and I love botanical gardens, trails, etc. so we thought we’d check this out. I found it online and it looked nice, several trails and waterfront! However we were disappointed. The pavilion had restrooms, but they were not in use. The trails & gardens looked unmaintained. Grass not mowed, weeds not sprayed, bushes and trees not trimmed. The “gardens” are non-existent. Mainly trees & bushes with little signs everywhere that say something was planted in someone’s honor. Not sure if anything was actually planted. I never saw any flowers. Like none. Tons of memorial benches everywhere tho, so there’s that. Oh and they ask for a $2/per person or $5/per family donation that says “honor system”. Well that’s not a donation but ok. But really, donation for what? Where is the money going? Not to keep the bathrooms working. Not to make this park beautiful. Ugh. ...

This is a garden that's funded entirely by voluntary contributions, so from that standpoint it's pretty impressive. The number of varieties is impressive, and the sculptures are fun. The only downside is that it is a little rough around the edges with some repairs needed to the timber steps. Because the flowers there are almost exclusively azaleas and rhododendron, you need to be sure you hit it at the right time of year. I was there in late April and was probably about a week too early to really see all the varieties they have. The azaleas were pretty much in full bloom , but there aren't as many of them as there are rhododendron and, of course, the rhododendron are much bigger. All of that said, there's a nice network of trails and the lake views make it really worthwhile. Stop by if you're ever in the Hiawassee, GA area...