Garvan Woodland Gardens

Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States

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Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas, began as a timberland purchased in the 1920s by businessman Arthur B. Cook and was later expanded by his daughter, Verna Cook Garvan.

Verna, one of the first female CEOs of a major southern manufacturing company, began transforming the land into the botanical garden in 1956, personally designing paths and selecting thousands of native and exotic plants over the next four decades. Her vision was to create a botanical paradise that she initially intended as a private residence site but later opened to the public.

Before her death in 1993, she entrusted the gardens to the University of Arkansas' Department of Landscape Architecture to preserve and maintain it. The gardens, spanning 210 acres along Lake Hamilton, feature naturalistic landscapes blending plantings with architecture, including the Verna C. Garvan Pavilion designed by architect E. Fay Jones.

Over years, the garden expanded with features like the Anthony Chapel complex and carillon, serving as a center for education, research, and public enjoyment, preserving Verna Garvan’s legacy of horticulture and conservation.