A visit to Barnsley Gardens nestled in the foothills in Adairsville, GA is the perfect getaway for romance & relaxation. The grounds are absolutely breathtaking, the manor ruins and surrounding grounds are steeped rich in history. This place is no ordinary retreat but a magical serene setting to celebrate something special or to get away from it all and relax!
This is the approach to the homestead ruins affectionately called the 'Woodlands' built by Godfrey Barnsley in the mid 1800's located in Northern Georgia. The manor style was clearly built outside of the the typical Southern 'Greek Revival' architecture. Godfrey Barnsley was a disciple of Andrew Jackson Downing and the manor reflected Gothic and Italianate design, very different from the standards at the time.
Daytime inside the manor ruins. Weddings, parties and intimate concerts are still held here. In the evening it must look magical with all the candles lit!
The large boxwood parterre was geometrical in design with serpentine walkways that wound through large flowering border beds.
The heirloom gardens Godfrey Barnsley planted and built for his beloved Julia are what first
attracted me to visit this extraordinary resort. It contained many exotic species at the time including this China Fir tree. When planted it was as nearly as tall as the mansion!
Above is a very small sampling of the magnificent gardens here at Barnsley Gardens. These are the true colors of the flowers, no color adjustments were made. The flower gardens were spectacular to see in person and the spacious cottages had their own unique garden and landscaping!
This photo was taken from a different angle of the ruins at dusk which was previously posted here. In the maze of boxwood is a replica of the fountain Godfrey had built for his wife. After her death he tried to find solace wandering the gardens and it's here he stated she came to him in an apparition. The manor was not finished yet and she encouraged him to finish building their 'Woodlands' homestead dream.
This photo on the left was taken standing inside the front foyer looking out at the formal boxwood parterre. The next picture is of my husband standing by the arbor and side perennial bed and path that leads down to the bog pond.
Barnsley Gardens Resort has it all for you to enjoy in lush setting. Whether you want to enjoy a ride through the hills on horseback, spend an afternoon clay shooting, master a round of golf, learn to fly fish, hike through the trail, take a magical walk through the manor ruins and heirloom gardens, cool off with a dip in the pool, fancy a spa visit or treat yourself to fabulous meals it’s all here waiting for you! If you decide to visit, check their monthy specials on line.
The service was impeccable and if you happen to need a special touch they have a fairy godmother there to make it happen for you. When checking in she had her wand there by the desk hanging on the wall. If only I had gotten a photo of it!
For more information about a visit to Barnsley Gardens located in Adairsville, Georgia click here.
Redesigned Spaces www.redesigned-spaces.net
Specializing in Owner Occupied Homes, Floral Design, Custom Art Work, Display Work
Cynthia Bartch ~ cell: 404.509.6046
Alpharetta, Buford, Cumming, Dacula, Duluth, Gainesville, Lawrenceville, Sugar Hill & Suwanee, Georgia
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wow... that was spectacular!
It was indeed Alan, you felt like you transported in time....
WOW, it does look like a wonderful get a way. I'm of the click on your click here button and plan a visit. After all... today is the anniversary of my first kiss with my husband (9 years ago) so what better time to plan a romantic get a way.
This looks like a remarkable place Cynthia. You know how much I love history and historic homes. This is a fantastic write up on a wonderful looking place. If I am ever in the area I will certainly have to check it out.
Hey Tammy it was our 33rd anniversary and this place was truly magical :) If only I had bought my new camera earlier my photos would have turned better. Soooo....that means a trip back, right?
Hey JL, I just finished the book by Clent Coker and the history of the family and this place was just amazing! Godfrey Barnsley was a self made man and a British citizen who married into a well established Savannah family.
Thank you for the feature, I appreciate it greatly!
Cynthia - Excellent photos and a such a wonderful write up. This place sounds dreamy!
Oh, Cynthia, I would LOVE this place. I can't get enough of special flowers and landscape and spending time outside. I also enjoyed seeing the FROG :) It looks like you both had a wonderful time and I can see why! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Those are lovely pictures with a handsome man in one of them. I may check it out because I plan a trip to your state next month.
Cynthia, those are great photos! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Hi Cynthia what a fantastic tour and explanation of Barnsley Gardens, I felt like you took me along with you - the mark of a wonderful post. Great photos, Cyn! Thank you for sharing these, I can't even pick my favorite they are all just beautiful.
Cynthia - This sounds like a great place to get away and enjoy the day with a loved one. I've got to look a little more closely to see if we have something comprable here in Connecticut. Thanks for posting this!
What a great place to visit, so much beauty all around. Thanks for sharing the trip.
Cynthia - I really enjoyed the pictures and it sounds like a wonderful place.
Magical Cynthia! I'd love to see this! Always intrigued by history....
Debi
So glad I popped in on your blog today, I had been waiting for the follow-up of the first photo of this spot...I would love this place, pure magic! The love story makes it even more interesting! When I was in college there was a dilapidated mansion, on the edge of a city park, that was deep in brambles and vines, but worth the hike and scratches to get there. I was taking a photography class at the time and took rolls and rolls of b/w film of that place, this place, though not similar, reminds me of the mystery, history and romance of that place! GREAT PHOTOS!
I could definitely find solace walking through those ruins and gardens. If those ruins were in California, they would be surrounded by caution tape to rope them off from the public because of the possibility of them collapsing at any time.................................
Hi Judy, you described it perfectly...dreamy, very dreamy!
Hi Carole, I knew you would like the frog and there were butterflies every where, they seemed to like me as they were landing on me while walking by. This was only a small portion of the pictures I took as I didn't want to bore my readers, If only I had bought my new camera earlier the photos could have been better. I went back at night to the ruins because many workers talked of strange goings on (ghost) and had they even captured a strange figure in a wedding photo, they showed it me but I just couldn't see anything as hard as I looked.
Hi Barbara, Lovey new photo of your self! It would be definitely worth the visit if you went, the place it just lovely. The history of Godfrey building this place was beyond belief. Yes yo have impeccable taste my husband is still a cutie after all theses years :)
Hi Tony and Darcy, you are welcome and thanks for stopping by it's always appreciated!
Hi Mary, I had a hard time picking the photos to put in this blog, so happy you enjoyed them. The little trip around the ruins was fun wasn't it? I'm telling ya I've never felt so relaxed and at peace when visiting this magical place! These ruins have so much history I couldn't have possibly put it in all this blog.
Hi William, Yes it is the absolute perfect place to share with loved one! Yo must do some digging around yo state to see if yo can whisk your loved one away on special getaway! Love your avatar, what a cutie yo have with you :)
Hi Diane, You are right there was beauty everywhere you go, I saw gardeners everywhere hard at work. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Hi John, It was a wonderful place to visit, in person it was even more spectacular!
Hi Debi, I remembered you like history and I love to see how you would photograph this place with your extraordinary photographic skills!!! It was very magical indeed.
Hi Cheryl, I'm really glad you stopped by too! Sorry, I've been very blogged backed up lately, too much going on to get my stuff together and put a post together. I just knew this was you typed of place, you summed it up perfectly magic! I think it wold have been worth to get the scratches too to photograph that dilapidated mansion, I would have too :) Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Russel, I found it very peaceful to be in the garden & ruins in daytime and at dusk was even better!
Wow ... that's an amazing place. I love the ruins. The place looks magical.
Thanks for sharing with us.
Sylvie, it was pretty magical so glad you enjoyed the ruins, they were fabulous!
Cynthia- Two things... did you get married when you were 10? And while I adore that photo of you... I saw your comment and had to do a serious double take, missing your lace threw me off... and just why did you crop off your pretty face? Okay maybe that's more than two.
Spectacular photos! I love exploring old places, thanks for sharing your tour!
Hi Tammy girl, LOL, I like to say it was a pre-arranged marriage from the age of 3.....I was actually 18 1/2 when I got married.
Ya know I really hated changing that avatar, but I succumbed to the pressure of getting a current photo, lol. Peer pressure is a pain in the bum. I really like that sightly older photo, I think I felt it fit me with a sense of being young at heart. I had a problem w/ a stalker type person starting out w/ this job and it just made me comfortable in my own head using just my logo for the first year. Then it took another year 1/2 to graduate to the childhood photo.
I will have my entire face for the next one in about a year, lol! You are too kind.
Hey maybe people will have no idea who I am and the ones that never bothered to reciprocated comments now will!
Hi Laura, you fellow Zappa fan! This was super fun to explore, thank you so much for your kind words and you're very welcome!
Cynthia,
Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos. I now have to plan a trip here the next time I come home to Atlanta.
By the way, do you know any real estate agents in the ATL area that are deep into historic preservation?
all the best...(and be careful of "pigmy ponies"!)
Cynthia That is the kind of place I like to visit - historic and lovely - great photos Karen
Morning Bill, So glad you enjoyed the little trip through my photos. It is well worth the visit when you can make it. I'll see if I can get you an answer about an agent who is well into historic preservation.
Morning Karen, This lovely place was full of history, romance and the backdrop was breathtaking, thank you for visiting!
That place is awsome - I could hang out there all day ... doing nothing of course!
Hi Steve, this place was sublime. It took Godfrey Barnsley many years to plan and execute building this magnificent home but can you imagine having indoor plumbing in the middle 1800's not to mention a sort of convection oven too. He was a forward thing man to say the least! The grounds were so incredible too.
I did spend a day doing nothing :) Thank you for the visit, love seeing that avatar you're using now, too cute!
Beautiful...I wouldln't mind waking up to those gardens everyday!
Me neither Cindy...can you imagine the upkeep? It was so beautiful, my photos do not do this justice!
Hi Cynthia, wonderful art work. You photos are incredible and make you feel you want to book some time there now. They could make great photos for advertising this beautiful place. It is quite some time since I went there.
Hi Barbara, I was hoping to go back in the fall but I just won't be able to make it, it bet it's beautiful there now with the color changes. It's really quite amazing what Godfrey Barnsey's vision was for this homestead in it's time!
Hope you are doing well.
Hi Cyndee, we really need a trip to the south. Your photos do it. Haven't spent any time in your region and I love the GREEN. What time of year would you recommend? (I can't do heat and humidity.) Hope all is well.
Gorgeous place !...and well captured with your pics Cyn !
Very nice :o)
Hey there Ginger, Where I'm located in Buford I hardly ever experience the humidity and when I tell people that they just kinda look at me like I'm crazy! The weather starts to change here mid Oct. early Nov. them warms up again starting in April.
All is well, I'm just super busy with holiday decorating & designing when I'm not staging or redesigning until the end of the year. I'm hit and miss here on AR until it settles down.
LOL, Sheldon love the new avatar ;o) Of course you'd like it it was designed by a another very smart Brit!
Cynthia-congrats on the anniversary! This is such a gorgeous place! A picture of the wand would have been the perfect ending. ;-)
Cynthia,
Thanks to your beautiful photos, we got to enjoy a taste of this romantic and magical place. You managed to capture some of the essence through your colorful and vibrant photos. I like the close-up of the flowers in the gardens! :)
You know, Girl.... This is just the thing we're looking for in the PhotoBloggers Group! ;) I came back for a second look. I love this place :)
Debi
Hey, Cynthia - I see this is your most recent post. Hope all is well with you and yours, that you're really busy, but that you'll soon be back to Play in the Rain with us.
Oh man, I have not gotten any email notifications on relies to this blog....sorry guys!
Hi Debra, I agree I should have gotten a picture of the wand and the actual fairy godmother because she walked right past me :)
Hi Gerry, Always nice to see your friendly face on my blog. This was a magical place, it was so peaceful and relaxing not mention the beautiful gardens. Glad you enjoyed the photos even if they were with my old point and shoot.
Hi Debi, You know I may have something for the group, a photo-blog of my trip to Destin...and I had my new camera with me! When it's done I'll post to the group. Thanks for the return trip :)
Hey Russel, Yep, I have been super busy! Thanks so much the return trip also, everything is going well here. Hope Zoey is treating you right :)
Hi Cynthia,
Your post is marvelous, the photos magnificent, the China Fir is magical. I didn't realize you lived in Buford :( We were there for service on the RV and spent the night at the facility....sorry! We spent a lot of our time up in the NE corner of Georgia which we absolutely loved. Have you been to Tallulah Gorge? WOWIE
I won't forget next time we're back your way. Happy Anniversary.
Gail
Hello Gail!!! Yes that tree was so beautiful & unusual I had to snap it's picture. It was a nice place to spend our anniversary, thank you :) Well I hope your motor tour of GA was a pleasant time spent exploring, I still haven't explored all beauty to see around here. Why yes, I have been to Tallulah Gorge see my blog here. It was a last minute visit as we were on our way home from a Sunday drive.
Nice to see you back here Gail.
Hi again :-)
I did visit your Gorge post, I'm glad you feel the same way about it as I do. I was blown away by this magnificent area. Maybe we should keep it to ourselves..shhhhhhhh! We did the hike to the bottom and were going to continue but the area beyond the base was closed as they were letting water into the river. Next time we'll go the whole way and drag you with us....wouldn't that be nice!
Gail
Hey again Gail, Yes let's keep the secret to ourselves, lol! Georgia is just beautiful, there are so many places I've yet to explore. If you are ever in the area again give us a call :)
Girls Girls Girls
@ Gail and Cynthia! It's not a secret if you put it on the Internet !! LOL!
Hello my Georgia friend. These pics are stunning just like the Georgia peach that took them. Belated Happy Anniversary. Sounds like you had a wonderful Anniversary. Have missed you. <SMILE>
Oh dang it Mary, I just get carried away, LOL! Thank for the re-visit, it's always a pleasure to see & read you :)
Hello there Miss Sharon Lee, It was a great time I tell ya! I hope you are doing well, I know you've been busy too. It's a shame this work thing gets in the way of our blogging!
That is for sure. Have to take a break next year and pay you a visit. <SMILE> Have a wonderful week.
Yep I'm in the busy season too so I'm right there with you Sharon, you do the same and make it a great week :)
I lived in Atlanta area for quite a few years and never made it to that place, I sorry I missed it. Wonderful photos, the fir tree is really spectacular. Thanks for sharing these.
Oh Ana, This place it definitely one my favorite places I've been, the scenery, the history of the ruins, the service all fabulous! That tree was spectacular in person to see too. If you ever make it back here it's worth the trip my friend.