Friday, September 27 and Saturday, September 28 | 9AM-5PM
Proud to partner with Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
Fall is the PERFECT time for planting! A long cold winter enables plants to develop dense root systems for strong healthy growth in the spring. Horticulturists and local experts will be onsite to help you find the right plants to attract butterflies, pollinators, birds, and more, as well as herbs and veggies for your edible garden.
Collections of plants for rock gardens, sunny borders, water-wise landscapes, shade, and dry shade as well as the wetter and/or wilder areas of your garden. Many of these native plants do well in containers too! Pick out the right native plants for your own garden from our fabulous selections of flowers, ferns, shrubs, trees, groundcovers, and grasses.
Follow the signs to the greenhouse and enjoy the Fall Native Plant Sale. Free admission to the sale and plants range in price from $5 to $35. Credit cards accepted and CNC members receive a discount. All proceeds support gardens, education, and conservation by the Horticulture Department.
Friday and Saturday, March 29-30 and April 5-6 | 9AM-5PM
Presented by Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
Add native plants to your gardens and containers to grow a more wildlife-friendly greenspace. The CNC native plant sale, with knowledgeable staff and volunteers available for questions, is a unique opportunity for you to shop from an incredible selection of plants native to Georgia. The plant sale will take place outdoors, rain or shine.
All ages. FREE. Parking attendants to direct you. We can assist in loading your car with plant purchases.
Native plants range in price from $5 to $35. Credit cards accepted and CNC members receive a discount.
Flying into the Future is where science and nature collide to bring you activities focused on STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. We are all about forward-thinking at this Family Fun Day! Come ready to learn about flying animals and test your tinkering skills with STEAM-themed partners, crafts, and activities.
Wings to Soar returns this year with their unique flighted raptor show! Shows happening at 12:30PM, 1:30PM, 2:30PM, and 3:30PM.
The Atlanta Science Festival is an annual celebration of the world-class learning and STEM career opportunities in metro Atlanta, featuring 100 engaging events for curious kids and adults at venues all across the region. The Festival is engineered by Science ATL and 80+ community partners, with major support from founders Emory University, Georgia Tech, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber, presenting sponsor Delta Air Lines, and other sponsors NCR Foundation, UPS, Cox, and more. Chattahoochee Nature Center is a pick up location for the 2024 Program Guide.
Choose from eight indoor and outdoor venues to suit a variety of events, including weddings, celebrations of life, baby showers, mitzvahs, family reunions, corporate events, family reunions, or special anniversaries. Diverse and award-winning catering with full-service beverage options. Celebrate at Atlanta’s greenest venue options.
Venue Tours: Monday-Friday 9:30AM- 4:30PM
*These prices do not reflect wedding package pricing. Please contact us for wedding package pricing.
available venues
ben brady lakeside pavilion
Have an unforgettable evening at the Ben Brady Lakeside Pavilion with its breathtaking views of the water and the Nature Center’s grounds. This is an ideal location for a unique outdoor wedding, business function, private party or anniversary celebration.
>>These prices do not reflect wedding package pricing. Contact through Event Inquiry Form for Wedding pricing.
kingfisher hall
Kingfisher Hall is a large, multi-purpose room that is flexible for a different number of events. It is ideal for corporate meetings, retreats, mitzvahs, family gatherings, clubs, or community meetings.
>> Basic Package: $1,500 Before or After CNC Business Hours $1,000 During CNC Business Hours
>> Premium Package: $1,800 Before or After CNC Business Hours $1,400 During CNC Business Hours
Green Roof
This venue offers spectacular views of the grounds and seasonal views of the Chattahoochee River. This is the ideal venue for cocktail receptions, bridal or baby showers, birthday or anniversary parties, and other private catered events.
>>These prices do not reflect wedding package pricing. Contact through Event Inquiry Form for Wedding pricing.
River Boardwalk
Breathtaking views of the Chattahoochee River and wetlands. Includes use of the Hirsekorn Family River House and the Abreu Family A-frame. This is an ideal location for a unique outdoor wedding, business function, private party or anniversary celebration.
>>These prices do not reflect wedding package pricing. Contact through Event Inquiry Form for Wedding pricing.
Private Classroom
This small private classroom with a white board and projector screen is a great area to host meetings, presentations and teambuilding breakout rooms. It is also a perfect space for small birthdays!
$500 Before or After CNC Business Hours $300 During CNC Business Hours
Plaza Conference Room
This multi-purpose, sun-filled room is an ideal meeting space. Perfect for a business meeting, bridal or baby shower, family gathering, or club or community meeting.
>> Basic Package: $900 Before or After CNC Business Hours $600 During CNC Business Hours
>> Premium Package: $1,300 Before or After CNC Business Hours $1,000 During CNC Business Hours
heron pond pavilion
This private rustic picnic pavilion area, adjacent to the Heron Pond, offers corporate groups, families, high school reunions, or clubs a place to gather and enjoy a daytime picnic in a shady setting.
Our state-of-the-art theater with HD screen is an excellent place for lectures and mixed media presentations; intimate business, club, or association meetings; or small cultural events.
There are two parts to any successful butterfly garden: nectar sources and host plants. Nectar is an important source of food for many pollinators, and luckily there are many different types of annuals and perennials that provide this resource.
To attract native pollinators to your garden, we recommend planting native annuals and perennials that would typically be found in your area naturally. Butterflies see in ultraviolet light, so bright colored flowers with a lighter center can act as a target to help attract pollinators. Butterflies also prefer a space to land while feeding on the nectar, so native species with larger petals or petals that form in clumps will also help attract butterflies to your garden.
The second item necessary for a successful butterfly garden are host plants. Host plants are required for a butterfly’s reproductive cycle.
When a caterpillar hatches from its egg, it must eat from a specific plant to survive. If an egg is laid on a plant that is not the correct host plant, the caterpillar will hatch, try to eat whatever plant they are on, and then die. Therefore, if you would like to attract a wide variety of native butterflies to your garden, be sure to plant a wide variety of native host plants!
Below, you can find the list of host plants to some of the native butterflies of Georgia.
Butterfly: Papilio polyxenes, Black Swallowtail Host Plants: Variety of plants in the Apiaceae family including: Carrots, Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Celery, Caraway
Butterfly: Papiliocresphontes, Giant Swallowtail Host Plants: Variety of trees and herbs in Rutaceae family including: Prickly Ash, Hop Tree, Common Rue
Butterfly: Papilio troilus, Spicebush Swallowtail Host Plant: Plants belonging to Lauraceae family
Butterfly: Papilio glaucus, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Host Plant: Common host plants in Magnoliaceae and Rosaceae families including: Tulip Tree, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Wild Black Cherry
Butterfly: Siproetastelenes, Malachite Host Plants: Ruellia coccinea and other plants in the Acanthaceae family
Butterfly: Heliconius charithonia, Zebra Longwing Host Plant: Several passion flower vine species (Passiflora sp.) including: Purple Passionflower, Corkystem Passionflower, Yellow Passionflower and more
Butterfly: Vanessa cardui, Painted Lady Host Plants: More than 100 species of plants have been recorded as a host plant for the Painted Lady including: Compositae family, Boraginaceae family, Malvaceae family
Butterfly: Agraulis vanillae, Gulf Fritillary Host Plant: Many species in the Passiflora family including: Purple Passionflower and Corkystem Passionflower
Along with nectar and host plants there are also a few other things to consider when planning your butterfly garden. They are not plant related, but just as important for attracting butterflies.
Create a spot for butterflies to rest. Butterflies need sun and warmth to dry their wings and be ready for flight. Flat stones in your garden are a great place for them to warm up and get ready for the day.
Bring together nectar sources and host plants in your garden, along with a few other features, and you will be on your way to attracting butterflies and other pollinators throughout spring, summer, and fall!
15th Annual Best of Weddings Awards Honor Top Wedding Vendors Across America
December 21, 2020
Roswell, GA—The Chattahoochee Nature Center is pleased to announce our selection as a 2021 winner of The Knot Best of Weddings. This accolade represents the highest- and most-rated from wedding professionals as reviewed by real couples, their families and wedding guests on The Knot, a leading wedding planning, registry brand, and mobile app.
Despite COVID-19 interrupting many 2020 weddings and social events, wedding professionals around the nation continued to support to-be-weds throughout their wedding planning journeys. From adjusting future schedules to make way for postponed weddings, to helping couples host socially distanced weddings following state and local guidelines and restrictions with an increased focus on health and safety, wedding pros—and the industry as a whole—rallied together in 2020, ultimately helping couples continue to celebrate life and love. The Knot 2021 Best of Weddings recognition honors the vendors who went above and beyond to help to-be-weds navigate the global pandemic.
In 2021, five percent of hundreds of thousands of local wedding professionals listed on The Knot received this distinguished award. In its fifteenth annual year, The Knot continues its long-standing tradition of supporting local wedding vendors with The Knot Best of Weddings 2021, an annual by-couples, for-couples guide to the top wedding professionals across the country. This comes as the industry prepares for an increase in upcoming celebrations due to postponed events throughout 2020.
To determine the winners, The Knot analyzed its millions of user reviews across various vendor categories—including venues, musicians, florists, photographers, caterers and more—to find the highest rated vendors of the year. These winners represent the best of the best wedding professionals that engaged couples should consider booking for their own unique weddings.
“The Ben Brady Pavilion is a lovely space to hold an event. The large pavilion is mostly covered and sits right on the water. As night falls, the cafe lights add ambiance and charm. The spacious green lawn adjacent to the pavilion is great for overflow for larger parties. The staff at CNC are responsive, helpful and kind. You can tell they love what they do and are proud of where they work.” – Julie Cumming, ‘cue Barbeque
Surrounded by nature with lush trees and a lake, the Chattahoochee Nature Center presents couples with a choice of multiple locations, amenities, and affordable packages. The welcoming staff will help make your special day unique and unforgettable. Suitable for boutique or large weddings, the five venues offer something for every bride and groom. As an award-winning venue, they offer an exceptional level of service for your long-awaited celebration.
Chattahoochee Nature Center was founded in 1976, and we focus on our mission of connecting people to nature. For over 40 years, CNC has welcomed thousands of visitors to our 127 acres of forest, wetlands, and riverside habitat. We also preserve the natural splendor of the local area, presenting a bountiful setting for your special day.
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Press Contact: Tracy Begley, Marketing Specialist
marketing@chattnaturecenter.org
770-992-2055 x245
Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell, GA 30075
You are probably familiar with hibernation, but what about brumation, torpor, or even diapause?
November 23, 2020 By Kathryn Dudeck, Wildlife Director
When we think of winter in Georgia, shorter days, sleet, light snow, cold rain, and a drop in temperature all usually come to mind. But it’s not just the humans who prepare for the upcoming months; many animals change their behaviors, too. You are probably familiar with hibernation, but what about brumation, torpor, or even diapause?
Hibernation is a catch-all term derived from the Latin hibernare, which means “winter quarters.” There are, however, very few species that hibernate in Georgia, with the most common being bats, chipmunks, and groundhogs. Though we often think of hibernating bears, they instead enter a torpor. With true hibernation the animal is so deeply asleep that it rarely wakes up until temperatures warm and days lengthen. Torpor is very similar but is a lighter sleeping state; bears quickly awake if there is potential danger nearby.
Instead of hibernating like warm-blooded animals, Georgia’s cold-blooded reptiles and amphibians brumate, sometimes written as bromate. These ectothermic animals are dependent on the environment to maintain their body temperatures.
Some animals such as snakes and lizards who live in the higher elevations of the mountains enter a hibernaculum. This could be a cave, rock ledge, or similar spot where multiple species gather, sometimes with over a hundred individuals!
Aquatic turtles will often spend the time in a lethargic state at the bottom of a pond or lake, occasionally slowly crawling or drifting. Eastern box turtles will burrow under fallen logs, into compost piles, or loose, soft soil. Despite what the calendar shows, if temperatures reach the 40s during a sunny day, you may seem some of these critters soaking up some rays and finding a snack to eat.
Insects are yet another group that slows down in the winter, but these animals enter diapause. Simply put, it is a state of dormancy and affects all stages of insects, from egg to adult, and the animal will not develop any further until spring. Unlike mammals and reptiles who remain active until the temperatures really begin to drop, insects enter diapause in fall before it becomes too cold for them to function. Another difference is that even if the weather becomes conducive to continuing development, the insect remains in its suspended state until spring. It is common to find insects overwintering under fallen leaves or even in the stems of dead flowers in your yard.
As you’re filling up your bird baths for your feathered visitors, don’t forget to put a saucer of water on the ground for some of the other animals that you don’t expect to see while you’re bundled up. You never know who may show!
Tricks for Making a Member Reservation and Visitation
December 22, 2020
All of us at the CNC want to thank you for helping keep our admissions process safe by making a reservation prior to your visit. We appreciate your patience as we have worked to learn the reservation system, and your feedback has helped us to make improvements over time. If you have any questions or thoughts, please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know.
Frequent Visits? Sign Up Genius offers a free app. Our Member Reservation Form can be accessed by using the ‘Find a Sign Up’ feature and entering our email address, membership@chattnaturecenter.org. If you are making frequent reservations to visit, you may also consider creating a free Sign Up Genius account. You have the ability to stay logged in (eliminating the need to enter your username and password each time), and will be able to see past sign ups on your home page for easy access.
Popular Programs: While CNC is still implementing admission capacities for daily visits and other programs, please reach out to us if you are having difficulty finding a preferred date and time for a sign up. Safety is our priority, however we may be able to work with you to help accommodate your group in some instances.
We are here to help! Our Visitor Services staff are happy to assist you with making, editing, or cancelling a reservation. They can also help troubleshoot any sign up questions for new or returning users. You can reach them at 770-992-2055 x 238, or CNC.admissions@chattanturecenter.org.
DISCOVERY CENTER LOWER LEVEL
The lower level of the Discover Center, including the Watershed Gallery and Nature Exchange, is open daily!
PLEASE NOTE
As an indoor space, masks are required in the Watershed Gallery
The lower level may be closed Mon-Sat from 12:30 – 1:00PM for sanitizing.
What has the Belted Kingfisher been up to since Halloween Hikes last year?
Why hello everyone! Did you miss me? I was just fishing over at the pond at the Chattahoochee Nature Center and it made me remember how much fun I had last year seeing you all at the Halloween Hikes!
Can you believe it’s been a full year since we got to hike together and you got the privilege of meeting moi – the most beautiful bird on this side of the Chattahoochee?
Well I’ve had quite a busy year myself. After we finished having fun together last October, I had a quiet winter. Most days, all I did was fish. I would get up in the morning and perch on the edge of the Chattahoochee River. When I saw a fish that looked particularly tasty, I would take flight, close my eyes (I hate getting water in my eyes) and grab the fish in my long pointy bill. Then I would take it back to where I was sitting, pound it against the perch, and eat it head first. This was how I spent almost every day this winter – swoop, catch, and pound. To be honest, it started to get a little lonely and a little bit of a headache from the pounding. Just little old me, all by myself out there hunting the same spots day in and day out.
One day, I was hunting around my usual dinner spot when I spotted a really scrumptious fish. I swoop down, close my eyes, snap my beak shut …. and next thing I know, I have the head of the fish in my mouth, and another kingfisher – a male kingfisher – has the tail in his mouth. I looked into his dark eyes and blue feathers, and it was love at first sight. But of course, I played coy at first (and ate the whole fish myself). I let him court me by bringing me fish, until finally he asked if I would build a burrow nest with him. Of course I said yes!
We spent the whole rest of the spring together and next thing you know, we had eggs. It all went so fast!
After a whirlwind of incubation, where of course my prince charming helped me sit on the eggs, we had baby kingfishers. I spent the next two months making sure they got enough fish to eat, but they really mean it when they say they grow up fast. By August, I was already an empty-nester.
And that brings us up to now! I absolutely can’t wait to see you guys again. Seeing you every fall is my favorite part of the year. You are always so much fun to hike with and your costumes always make me so proud to call you my friends. Plus, I love getting the chance to see all my other furry, feathered, and scaled forest friends who don’t get to come out to the river and play as much as I would like.
Will you come see me this year? I have lots more stories to tell you, and I’m hoping you have a few to tell me as well!
As the weather is about to cool down with the arrival of fall, everyone will be ready to spend more time outdoors. Having the opportunity to exercise outdoors is one of the best things you can do for yourself. A favorite among many yogis is taking your practice outdoors. While yoga studios are often a relaxing, zen environment, nothing can beat fresh air which is even more important at the current time. Are you ready to give outdoor yoga a try? Here are some of the ways that the outdoors benefits your practice:
Currently, there are so many ways to make meditation accessible whether you’re at work or about to go to bed. But if you are looking to take your meditation to the next level, you have to take it outdoors. Scientists have found that meditation helps to reduce the stress hormone cortisol in the body and being outdoors vs. in an urban setting helps to reduce these levels more. It also might help you stay focused if your mind tends to wander.
3. Gives you the chance to check out new places
For many of us, our house or apartment is located in urban settings and not always conveniently located near the beach, park, or nature center. Why not make a trip out of it? If you are looking into making it more of a getaway trip, there are many yoga retreats held locally or in popular destinations. In your community there are sure to be events by local yoga studios, such Plum Tree Yoga. However, if you are looking for something more low-key and close-by some of the best trips can be a day trip with family and friends, or even as alone time.
What has been your experience with outdoor yoga? Do you feel like it adds to your practice?
Pack your yoga mat and water bottle! Immerse yourself in nature at our outdoor yoga class hosted by Plum Tree Yoga Studios at the Ben Brady Lakeside Pavilion. Come breathe in the fresh air and listen to the soothing sounds of nature with occasional sound journeys done by Vibrational Sound Technician, Michael Burke. Two yoga blocks and one small blanket are recommended but not required for practice.
Another great offering at the Chattahoochee Nature Center to get outdoors and get your nature on!