A 30-acre garden in the centre of Atlanta has become famous for its collections, conservation work and art exhibitions in nature, and is now a beloved haven for locals. Mary Pat Matheson, CEO of Atlanta Botanical Garden, talks to Kath Hudson about her vision
By Kath Hudson | Published in Attractions Management 2018 issue 3
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is home to a number of living sculptures, ranging from 26 feet tall to 21 feet wide
When I joined in 2002, I saw the garden as an adolescent in a city which was growing up,” says Mary Pat Matheson. “I realised it had huge potential for growth and my expertise is in raising money to build gardens. It had some great staff, as well as the largest collection of carnivorous plants in the world and the largest collection of orchids in the US. I told the executive committee that I wanted to create big exhibitions and they gave me the freedom to be creative.”
Matheson kept true to her word; under her stewardship Atlanta Botanical Garden, located in Atlanta, Georgia, has gone from strength to strength. She has increased annual visits from 120,000 to 500,000, as well as raising funds and overseeing an ambitious expansion of the main site and the launch of a second, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainsville.
One of Matheson’s ideas credited with putting the attraction on the map was to turn it into an outdoor art gallery, inserting sculpture among the plants.
The first exhibition – a glass sculpture of Dale Chihuly, in 2004 – helped lay the groundwork for the first capital campaign. However, the second time the artist was showcased, in 2016, it was worth an estimated US$50m to US$60m for the city.
A museum without walls In 2009, the gardens played host to the largest collection of Henry Moore bronze sculptures ever seen in the US. Four years later, the attraction commissioned Mosaiculture International of Montreal to create some of its massive sculptures made out of plants for the Imaginery Worlds exhibition. Some of these remain at the Gainsville location.
“Gardens are simply museums without walls, and the best canvas to showcase sculpture and art,” says Matheson. “There’s often the perception that museums aren’t open to everyone, but gardens don’t have the same exclusivity: everyone enjoys being out in nature. It has been a privilege to be able to showcase such iconic artwork in such a serene setting.”
Another Matheson win has been to diversify to bring in new audiences.
“In a competitive environment you need to offer more than just hydrangeas in bloom. I work by the mantra that it all begins with the visitor: educate them, get them to join as a member or become a donor,” she says. “In order to attract different audiences, we needed to offer different opportunities. In 2002 we had some families visiting, but no young people. So we started holding cocktail evenings aimed at those in their mid-20s to late 30s. All the marketing was done electronically and it was very successful.”
These evenings have now become established in the city, with older people coming in the early evening to have a glass of wine and listen to music and then a younger crowd arriving later.
Time to expand A variation of the social offering has been culinary experiences, with the attraction’s chefs cooking outdoors: “Who doesn’t like being cooked for by a great chef in nice outdoor surroundings?” says Matheson.
A major part of the annual event calendar is the holiday light show at Christmas, which is one of the biggest in the US. It draws 185,000 people, from all over the south east, having a major economic impact on hotels and restaurants.
With the gardens’ popularity growing, Matheson saw the opportunity to expand and in 2012 successfully completed a US$55m capital campaign which enabled the expansion of the garden with a new visitor centre, an edible garden, a cascade garden with waterfalls and a flagship 180-metre canopy walk being added.
Once that was completed, work started on creating a second site in Gainsville, which was launched in 2015. “We were simply out of space,” says Matheson. “Part of our mission is to work with other countries to save species – we are actively involved in many countries including Cuba, China and Vietnam – so we needed more room for nurseries in order to do our conservation work. Gainsville is much bigger than the main site and has given us the chance to grow.
Urban oasis Going forward, as more people live in cities than rural areas, Matheson predicts public gardens will become ever more important for health and wellbeing, both mentally and physically. “There’s more pressure on everyone now and many studies show that in order to be healthy, humans need nature,” she says. “Gardens offer people the opportunity to slow down and feel more human again, replenish their spirit and relieve the stress of the city. We’re an urban oasis in a concrete city.”
A challenging aspect of the job has been the constant push to evolve and raise the bar on quality, which involves always fund raising. However, this is Matheson’s speciality: “Good planning is the key,”she says. “We know where we want to be in five years time. We think of it like a business, but operate like a non-profit. And, the more successful we become the easier it gets: investors want to invest in success and we have a great product which everyone loves.”
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
People profile: Anton Vidal
Anton Vidal is director general of Poble Espanyol which has completed a 10-year, €10m improvement plan
Interview: Coen Bertens
Fairytale theme park Efteling has
gone from strength to strength
during its 65-year history, enchanting
more visitors last year than
ever before. We talk to COO Coen
Bertens about its success
Promotional feature: EAS - Learning curves
This year’s Euro Attractions Show promises to
be the biggest in the history of the event, with
a brand new schedule of seminars to match
Aquariums: High Waters
We visited the brand new Aquatis
Aquarium-Vivarium in Switzerland
for a journey through our planet’s
freshwater environments
Promotional feature: nWave - The big picture
With more than two decades
of experience creating high quality
original content, nWave looks
ahead as it continues to produce
its own industry-leading creations
Analysis: TEA/AECOM Theme Index 2017
The TEA/AECOM Report 2017 shows major theme park
operators had an outstanding year, while stabilised global
economies and strong investment planning bodes well
for the global attractions industry going forward
Analysis: EMEA Focus
Margreet Papamichael, founder of CLEAR Associates about what The TEA/AECOM Report 2017 means for the EMEA region
Review: MuseumNext
Intellectuals from across the
museums sector gathered recently for
the European edition of MuseumNext
Theme parks: Playing the Looney Tune
As new and exciting leisure opportunities
increase in the Middle East, Yas
Island welcomes the US$1bn Warner
Bros World Abu Dhabi. We speak to
the two key members of the team
behind the landmark project
Museums: License to Thrill
A brand new James Bond visitor attraction,
nestled snugly inside a mountain peak
in Sölden, Austria, opened this July. We
talked to the operator and architect
Atlanta Botanical Garden: overview null,Following a petition by local residents in 1973, Atlanta Botanical Garden was incorporated in 1976 as a non-profit corporation with a mission to develop and maintain plant collections for display, education, research, conservation and enjoyment. In 1980, a 50-year lease was negotiated with the city, safeguarding the garden’s future.
Located in the heart of Atlanta, the 30-acre attraction is composed of a number of themed gardens, including formal gardens, woodlands, a children’s garden and an edible garden with outdoor kitchen, as well as a 180m canopy walk through the city’s last urban forest and the world’s largest collection of carnivorous plants. The largest permanent display of orchids in the US is on show at the The Fuqua Orchid Centre, including rare orchids which are able to thrive thanks to special technology developed to create the ideal environment. The Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory contains plants from deserts and tropical rainforests. In collaboration with Atlanta Zoo, there is a room containing tropical animals, including birds, turtles and poison dart frogs.
The garden was founded as a non-profit organisation in 1976
The garden was founded as a non-profit organisation in 1976
Within the grounds of the botanical garden is the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory
The Gainsville Garden A US$2.5m gift from the Woodruff Foundation helped to fund the launch of this Gainsville branch of the Atlanta Botanical Garden in 2015. At 168 acres it is more than five times the size of the Atlanta site and amenities include a 2,000-seat amphitheatre and a 5,000sq ft greenhouse.
The attraction also houses some installations from the Imaginary Worlds exhibition. These impressive sculptures are made by stuffing metal frames with fabric bags of mulched bark and soil-less bedding material. Holes are then made in the bags which grasses, succulents and evergreens are included to create spectacular living sculptures.
In addition to the Atlanta flagship, a second botanical garden is located in nearby Gainsville, Georgia
In addition to the Atlanta flagship, a second botanical garden is located in nearby Gainsville, Georgia
Mary Pat Matheson President and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Mary Pat Matheson joined in 2002 and under her stewardship, the visitor attraction has actively expanded its fund raising, education, business administration, horticulture and conservation initiatives.
Her reputation and expertise has led to her winning many awards, including 2005 Professional of the Year from the American Horticultural Society, and to joining committees, including a conservation committee in Cameroon and one on sustainability in China. Previously, she was executive director of Red Butte Garden and Arboretum in Salt Lake City where she increased revenue by 600 per cent.
Through Matheson’s leadership, Atlanta Botanical Garden has been transformed into an iconic, landmark attraction enjoyed by the entire city
Mary Pat Matheson has worked at the Atlanta Botanical Garden since 2002
The mainly outdoor visitor attraction offers more than 30 acres of botanical gardens
The mainly outdoor visitor attraction offers more than 30 acres of botanical gardens
A 180-metre-long canopy walk is among a series of 2010 additions that doubled the size of the garden
A 180-metre-long canopy walk is among a series of 2010 additions that doubled the size of the garden
In a competitive environment you need to offer more than just hydrangeas in bloom
A 180-metre-long canopy walk is among a series of 2010 additions that doubled the size of the garden
A 30-acre garden in the centre of Atlanta has become famous for its collections, conservation work and art exhibitions in nature, and is now a beloved haven for locals. Mary Pat Matheson, CEO of Atlanta Botanical Garden, talks to Kath Hudson about her vision
By Kath Hudson | Published in Attractions Management 2018 issue 3
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is home to a number of living sculptures, ranging from 26 feet tall to 21 feet wide
When I joined in 2002, I saw the garden as an adolescent in a city which was growing up,” says Mary Pat Matheson. “I realised it had huge potential for growth and my expertise is in raising money to build gardens. It had some great staff, as well as the largest collection of carnivorous plants in the world and the largest collection of orchids in the US. I told the executive committee that I wanted to create big exhibitions and they gave me the freedom to be creative.”
Matheson kept true to her word; under her stewardship Atlanta Botanical Garden, located in Atlanta, Georgia, has gone from strength to strength. She has increased annual visits from 120,000 to 500,000, as well as raising funds and overseeing an ambitious expansion of the main site and the launch of a second, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainsville.
One of Matheson’s ideas credited with putting the attraction on the map was to turn it into an outdoor art gallery, inserting sculpture among the plants.
The first exhibition – a glass sculpture of Dale Chihuly, in 2004 – helped lay the groundwork for the first capital campaign. However, the second time the artist was showcased, in 2016, it was worth an estimated US$50m to US$60m for the city.
A museum without walls In 2009, the gardens played host to the largest collection of Henry Moore bronze sculptures ever seen in the US. Four years later, the attraction commissioned Mosaiculture International of Montreal to create some of its massive sculptures made out of plants for the Imaginery Worlds exhibition. Some of these remain at the Gainsville location.
“Gardens are simply museums without walls, and the best canvas to showcase sculpture and art,” says Matheson. “There’s often the perception that museums aren’t open to everyone, but gardens don’t have the same exclusivity: everyone enjoys being out in nature. It has been a privilege to be able to showcase such iconic artwork in such a serene setting.”
Another Matheson win has been to diversify to bring in new audiences.
“In a competitive environment you need to offer more than just hydrangeas in bloom. I work by the mantra that it all begins with the visitor: educate them, get them to join as a member or become a donor,” she says. “In order to attract different audiences, we needed to offer different opportunities. In 2002 we had some families visiting, but no young people. So we started holding cocktail evenings aimed at those in their mid-20s to late 30s. All the marketing was done electronically and it was very successful.”
These evenings have now become established in the city, with older people coming in the early evening to have a glass of wine and listen to music and then a younger crowd arriving later.
Time to expand A variation of the social offering has been culinary experiences, with the attraction’s chefs cooking outdoors: “Who doesn’t like being cooked for by a great chef in nice outdoor surroundings?” says Matheson.
A major part of the annual event calendar is the holiday light show at Christmas, which is one of the biggest in the US. It draws 185,000 people, from all over the south east, having a major economic impact on hotels and restaurants.
With the gardens’ popularity growing, Matheson saw the opportunity to expand and in 2012 successfully completed a US$55m capital campaign which enabled the expansion of the garden with a new visitor centre, an edible garden, a cascade garden with waterfalls and a flagship 180-metre canopy walk being added.
Once that was completed, work started on creating a second site in Gainsville, which was launched in 2015. “We were simply out of space,” says Matheson. “Part of our mission is to work with other countries to save species – we are actively involved in many countries including Cuba, China and Vietnam – so we needed more room for nurseries in order to do our conservation work. Gainsville is much bigger than the main site and has given us the chance to grow.
Urban oasis Going forward, as more people live in cities than rural areas, Matheson predicts public gardens will become ever more important for health and wellbeing, both mentally and physically. “There’s more pressure on everyone now and many studies show that in order to be healthy, humans need nature,” she says. “Gardens offer people the opportunity to slow down and feel more human again, replenish their spirit and relieve the stress of the city. We’re an urban oasis in a concrete city.”
A challenging aspect of the job has been the constant push to evolve and raise the bar on quality, which involves always fund raising. However, this is Matheson’s speciality: “Good planning is the key,”she says. “We know where we want to be in five years time. We think of it like a business, but operate like a non-profit. And, the more successful we become the easier it gets: investors want to invest in success and we have a great product which everyone loves.”
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
People profile: Anton Vidal
Anton Vidal is director general of Poble Espanyol which has completed a 10-year, €10m improvement plan
Interview: Coen Bertens
Fairytale theme park Efteling has
gone from strength to strength
during its 65-year history, enchanting
more visitors last year than
ever before. We talk to COO Coen
Bertens about its success
Promotional feature: EAS - Learning curves
This year’s Euro Attractions Show promises to
be the biggest in the history of the event, with
a brand new schedule of seminars to match
Aquariums: High Waters
We visited the brand new Aquatis
Aquarium-Vivarium in Switzerland
for a journey through our planet’s
freshwater environments
Promotional feature: nWave - The big picture
With more than two decades
of experience creating high quality
original content, nWave looks
ahead as it continues to produce
its own industry-leading creations
Analysis: TEA/AECOM Theme Index 2017
The TEA/AECOM Report 2017 shows major theme park
operators had an outstanding year, while stabilised global
economies and strong investment planning bodes well
for the global attractions industry going forward
Analysis: EMEA Focus
Margreet Papamichael, founder of CLEAR Associates about what The TEA/AECOM Report 2017 means for the EMEA region
Review: MuseumNext
Intellectuals from across the
museums sector gathered recently for
the European edition of MuseumNext
Theme parks: Playing the Looney Tune
As new and exciting leisure opportunities
increase in the Middle East, Yas
Island welcomes the US$1bn Warner
Bros World Abu Dhabi. We speak to
the two key members of the team
behind the landmark project
Museums: License to Thrill
A brand new James Bond visitor attraction,
nestled snugly inside a mountain peak
in Sölden, Austria, opened this July. We
talked to the operator and architect
Atlanta Botanical Garden: overview null,Following a petition by local residents in 1973, Atlanta Botanical Garden was incorporated in 1976 as a non-profit corporation with a mission to develop and maintain plant collections for display, education, research, conservation and enjoyment. In 1980, a 50-year lease was negotiated with the city, safeguarding the garden’s future.
Located in the heart of Atlanta, the 30-acre attraction is composed of a number of themed gardens, including formal gardens, woodlands, a children’s garden and an edible garden with outdoor kitchen, as well as a 180m canopy walk through the city’s last urban forest and the world’s largest collection of carnivorous plants. The largest permanent display of orchids in the US is on show at the The Fuqua Orchid Centre, including rare orchids which are able to thrive thanks to special technology developed to create the ideal environment. The Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory contains plants from deserts and tropical rainforests. In collaboration with Atlanta Zoo, there is a room containing tropical animals, including birds, turtles and poison dart frogs.
The garden was founded as a non-profit organisation in 1976
The garden was founded as a non-profit organisation in 1976
Within the grounds of the botanical garden is the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory
The Gainsville Garden A US$2.5m gift from the Woodruff Foundation helped to fund the launch of this Gainsville branch of the Atlanta Botanical Garden in 2015. At 168 acres it is more than five times the size of the Atlanta site and amenities include a 2,000-seat amphitheatre and a 5,000sq ft greenhouse.
The attraction also houses some installations from the Imaginary Worlds exhibition. These impressive sculptures are made by stuffing metal frames with fabric bags of mulched bark and soil-less bedding material. Holes are then made in the bags which grasses, succulents and evergreens are included to create spectacular living sculptures.
In addition to the Atlanta flagship, a second botanical garden is located in nearby Gainsville, Georgia
In addition to the Atlanta flagship, a second botanical garden is located in nearby Gainsville, Georgia
Mary Pat Matheson President and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Mary Pat Matheson joined in 2002 and under her stewardship, the visitor attraction has actively expanded its fund raising, education, business administration, horticulture and conservation initiatives.
Her reputation and expertise has led to her winning many awards, including 2005 Professional of the Year from the American Horticultural Society, and to joining committees, including a conservation committee in Cameroon and one on sustainability in China. Previously, she was executive director of Red Butte Garden and Arboretum in Salt Lake City where she increased revenue by 600 per cent.
Through Matheson’s leadership, Atlanta Botanical Garden has been transformed into an iconic, landmark attraction enjoyed by the entire city
Mary Pat Matheson has worked at the Atlanta Botanical Garden since 2002
The mainly outdoor visitor attraction offers more than 30 acres of botanical gardens
The mainly outdoor visitor attraction offers more than 30 acres of botanical gardens
A 180-metre-long canopy walk is among a series of 2010 additions that doubled the size of the garden
A 180-metre-long canopy walk is among a series of 2010 additions that doubled the size of the garden
In a competitive environment you need to offer more than just hydrangeas in bloom
A 180-metre-long canopy walk is among a series of 2010 additions that doubled the size of the garden
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
