Divine Day Trip - Gibbs Gardens & Goin' Coastal Restaurant

Gibbs Gardens is our happy place. 
We took a mid-week trip to visit yesterday and soaked up the beauty, peace, and  springtime joy there.
This world-class garden is located in Ball Ground, Georgia - just under an hour drive from Atlanta.
I fell in love with Gibbs from my very first visit and Jay & I have been season pass holders for several years now. When I need to escape, this is my little sanctuary. I like to go with others and sometimes I like to go alone with just my journal and camera in hand.

With just under 300 acres, Gibbs is one of the nation's largest residential estate gardens. I have some favorite spots within Gibbs, particularly the Japanese Garden {which is spectacular}, the magical and quiet Fern Dell, the English Manor House and gardens, and the seating under the trees by the Arbor Cafe. You can purchase salads or sandwiches at the Arbor Cafe {we like anything on their delicious cranberry walnut bread} and enjoy a relaxing lunch after you walk the gardens. There are so many place to sit and rest and soak up the beauty of this place.

If you marvel at nature, this is a sweet place to take photographs. Everywhere you look there is something lovely to shoot, whether it be obvious and grand or a tiny marvel. When Jay and I arrive, we find ourselves immediately breathing more deeply. It's like a mini-vacation from the world and life's hectic pace. We reconnect with ourselves and each other. We spend a few hours in the present moment, wide-eyed and content.

Leaving Gibbs is always hard. I love being there....nothing like it in Georgia. Jay and I agreed we need to get up there at least once a month. Oh, and they have a couple resident cats lounging around - which makes me love it even more.

Gibbs Gardens
1987 Gibbs Drive, Ball Ground, 30107
770-893-1881

On our way home, we decided to stop for a late lunch/early dinner at Goin' Coastal in downtown Canton, GA. We've met friends for dinner here and had a great time. Lunch was very tasty and I went crazy for the smoked trout spread appetizer. Awesome crusty bread topped with smoked trout spread, caramelized red onions, dill, and capers - my mouth is watering just thinking about how good it was!

Being from Florida, I do love eating some great seafood. While the dinner menu seems to have more options for ordering fish, I was pleased with the Shrimp Cobb Salad. It was plump with lightly fried shrimp, fresh greens, avocado, egg, bacon, blue cheese and a tangy herb dressing. Perfect lunch meal.

Jay decided to get the burger special with roasted fingerling potatoes. The angus beef burger had a patty of fried cheese/jalapeno oozing on top and a really nice, substantial bun. Another good choice. 

Our server told us that the desserts were all homemade by the owner's mother - which was very tempting. But, wow, we were way too full to enjoy dessert. If I had, it would have been Key Lime Pie, hands-down.

Look forward to dining again at Goin' Coastal. It's got a cool, laid back vibe and an interesting and varied menu. Can't wait to try some more seafood there!

Goin' Coastal
125 W Main St
Canton, GA 30114


Grateful for the day and spending it with my favorite person....my hubs. Life is good.