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All the United States Georgia Calhoun Rock Garden Calhoun

Rock Garden Calhoun

Incredible miniature towns and buildings created and decorated with thousands of tiny rocks.

Calhoun, Georgia

Added By
tinabhickson
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Bethlehem.   Stephen Rahn/public domain
Coliseum replica.   tinabhickson / Atlas Obscura User
Walkway over water   tinabhickson / Atlas Obscura User
Looking from inside the cathedral.   tinabhickson / Atlas Obscura User
Detail in village.   tinabhickson / Atlas Obscura User
Walks   tinabhickson / Atlas Obscura User
Inside a room in one castle.   tinabhickson / Atlas Obscura User
Bethlehem   tinabhickson / Atlas Obscura User
Village   tinabhickson / Atlas Obscura User
Bakery   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
  Hetaira Thais / Atlas Obscura User
So cute   stroyan07 / Atlas Obscura User
Cathedral From Rock Garden   c1mcfrey / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
  Jennn / Atlas Obscura User
  Jennn / Atlas Obscura User
  Jennn / Atlas Obscura User
  Jennn / Atlas Obscura User
On the one mile trail walk behind the rock garden. It is just a mile, but basically straight uphill to the peak where there is a small bench to rest, then a steep downhill back to the garden. Very pretty but wear good shoes.   Jennn / Atlas Obscura User
  lefthandpath64 / Atlas Obscura User
  lefthandpath64 / Atlas Obscura User
Smaller spires along trail   45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance to the Rock Garden   45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
Rock Garden detail   45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
Colosseum Rock Garden style   45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
Pack mule in the alley.   ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This wondrous rock garden tucked behind a church in Calhoun, Georgia, is full of miniature creations of iconic towns, castles, cathedrals, bridges, and even the Colosseum. 

Home to more than 50 diminutive structures, the garden's miniature replicas are crafted from tiny stones, shells, broken glass, wire, cement, and other craft materials. A stroll through the garden takes visitors to Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral—complete with stained glass windows—to awe-inspiring castles constructed of pebbles and shells. Porcelain people populate various rooms and nooks throughout the structures, while small porcelain animals dot the landscape. 

The builder of this whimsical garden was DeWitt "Old Dog" Boyd, one of the members of the Calhoun Seventh Day Adventist Church. A hobbyist at heart, Boyd began creating tiny, whimsical villages for his eight children as a family game. Each time his family moved, Boyd would reconstruct a tiny village for his children, who each had an alter-ego porcelain figure to play with. Then in 2007, Boyd began the rock garden in Calhoun, saying "it was to keep me out of trouble, I'm kind of a scoundrel."

Today, the rock garden is a family endeavor and has been crafted by Boyd, his children, and their children. The free garden is located behind the Calhoun Seventh Day Adventist Church, and there are religious themes to some of the constructions. One of the towns represents Bethlehem; the Ten Commandments tablets are embedded, broken, in one of the walkways; and some other places have scriptures inscribed in walkways or walls. 

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Rocks Gardens Art Outsider Art Miniatures Geology Plants

Know Before You Go

The Rock Garden can be found behind the Calhoun Seventh Day Adventist Church on 1411 Rome Road. The garden is free to enter and can be visited by the public Monday through Sunday, from 8 am to 7 pm. For more information, you can follow the Rock Garden on their Facebook page. 

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Added By

tinabhickson

Edited By

thegenxjourney, Hetaira Thais, Meg, c1mcfrey...

  • thegenxjourney
  • Hetaira Thais
  • Meg
  • c1mcfrey
  • ski queen
  • wolfnotes
  • lefthandpath64
  • Jennn
  • blackmonautomotive
  • tkm2fqfypg
  • stroyan07
  • 45rpm

Published

September 10, 2018

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  • http://blog.al.com/sponsored/2016/07/longtime_rock_garden_hobby_bec.html
Rock Garden Calhoun
1411 Rome Rd SW
Calhoun, Georgia
United States
34.46289, -84.982655
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