Twenty minutes west of downtown, the American Rose Center is a piney-woods estate dedicated entirely to roses. The peak season is mid-April to early June and again in October, when the cooler weather brings a second flush of bloom. Outside those windows, much of the garden is bare — check before you drive out.
The grounds include hybrid teas, miniatures, climbers, antique varieties, and a long pergola walk. Each December the gardens are strung with several million Christmas lights for the "Christmas in Roseland" festival, a separate ticketed event that has become a regional tradition.