In late winter, azaleas create ribbons of bright color beneath the live oak canopy across the grounds of Maclay Gardens, a series of formal gardens sweeping down to Lake Hall.
But it was camellias that drove the creation of Killearn Gardens, a 28-acre passion project of collector Alfred B. Maclay and his wife Louise.
Blooms along the brick drivewayThey purchased an antebellum quail-hunting lodge as a retirement home in 1923. He turned his landscape design skills to the surrounding hillsides.
Today’s Maclay Gardens is the central feature of Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park, which extends across an expanse of steephead ravines between two lakes.
The Maclay’s retirement homeResources
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
Overview
Location: Tallahassee
Length: 1 mile garden loop
Main entrance: 30.51420, -84.24801
Address: 3540 Thomasville Rd, Tallahassee
Fees: $4-6 per vehicle plus $3-6 per person garden entry fee Jan-Apr
Restroom: At the parking area and near the historic home
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 850-487-4556
Open 8 AM until sunset daily, gardens 9-5 daily.
Directions
From Interstate 10 exit 203, Tallahassee, follow US 319 north to the light for Maclay Gardens Blvd. Turn left and follow signs.
About the Park
Alfred was known for his love of camellias. Visitors from around the world would bring him specimens of unique varieties. There are more than 150 types on site.
After his death, Louise opened the gardens to the public for several years after World War II. She deeded them to the care of the Florida Park Service in 1953.
Camellia outside the Maclay HouseNow a centerpiece to more than a thousand forested acres, they have a subtle flow towards Lake Hall and the home.
From woodlands dressed with azaleas and camellias they yield to to formal garden rooms with burbling fountains, ponds, and sculptures.
Walled GardenThere are dozens of hidden niches and pools as well as a Noah’s Ark of Florida native species in a Native Plant Arboretum.
Prime blooming months run from December to early summer, but the gardens are joy to explore any time of year.
Florida anise bloom in the ArboretumRecreation at Maclay Gardens
Lake Hall Day Use Area is at the end of a steeply sloping road, the first right beyond the entrance station.
It’s the park’s destination for water play. Launch a boat or a kayak or a rental paddleboard, or take in the sun on a sandy beach.
Beach on Lake HallIt also has a large picnic area with pavilions and tables, as well as a playground.
The picnic area is flanked by nature trails at each end, plus an accessible walk that loops a peninsula below the parking area.
On the Magnolia Loop TrailA trailhead down a dirt road turnoff on the left past the parking for the gardens is your gateway to the Lake Overstreet Addition.
It delights with extensive mountain bike trails through steep ravines plus two multi-use loops for hikers, cyclists, and equestrians.
Trail junctionThe 4 mile Lake Trail circles Lake Overstreet, in part using what feel like well-worn old wagon roads from Tallahassee’s past.
It’s a fabulous birding destination and has historic sites along it, but the route is somewhat strenuous in a few spots.
Lake OverstreetThe 1.8 mile Ravine Trail loop lies west via a 0.3 mile round-trip connector and provides a much flatter walk above a massive steephead ravine.
This easier circuit can be accessed as a separate 2.2 mile hike from a trailhead along Meridian Road with parking across the street at Forest Meadows trailhead.
Trillium on the slope above the ravineWalking the Gardens
Starting from the visitor center adjoining the parking area, use the entry gate to join the brick drive leading to the Maclay House.
Descending towards Lake Hall, it is a backbone to garden paths that meander into thematic areas.
Entry gateOn the counterclockwise circuit shown on our trail map, leave the drive to walk the woodlands of the Native Plant Arboretum, full of rare Florida beauties.
Some of the more uncommon plants include mountain laurel, Florida anise, and torreya tree, a yew that no longer matures past a certain size due to a blight.
Native Plant ArboretumThe pathway descends towards Lake Hall for a nice walk close to its shore, reaching a covered pavilion on the lake’s edge.
Beyond it are camellia gardens under grand live oaks, extending towards the brick road and towards one massive oak, the Heritage Oak, on a grand lawn.
Lakeside PavilionWalk up the lawn to the Maclay House, open during prime blooming season with a docent on hand.
One room is an interpretive gallery giving context to the Maclay family and their retirement project on this land.
Ancient oak and Maclay HouseMany rooms remain exactly as they were when the Maclays lived here, complete with their furnishings and books.
Several of the larger, older camellias adjoin the house. Behind the home is a smaller cottage and a thematic garden.
The parlor and its botanical artThe Pollinator Garden contains beds of flowering plants within an outdoor room defined by trimmed hedges.
Leaving the manor home, amble towards the Camellia Walk on the opposite side of the brick driveway.
Pollinator GardenFrom it, an archway leads to the Walled Garden, an outdoor room in brick centered on a fountain with a burbling sculpture in its center.
In this Italianate garden, art decorates niches with benches. Azaleas mound in the corners.
Walled GardenThe archway facing Lake Hall reveals a grand lawn stairstepping to a rectangular reflecting pool, the lake in the distance.
Step into it and follow the sign to the Pond. A pathway through woodland gardens leads to the entry to this next garden space.
Reflecting PoolLoop around it to enjoy a symphony of textures from coontie and irises grazing the water’s edge to redbud and dogwood overhead.
Watch for wildlife, as it’s not uncommon to see turtles sunning along the banks, and sometimes even an alligator.
Black PondThe final section of the garden has a delightful uphill sweep of azaleas and camellias under the native canopy of pines and oaks.
There are many ways to traverse the Woodland Gardens up to the entrance gate, with pathways that let you linger or take a more direct route.
The circuit shown on our map down to Lake Hall, out to the manor house, and back through the formal gardens is a mile long.
Pathway towards the entrance gateTrail Map
Explore More!
Explore more at Maclay Gardens State Park
Maclay Gardens Lake Hall Trails Walk among towering trees along a pair of nature trails starting at opposite ends of Lake Hall Recreation Area to savor the hardwood forests overlooking the lake. Video
Walking the gardens in late winter
Slideshow
See our photos of Maclay Gardens
Nearby Adventures
Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park A hiker's paradise in Tallahassee, Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park offers miles of trails exploring contoured terrain and winding streams under a tall, shady canopy of majestic trees. 
Dorothy B. Oven Park Only seven acres in size, Dorothy B. Oven Park is a Tallahassee city park developed on a former nursery established by one of Florida's earliest camellia growers.
Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park A clearing in the deep forest along the north shore of Lake Jackson reveals reminders of a civilization long gone from the face of Florida. 
Tallahassee Museum In a setting of natural beauty along Lake Bradford, the Tallahassee Museum is a largely outdoors educational center highlighting the natural and cultural history of the region. 
- Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park - November 3, 2026
- A.J. Henry Park - November 1, 2026
- Okeeheelee Nature Center Trails - October 22, 2026