Hodges Gardens is the nation's largest privately owned horticultural parkland and wildlife refuge and is one of Sabine Parish's most celebrated attractions.
Pictures from Hodges Gardens
Located on Highway 171 near Florien, Louisiana
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Hours,
Admission, Contact Information
Admission
Adult
5.00
Seniors
(62 and over)
4.00
Child (3 and under)
free
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Note: This prices above are based
on information from Hodges Gardens
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Hours
7 AM - 9 PM - Sunday - Thursday
7 AM - 9 PM - Friday -Saturday
Located in North Central Louisiana,
Hodges Gardens, the nation's largest
privately owned horticultural parkland
and wildlife refuge and is one of Sabine
Parish's most celebrated attractions.
It was founded by Andrew Jackson Hodges,
Sr., notable civic leader, oil producer,
conservationist and lumberman. Mr.
Hodges was born at Cotton Valley, Louisiana
on March 22, 1890, son of Floyd Crawford
and Adeline Reynolds Hodges. The Hodges
ancestors were among Captain John Smith's
company of early settlers of Jamestown,
VA. They moved from Virginia to North
Carolina, then to Georgia and later
to Cotton Valley. Mr. Hodges received
his elementary and high school education
in Webster Parish and later attended
Meridian Military College, a small
college in Meridian, Mississippi, no
longer in existence.
He began his career in merchandising
in Cotton Valley. Becoming interested
in oil and gas exploration in the early
1900's, he participated in the development
of the Cotton Valley, Sugar Creek and
Sligo oil and gas fields. In 1923 he
became associated with the Triangle
Drilling Co. of Shreveport, and in
1948 he acquired all of the stock,
combining it with his timber-growing
interests in Sabine Parish to form
A.J. Hodges Industries, Inc.
A strong believer in conserving natural
resources in the production of oil,
gas and fresh water, Mr. Hodges also
became a member of the pioneering corps
of Louisiana men who recognized the
need to restore barren and cutover
forest lands.
In the early 1940's he put his lands
under an extensive timber management
and improvement program which
included planting approximately 39,000 acres of pine
seedlings and converting the entire acreage into a
managed tree farm totaling more than 100,000 acres
in Sabine and Vernon Parishes.
Seedlings from superior seed trees
were used in the replanting, and experiments
were begun in forest genetics under
the direction of the Southern Forest
Experiment Station at New Orleans,
the Texas Forest Service at College
Station, Texas and Louisiana State
University. Work was aimed at a cross
breed of slash pine for straightness
and loblolly pine for toughness.
Selected for the arboretum was a
ridge running east to west just south
of Many which contained an abandoned
stone quarry. The site encompassed
4,700 acres and in 1951 it became the
Hodges Gardens Experimental Area and
Wildlife Preserve.
Mr. Hodges and his wife, Nona Trigg
Hodges, recognized the potential of
the old quarry and planned a unique
scenic garden using the natural rock
formations. Flowers were planted on
one level above another. Walkways were
laid and foot bridges built. Streams,
waterfalls and a 225-acre lake were
created to further enhance the overall
beauty.
Thus, Hodges Gardens became one family's
contribution to the preservation of
our land's natural beauty.
In April 2007, Hodges Gardens became
one of Louisiana’s State Parks,
having been donated to the State and
Department of Culture, Recreation and
Tourism (DCRT) by the Hodges Foundation.
Day use opened on April 30, and overnight
facilities (cabins, campsites and the
group lodge) are anticipated to open
in early 2008. DCRT and the Office
of State Parks are committed to preserving
much of the culture and history surrounding
the Gardens.
Fall Season:
Roses, Camellia Sasanqua, Hibiscus, Chrysanthemums,
Pansies, Ornamental Kale and Cabbage, Sweet Olive,
Annuals and Perennials
Winter Season:
Camellias, Pansies, Ornamental Kale end Cabbage, Winter
Honeysuckle
Although we strive for maximum color
and display at all times, there will
be periods of seasonal transition when
new beds have recently been installed
and/or beds have reached maturity and
are about to be replaced.
It Is during these periods we ask for
your understanding and recognition that
all plantings do not bloom simultaneously
and peak appearance is a short-lived
reality.
Feel free to call us prior
to your visit and we will be glad to
update you on what's blooming at the
time. We want your visit to be memorable
and one that will make you want to return.
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