Hamilton Gardens Inc

What Hamilton Gardens Inc does

Hamilton Gardens Inc, legally Hamilton Gardens at Lake Chatuge, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public botanical garden located in Hiawassee, Towns County, Georgia, operating on property donated by the Tennessee Valley Authority to Towns County. The garden was established in 1981 when founders Hazel and Fred Hamilton donated their personal collection of native azaleas and rhododendrons, with an initial planting of 1,091 plants, on the condition the garden be maintained in perpetuity and kept open to the public. The organization preserves and showcases this living collection, hosts community programming including free Moonlight Concerts and the Let's Get Growing lecture series (twice monthly, July–September), and operates a Memorial Garden in partnership with the international Daffodil Project.

The business model is a diversified nonprofit funding stack: individual/family memberships ($25–$50) up through Azalea ($250) and Rhododendron ($500) tiers; corporate sponsorship tiers from Gold ($1,000) to Platinum ($2,500) to Partner Level 1 ($5,000) and Partner Level 2 ($10,000) with Pavilion Wall Plaque and publication recognition; venue rental of the Paris Pavilion for private events and weddings; annual rhododendron and azalea plant sales of 900–1,000 plants conducted by volunteers; and a Celebration Plaza engraved-stone donation program. Distribution is entirely physical/in-person at the single Lake Chatuge site, with regional (Southeast USA) market scope, and acquisition relies on Facebook, local press, eNewsletter, events, and word-of-mouth.

Operations are lean at 5 employees, supplemented by an active volunteer base recruited through monthly orientations. The customer base spans general public visitors, members and donors, event organizers seeking scenic venues, and volunteers; there is no technology platform or digital product layer — Hamilton Gardens is explicitly not technology-focused. Sponsorship relationships include community institutions such as Synergy Health, SouthState Bank, Rotary Club of Lake Chatuge, Chef Jeff Servin, Wine Cottage, and individual sponsors Linda and Gordy Jones.

Name

Hamilton Gardens Inc

Legal name

Hamilton Gardens at Lake Chatuge, Inc.

Website

https://hamiltongardens.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hamilton Gardens Inc operates a 501(c)(3) public botanical garden in Hiawassee, Georgia, preserving founders Hazel and Fred Hamilton's native azalea and rhododendron collection through memberships, corporate sponsorships, venue rentals, plant sales, and community events for regional visitors and donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Botanical Gardens

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH)

Keywords

• Public botanical garden
• Horticulture education
• Community garden events
• Nonprofit arboretum
• Garden venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Hiawassee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership program with multiple tiers ranging from $25-$50 for individual/family memberships to $5,000-$10,000 for official partner levels. Members receive benefits including free garden entry, eNewsletter access, guided tours, and pavilion access.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: Tax-deductible contributions from individuals, businesses, and foundations supporting the garden's mission. Includes corporate sponsorship tiers (Gold $1,000, Platinum $2,500) with website and publication recognition.
3. Venue Rental: Rental of the Paris Pavilion for private events, weddings, and celebrations. Rhododendron-level members receive one free pavilion use.
4. Plant Sales: Annual rhododendron and azalea plant sales conducted by garden volunteers, selling 900-1,000 plants per season.
5. Engraved Stone Donations: Celebration Plaza stone engraving program allowing donors to honor or remember individuals with custom engravings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hamilton Gardens operates a public botanical garden at Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee, Georgia, providing free year-round visitor access to a curated collection of rhododendrons and native azaleas. The organization sells annual memberships and corporate sponsorships, rents the Paris Pavilion for private events, conducts seasonal rhododendron and azalea plant sales, and offers Celebration Plaza engraved stone donations. Programming such as the Let's Get Growing lecture series, moonlight concerts, and a Memorial Garden participation in the international Daffodil Project supports its educational and community-engagement mission.

Product overview

Hamilton Gardens Inc operates a single core offering: Hamilton Gardens at Lake Chatuge, a public botanical garden located in Hiawassee, Georgia. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides public access to themed gardens, hosts events including moonlight concerts and educational lectures, and operates membership and sponsorship programs. The garden was established in 1981 with an initial planting of 1,091 plants, primarily rhododendrons and native azaleas, collected by founders Hazel and Fred Hamilton.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Membership Program A tiered annual membership program offering Individual/Family ($25/$50), Azalea ($250), and Rhododendron ($500) levels for individuals and families, plus corporate sponsorship tiers (Gold $1,000, Platinum $2,500, Partner Level 1 $5,000, Partner Level 2 $10,000) for businesses. Members receive free garden entry, eNewsletter access, guided tours, pavilion access, and recognition on the Pavilion Wall Plaque and publications.
• Paris Pavilion Venue Rental Rental of the Paris Pavilion event venue at 96 Pavilion Rd, Hiawassee, Georgia, for weddings, corporate gatherings, private celebrations, and educational events in a scenic Lake Chatuge botanical garden setting.
• Rhododendron and Azalea Plant Sales Annual seasonal sale of rhododendron and azalea plants, primarily hybrid varieties from the Hamilton personal collection, conducted by garden volunteers and selling 900-1,000 plants per season to gardening enthusiasts and garden visitors.
• Celebration Plaza Engraved Stone Donations A donation program that allows donors to honor or memorialize individuals with custom engraved stones in the Celebration Plaza at the Hamilton Gardens at Lake Chatuge location, supporting the nonprofit's preservation mission through tax-deductible contributions.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered foundational and minor.

• Hazel and Fred HamiltonfoundationalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1981Donors who gifted Hamilton Gardens to Towns County. They were collectors of native azaleas and rhododendrons and propagators who traveled extensively adding to their collection. Their hybrid plants form the core of the garden. Fred Hamilton requested the gardens be maintained in perpetuity and kept open to the public.
• Tennessee Valley AuthorityfoundationalOthersTVA donated the property to Towns County to be used as a park. This land donation made the establishment of Hamilton Gardens possible at its current Lake Chatuge location.
• Daffodil ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational project honoring 1.5 million children murdered in the Holocaust. Hamilton Gardens participates by planting 600 special daffodil bulbs in their Memorial Garden. Dedication ceremony held Spring 2018.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden: Southeast US public botanical garden operating as a 501(c)(3) with memberships, plant sales, and event rentals. Closely comparable in size, nonprofit structure, and reliance on community engagement to drive revenue.
• Brookgreen Gardens: Public garden and sculpture attraction operating as a 501(c)(3) with memberships, plant collections, and event revenue. Comparable in nonprofit operating model and mid-size scale.
• Huntsville Botanical Garden: Regional public botanical garden in the Southeast with membership tiers, educational programming, and seasonal events. Comparable scale and operating model to Hamilton Gardens.
• Atlanta Botanical Garden: Larger public botanical garden in Georgia operating under a 501(c)(3) model with memberships, plant collections, and educational programming. Directly comparable mission and revenue mix, with a meaningfully larger scale and urban catchment.
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: Public botanical garden operated as a 501(c)(3) with tiered memberships, plant sales, and event programming. Closely comparable business model for a small-staffed, donor-supported public garden.
• North Carolina Arboretum: Public arboretum and garden complex with memberships, plant sales, and educational programs across native and cultivated species. Directly comparable in mission, nonprofit structure, and visitor offering.
• Bok Tower Gardens: Nonprofit public garden in Lake Wales, FL, with memberships, events, and horticulture programs on a founder-endowed estate. Highly comparable in legacy-garden nonprofit economics.

Broad incumbents

• Longwood Gardens: Major public garden operating on a much larger scale with admissions, memberships, and major event programming. Useful as an incumbent benchmark for what scaled botanical-garden operations look like.

Regional players

• Callaway Gardens: Regional Georgia destination combining botanical gardens, resort lodging, and events. Comparable in using a scenic Georgia location to drive visitation, memberships, and event revenue, though with a much broader commercial scope.
• Berry College Gardens: Northwest Georgia institution with public gardens and visitor programming, operating in a similar regional catchment as Hamilton Gardens. Useful regional comparable for visitation patterns and donor base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hamilton-gardens-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hamilton Gardens Inc