hodges gardens

Hodges Gardens is a wonderful place to spend the day. Rent a canoe, hike the trails, tour the garden. Horse trails and pens, camping....... a little bit of everything. I have enjoyed many pleasurable times.

My family and I visit Hodges Gardens might near every year. My husband declared his love to me in the "Old Rose Garden"; he proposed in the "Boat house"; we were married in the "Old Rose Garden", we honeymooned in one of the cabins. We have lots of wonderful memories of these Gardens. After Hurricane Rita damaged of much of the garden, it has taken the state a while to repair the damages. Some will never be repaired, BUT they have done a wonderful job of restoring the most important features. We enjoy their cabins, gardens, and hiking.... and just plain ol' relaxing!!! It is best to bring your own food and water. We plan to visit every year ... so we pray that they will not close it this summer due to "budget cuts".

My husband & I, along with three of our friends took a camping trip here for 2 nights. This was our first time visiting. We went the first weekend in February & had the entire tent camping site to ourselves. The sites were very nice, complete with tent pads, grill, fire pit, & a table. There was also a water hose near the entrance to the sites. The comfort station was a bit of a walk down a slightly steep hill from the tent sites. The comfort station was very, very clean, but kind of small with only 1 toilet & 2 showers. We explored the gardens & trails while there. Unfortunately the waterfalls were turned off due to a water leak, not sure when they'll be fixed. The gardens are beautiful now, so I can only imagine when they are in bloom. We really enjoyed our experience here & will definitely be back.

I love to go to Hodges Gardens. It's a beautiful place to visit and a wonderful place to take pictures. I would definitely recommend going here.

We were taken here by family that we were visiting. It was quite nice, scenic and serene. We thought it would be more colorful with flowers in bloom, but that part seems to be a thing of the past. I guess it used to be more spectacular when privately held, but the State probably just doesn't have the money to maintain it as much. We only had a short time to visit, so didn't get to see too much...wish we had more time.

You could tell, that at one time it was completely Beautiful. I think with the lack of funds, it's been neglected. There's no flags on Flag Island. The roads are terrible. And the grass is taking over the lake, to limit prime fishing spot's. Just needs some real prideful care; to make it what it once was. Still worth the visit.

Just returned from a family reunion at Hodges Gardens and the experience was great. From our late check-in to the group hall for our family gatherings, to the condition of our cabin, everything was top-notch! The setting is absolutely spectacular and the facilities are well presented. The actual gardens and Mid-century architectural elements are simply stunning.

Thee place for Camping for families. Cabins provided, no rv allowed. The lake is nice, canoeing and fishing and hiking are available, but NO swimming. The gardens are fine for an afternoon visit for campers staying in the park or outside day trippers. The variety of plants is great in all seasons. Horse camping is the main thrill!!!! Many trails available to day trippers and over night people with tents or sleeping quarter campers. No electric hook up or water hook ups!!!! But, water is provided for the horse and showers and toilets are available. Many high lines available for horses. Fire ring available for fires. As of June 2014 there is ongoing timber removal and many long horse riding trails are closed. No date set when they will reopen.

I'm sure this place was once very beautiful when it was privately owned. Now that the state operates it as a state park it simple looks neglected. Some areas of the gardens were very nice and well kept but other areas were mostly weeds. The lake is beautiful. The drive around the grounds revealed more of the unkept grounds. The cabins look ok nothing super spectacular. Would be a nice place to get away but the state really needs to improve the park. I left mostly unimpressed with its current condition.

Hodges Gardens is still beautiful, but it is not what it used to be. Years ago it was full of beautiful flower beds that were meticulously kept up. Today it is much more of a natural beauty-not a lot of flowers. There are nice walking trails and great views of the water. The place is rather run-down and there are quite a few weeds. It is now much more of a "state park" and not so much a garden. Also, the greenhouse has closed down. It has broken glass and graffiti on it. Also, Flag Island had no flags when we were there, only flag poles. My husband and I still had a nice time walking the trails and we had a great picnic. I think this state park needs more funding.

I was there several decades ago when it was privately owned. Today it is still beautiful. The big difference is that the rose gardens are not still there. Now that it is a state park, they are not allowed to interfere with the deer, and the deer destroy the roses. The paths and walkways are well kept, and the plant life is gorgeous. This is a little oasis in the middle of what is not the most beautiful part of Louisiana. It's worth the stop for a couple of hours of relaxation.

The garden was so relaxing and well kept. the walking trail was clear and cleans. The rose garden was beautiful. Great place to take a lot of memorable photos.

Visited weekend of 4/26/14. Overall, it was "ok", glad it was only $5/per person. A nice serene place to visit, but if you're hoping to wander about lively, awe-inspiring gardens, go visit a plantation. The rose garden only had 1 blooming rose bush. We missed the bloom-time for the azaleas and camellias (our own fault). The stairstep garden was nothing but weeds! Disgraceful. They could've planted petunias, sweet pea, or something en masse in there. The water feature for the stairstep garden was not operational. The irises in the bog garden were nice. Not too much blooming to be honest. I realize that the gardens feature a lot of flowering shrubs, trees, and other perennials (read: low/no maintenance), that bloom at different times, but they really should supplement with annual flowers or other bulbs too. To be honest, I have more blooming in my yard. There were broken branches and other debris on some of the paths that should have been picked up. I'm guessing the grounds staff doesn't do a walk through every morning to clear branches or check on things.The map you receive at the fee station is hard to understand and read due to poor graphics and being photocopied over and over. Please update the maps and make it easier to read. A clean, legible map, be it in black & white or color would be appreciated. Maps of the trails would be nice too.There are lots of trails to hike. The trailheads are well marked, but the trails themselves could use some markings. We hiked the wild azalea trail, but weren't sure if we were going the right way. May be a boyscout or girlscout troop could make some trail markers? I'd like to visit again when the azaleas are blooming, but I feel like 1/2 of the advertised features (water falls, geyser, etc) are not operational. The bathrooms were clean. There are PLENTY of picnic tables and places for families to have a picnic. No exactly handicap accessible.

Paid $10 to get in to the park for the easter egg hunt and because of the park's dysfunctional staff my 4 year old along with about 50 other kids never even saw an egg.

What a disappointment! To remember how the gardens were in the past, and to see them now is a shock. The woods area beautiful place to hike and enjoy the natural beauty, but that is about all that can be said the gardens. There were no fall plantings of any kind, and the roads are falling apart. The staff, while not discourteous, didn't seem to care whether you were there are not, especially the gate attendant. My advice is to pass it up and go somewhere else.