When we arrived to our room, there were anniversary balloons with a note from the "Fairy Godmother!" The Fairy Godmother is a feature that the resort offers as a way to make magical things just happen during a stay or a special night on the property. I so want that job!
That night we went to the Woodlands Grill, which is one of the restaurants at Barnsley. Even though it was HOT, we sat on the beautiful veranda looking over the golf course and had a wonderful second anniversary dinner! All the staff seemed to just know it was our anniversary and we even got a free dessert...the BEST pecan pie in the world! We were in Georgia after all. Note: my hair looked a lot cuter before dinner outside in the GA heat!
The next morning after breakfast we went horseback riding. Our guide was really nice and told us little known facts about the property. The trails we rode on were once the same trails that civil war era stage coaches used to warn the Barnsley family of invaders. Very cool.
Next we went canoeing! We need to do this more often as it is definitely a team building activity. :) We saw the resorts very own swan family while we were paddling along!
The pool looked over the beautiful golf course. Everything was so lush and green!
Throughout the resort, there are perfect little guest houses with fire pits for roasting marshmallows and pretty adirondack chairs. If you can't already tell, this is the perfect southern experience!
There are beautiful flowers that bloom all over the place at Barnsley. This is a gorgeous rose tunnel. Only some of the roses were in full bloom though.
And finally, we were able to squeeze in some pictures of the actual gardens and mansion ruins. I can't express how beautiful this place is! These pictures don't do it justice because it is absolutely breathtaking!
So, here is the story of Barnsley Gardens:
Godfrey Barnsley was a very wealthy cotton trader who married a woman named Julia, who was from Savannah, in the mid-1800's. Julia was sick and in an effort to get her away from the Savannah heat, Barnsley bought thousands of acres in North Georgia. He was in the midst of building her a mansion on the property when the mother of six died, halting the construction of the home.
After a few years of working overseas, Barnsley returned and (as the story goes) saw his wife's image in the fountain in the front gardens. She told him to finish the estate for their children, which he did. The finished product included indoor plumbing, which of course was unusual for that time.
As the civil war breaks out, the house is caught in battle and is stripped of everything including valuables, food and its beautiful gardens. Barnsley's daughter and her two sons were left to live in the kitchen wing of the house while they attempted to rebuild their lives, literally scavenging for food on their own property. Later, one of her sons won money prize fighting and sent it, on many occasions, back to his brother to fix the mansion. Upon his return, he realized that his brother had squandered the money and the house was still in shambles. In anger he shot his brother. In the early 1900's a tornado came through and ripped everything that was left of the estate into shreds.
This story is so sad because within 100 years the Barnsley family went from being one of the most prominent families of the south, to nothing. The house was finally auctioned off in the 1980's and began the transformation into Barnsley Gardens.
It was so incredible to walk through the gardens and the mansion just imagining everything that it once was. The experience was one that I will never forget. I love love LOVED it and would highly recommend it to anyone.
This is one last shot of the incredible wildflower garden outside of the ruins. I had a wonderful second anniversary with my love! I couldn't ask for a greater guy to go through life and explore all of God's great creations with. I can't believe it's already been 2 years!!
Thanks for enduring the looooong post! See ya soon!Liv
