We are heading west across the Florida panhandle, Alabama and Mississippi on I-10 and had to stop at Bellingrath Gardens again....it's too gorgeous to pass over.

The Azaleas are all over the place and oh so colorful. We'll let the photos of the flowers and grounds below speak for themselves. (You can hit the Slideshow button at the bottom to view the photos larger as well).

















 

Here's a few links to get more information about the gardens and the man named Bellingrath.

http://bellingrath.org/

http://bellingrath.org/gardens-home/museum-home/
 
Apparently, Coca-Cola was a good business to be in when it got started.....here's a bit about Mr. Bellingrath....
 
Though a native of Atlanta, Walter Bellingrath was raised in the small town of Castleberry, Alabama, where he got his start at the age of 17 with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. His first job was as a station manager and his duties included sending and receiving telegraph messages. His old telegraph key sits on his desk in the Bellingrath Home as a reminder of those simple beginnings with one of the South’s most generous benefactors.

 In 1903, Walter and his older brother William heard about an opportunity to purchase the new franchise to sell bottled Coca-Cola in southern Alabama. The franchise territory stretched down to the Gulf Coast and when it was determined that they should split the territory, Walter took Mobile since, as he later joked, he liked to fish. The Mobile Coca-Cola Bottling Company became one of the most successful in the United States and Walter Bellingrath’s business interests stretched to owning the National Mosaic Tile Company, serving on the board of the First National Bank, owning a warehousing company and he was an original founder of Waterman Steamship Company of Mobile.
 
http://bellingrath.org/learn-more/history/

If you're ever near Mobile, Alabama, make a trip south about 15 miles to see this place. It's well worth it.


 Steve and Kim