Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a spectacular site for a special event. Whether you are in need of an indoor or outdoor setting, you'll find many options to choose from.

Offering a convenient location close to downtown Birmingham and adjacent to the charming and elegant community of Mountain Brook, The Gardens is the ideal place for your memorable event.

Facility rentals are handled by the city of Birmingham. Contact Alicia Andrews at 205.414.3908 or apandre@ci.birmingham.al.us for facility availability and pricing.

Facility rentals are open to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis.

Members of The Gardens receive "in-city rates" of all room and garden rental rates.

A description of the different rooms offered at The Gardens is listed below:

Garden Center
The 60,000 square foot Garden Center is the focal point of horticultural activity for the metropolitan Birmingham area and all of central Alabama. This stylish neo-classical structure hosts well over 1,000 meetings, classes, flower shows, functions, fund raising events and private parties each year. A number of gracious rooms, some with kitchen access, are available for public rental. The Garden Center houses the Birmingham Botanical Gardens' Administrative and Reservations Offices, Birmingham Botanical Gardens Library, Blount Education Center, Leaf & Petal Gift Shop, Southern Living Lobby, C. Beaty Hanna Horticulture and Environmental Center (with state-of-the-art plant diagnostic and micropropagation laboratories), herbarium, The Gardens Cafe, Gerlach Plant Information Center and the future Arrington Plant Adventure Zone.

As seen today, this elegant stucco building was developed in two phases, following the designs of two local architects. Most recently, the Blount Education Center, including the Southern Living Lobby and Linn-Henley Lecture Hall, was added in 1998 by Rick Sprague of Henry Sprott Long and Associates. Earlier, in 1988, John Carraway’s plan included the Strange Auditorium, restaurant and the rooms above. In addition, he beautifully united architecture and garden; his Plaza Bridge strides confidently over the Blount Plaza, and the Belvedere commands a dramatic view across the Hill Garden directly below, to the Formal Garden in the distance. The Garden Center is open to the public from 8 am to 5 pm on weekdays and most weekends.* We are closed on city holidays.

* Rental customers can arrange restricted evening access. Please contact our Reservations Office.

Strange Auditorium
Named in honor of Ruth B. Strange and dedicated in 1988, the Strange Auditorium is the most versatile room imaginable. On any given day, the room may be pressed into service to host classes, lectures, meetings, art exhibits, luncheons, wedding receptions, fund raising dinners, charity auctions and craft shows. Each year over a dozen flower shows are staged, ranging from Camellias and Ferns, to Roses and Standard Garden Club Shows; most are free and the public is encouraged to attend. An adjoining full kitchen and prep room are available when renting the Strange Auditorium. Renters of this room often rent the adjoining Hodges Room as well, and with it, the beautiful and private Rushton Garden just outside.

Hodges Room
The Hodges Room, named in honor of Frances Spain Hodges and dedicated in 1972, is useful for small- to medium-sized meetings and activities, especially when visual and physical access to the out-of-doors is desired. The lush, secluded Rushton Garden, with its café seating and rushing waterfall, is just outside. The carpeted Hodges Room is often rented along with the Strange Auditorium, combining to make a gracious setting for a large affair.

Linn-Henley Lecture Hall
With a seating capacity of nearly 300 people, the Linn-Henley Lecture Hall is a comfortable, modern lecture hall boasting excellent acoustic qualities and state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment.* Speeches, Slide shows, PowerPoint presentations, live internet access and satellite hookups are all easily accommodated. Adjacent to the Southern Living Lobby, The Linn-Henley Lecture Hall is an excellent venue for business presentations, corporate meetings, lectures, panel discussions, and other uses appropriate for its theatre-style seating arrangement. It is named for the Linn-Henley Charitable Trust, which funded its construction.

* Renters must provide a certified and approved A/V technician to operate this equipment. Please contact our Reservations Office for more information.

Ireland Room
Overlooking the Blount Plaza, the Ireland Room has been a popular and multi-functional room for nearly twenty years. Given in memory of Katherine Ireland by her mother, Mrs. C. Barney Ireland, and her brothers, William Reynolds and Glenn Ireland II, it features a stylish white oak parquet floor, crystal chandeliers and display cases housing our collection of Boehm porcelain birds. This room provides a gracious setting for numerous activities. Banquet seating for 80 guests is available. In addition, an adjacent small prep kitchen and service elevator access to a full kitchen on the first floor make catered meals easy. The Ireland Room is often rented along with the East Room, just across the lobby. Take your activity outside by adding the Hill Garden, accessible directly over the Plaza Bridge and through the Belvedere.

East Room
The East Room is a comfortable, carpeted room for small- to medium-sized meetings and activities. Like most of our other rooms that are available for rentals, multiple seating arrangements are easily accommodated. The East Room overlooks the Blount Plaza and sits across the lobby from the Ireland Room. These two rooms are often rented together, and in conjunction with the Hill Garden, which is easily accessible from the Plaza Bridge and Belvedere just outside.

Room Capacity Information