Rent the Founders Memorial Garden

At the Founders Memorial Garden, we provide only the venue, so you are responsible for hiring the florist, caterers, rentals (tent, tables, chairs, delivery, set up/break down)*, and any other specialty features you may want for your event. We do not dictate specific caterers, etc. but we do ask that you keep us informed on planning so we can coordinate logistics with your chosen consultants.

*For UGA related events, we have some tables, linens, and chairs for use.

All event requests will be scheduled and coordinated through the Director and Curator of the Founders Memorial Garden and booked no more than 12 months and no less than 30 days in advance.

Parking is extremely limited on site (4 spaces + 1 accessible space) but the UGA North Campus Parking Deck is a short walk from the venue and charges a maximum of $10/day/car. You may consider organizing a shuttle. There are also numerous parking garages in downtown Athens that are an easy walk to the venue. Wheelchair accessibility is limited to the parking lot and Serpentine Garden with access via an ADA compliant path from the parking lot. The Courtyard, and Kitchen House are accessible with mobile ramps at this time. We are working on accessibility to the Founders House.

All the parking spots around the Founders Memorial Garden are pay-to-park in the evenings and on weekends at the same rate as the parking decks on campus.

• Entry – 30 minutes $1
• 31 minutes – 1 hour $3
• 1 hour – 2 hours $5
• Each additional hour $1
• Maximum daily fee $10

There are 2 restrooms at the Founders Memorial Garden: one in the Founders House and one in the Kitchen House. Both are available ONLY when the entire property is rented, otherwise, there is only one available for an event. As an example: if you rent the gardens, you may only use the kitchen house restroom and not the Founders House restroom. You may want to consider renting a mobile restroom.

• The Ballroom is the house seats 60-75 people with only chairs and a central isle or 48 people at 6 round tables. Max capacity is 80 including event staff.
• The Serpentine Garden lawn seats 175-200 people with a central isle and has capacity for 250 standing. 64-80 people at 8-10 round tables.
• The North Lawn seats 40-50 people on the back half with a central isle and 80-100 if you use the other half.

When providing alcohol at an event, a security guard is required. There is a fee of $48.50/hour with a minimum of 4 hours (We arrange for this with UGA Police).

The garden does not provide catering. We are currently developing a vendor list but there are no restrictions at this time.

Power is limited to certain areas and in most cases, extension cords will be needed.

The garden does not permit open flames inside the buildings. All candles must include a glass, ceramic, or metal candle holder and we highly recommend a glass, ceramic or metal globe to keep candles burning clean and bright. No bird seed, glitter, confetti, or petals may be thrown outdoors. Only silk petals may be thrown indoors. Indoor lighting, floral arrangements, and other décor must be freestanding. Items may not be attached to interior or exterior walls. All items must be removed from the building and gardens after the event as part of the clean-up process.

The garden does not provide setup, cleanup, or event coordination. Typically, the caterer and/or an event planner will handle this. The renter must arrange this with the event planner / caterer directly. If the event will not be catered or managed by an event planner, the renter is responsible for all setup and cleanup. Setup may not begin until the rental start time and cleanup must be completed by the rental end time. The garden recommends at least one hour for setup and one hour for cleanup. Incomplete cleanup may result in additional fees or loss of the security deposit.

UGA affiliated groups, organizations or departments are eligible for a discounted rate. A non-profit discount is applicable with an appropriate tax ID.

We always encourage interested parties to come visit the venue, so you can see the various spaces, and we can describe the ways each area has been used in the past. We find these kinds of descriptions to be very helpful as you are envisioning your own event.