UGA Departments + Units

All events 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. We recommend renters tour the facility before booking the event. After the tour, the renter may place a complimentary temporary hold on a date for one week. During that time, an official contract will be sent for review. At the end of the week, a signed contract and refundable security deposit are due. The final rental fee is due 30 days prior to the event date.

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.

Founders House and Garden (Entire Property)
4-hour access – Exclusive use
Monday-Friday, 8-5pm Fee: $375
Monday-Thursday, 5-10pm Fee: $450
Friday (5pm-12am)-Sunday Fee: $525
Additional hours charged at $75/hour

Packages:
1-Day Monday-Friday, 8-5pm: $625
2-Day Conference Package (8am-5pm): $1,100
Additional hours charged at $75/hour
Damage Deposit: $0 for UGA Departments and Organizations

A security guard surcharge is required for events hosted by student groups but is not necessary for UGA departments.

*UGA departments and organizations with a chart string can book no less than 15 days in advance.

We accept only checks and chart strings.

If a renter chose to cancel after signing the contract but before the reserved date, they shall forfeit any deposit paid to secure the date.

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. Contact Gareth Crosby to schedule a tour!

All CED related events can reserve the house and gardens for free with a small linen cleaning service fee of $25 which can be waived if no linens are used or if linens are brought by the persons responsible for the reservation.

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. If you have over 50 guests and are renting space with only one restroom, we highly recommend renting a mobile restroom.

The Ballroom in the house seats 60-75 ppl with only chairs and a central isle or 48ppl at 6 round tables. Max capacity is 80 including event staff.

The Serpentine Garden lawn seats 175-200ppl with a central isle and has capacity for 250 standing. 64-80 ppl at 8-10 round tables.

The North Lawn seats 40-50 ppl on the back half with a central isle and 80-100 if you use the other half.

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

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.

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