What if you could find a place that offers the restorative effects of nature year-round, even during the solitude of winter and the fever of summer? At Garvan Woodland Gardens, you don’t have to wait until the moderate spring or autumn months to enjoy the outdoors. While its official description is “botanical garden,” it’s much more than that.

Think of the gardens as an escape to a woodland fantasy. The 210-acre botanical garden on a peninsula in Lake Hamilton is open all year, except January, a month devoted to regrouping, restoring and revitalizing.

Nestled in the Ouachita Mountains, with the lake waters lapping at its shores, the botanical retreat showcases the essence of nature — towering pines provide protection for delicate flora and fauna as cool lake breezes trace the 4.5 miles of wooded shoreline. Philanthropist Verna Cook Garvan began the gardens as a personal project several decades ago, before donating them to the University of Arkansas School of Architecture as a tribute to natural preservation. Formally opened in 2002, Garvan Woodland Gardens continues to follow Verna Garvan’s dreams as well as the meticulous plans laid out by UA researchers.

One of the highlights of the gardens is the architecture, inspired by internationally recognized architect and native Arkansan E. Fay Jones, who believed architecture should reflect and fit within the natural beauty surrounding it. Jones designed the Garvan Pavilion, which serves as the center of activity for the gardens. His influence is seen in other structures in the gardens, such as the Anthony Chapel, Millsap Bride’s Hall and Evans Groom Quarters.

Lectures and special events are scheduled throughout the year, including the extremely popular Festival of Lights, which illuminates the area’s winter beauty with almost a million Christmas lights during much of November and all of December.