Fred Hamilton Rhododendron Garden is a 33-acre protected botanical garden near Hiawassee in north Georgia, notable as the region’s only public garden devoted to rhododendrons and native azaleas and as the Southeast’s largest such collection. It grew from the work of Fred Russell Hamilton and his wife, Hazel, whose collection of more than a thousand cultivars was donated in 1981 and opened to the public the next year. The grounds now hold about 3,000 plants, trails, bridges, overlooks, and event spaces overlooking Lake Chatuge. Designated a state botanical garden in 2003, it has since undergone cycles of neglect, restoration, and renewed stewardship.