I know Gardens Around the World usually runs on Fridays, but I couldn't let today go by without honoring the great Martin Luther King, Jr., and telling you about the first garden solely dedicated to him in the U.S.
Built in 1989, Raleigh, NC's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Gardens is open around the clock for self-guided tours. It features a sensory-inspired bronze statue of Dr. King, which is life-sized and situated so that it can be accessible to those who are wheelchair-bound, visually impaired or otherwise challenged. After sundown, the statue is illuminated.
There's a King Memorial Wall that's constructed of 2,500 bricks engraved with the names of benefactors who helped make the park possible.
And, of course, there are the gardens. Visitors can walk among more than 5000 trees, shrubs and plants on the grounds.
Of course, there are many streets in the country named in MLK's honor, and many monuments commemorating him -- most notably the King Center in his birthplace of Atlanta, Ga., but the Raleigh site was the first garden dedicated solely to his memory, and not part of another garden or park.
The city of Columbia, Mo., has a unique Martin Luther King Jr. memorial at Battle Garden. The "environmental sculpture resembling a small amphitheater" comprises eight triangular columns of varying heights, each depicting an excerpt from King's writings.
City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs photo
