The grounds of this botanical garden, on Lake Whitehurst about 4 miles northeast of downtown, are brilliantly abloom in April with one of the East Coast's largest display of azaleas -- the best time to visit. This quiet beauty can be seen by 25-minute tram tour, by 45-minute pontoon boat tour, or by foot over more than 12 miles of floral pathways. The Statuary Vista is a beautiful setting for Moses Ezekiel's heroic-size statues of great painters and sculptors including Rembrandt, Rubens, Dürer, and da Vinci. Notable, too, are the rose garden, with more than 450 varieties among its 3,000 bushes; a classic Japanese hill-and-pond garden; a fragrance garden; an Italian Renaissance garden; and a WOW Children's Garden. April's Azalea Festival queen is crowned in the Hofheimer Camellia Garden and Renaissance Court. Garden lovers can easily spend half a day here. You can grab a bite at the Azalea Café.