Auburn Floral Trail will open Monday, March 11, and run through Sunday, April 21.
The Floral Trail, sponsored by Auburn Beautification Council and promoted by Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau, is made up of three trails: a North Trail, a South Trail and an optional trail which runs through Auburn University's arboretum.
Each trail features different plants, most of which are typically Southern, and allows viewers to take in nature's beauty.
"It is the great floral trail that graces Auburn and the Southern heritage that we have, with all the beautiful floral aspects that are native to our area, like the native azaleas and some of the flowers and trees that you see," said Catrina Cook, committee chair of Auburn Beautification Council.
The North Trail runs 3.4 miles, and the South Trail runs 10.5 miles. The optional trail runs through Auburn's campus by the arboretum. Brochures with maps of the trails are available on the Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau's website.
There will be a starting sign at the beginning of each trail, and signs will be placed along the trails to guide viewers.
"We have an optional trail that's outlined as the Auburn University Arboretum Trail, and that's the president's house there, because they have some beautiful blooms," Cook said. "It's actually three trails, but we call them the North and the South, and of course the optional trail is the University Trail, depending on if the streets are open."
The trails are accessible to all types of transportation.
"You could ride your bike. A lot of routes have bike lanes," said Becky Richardson, parks and recreation director for Auburn. "It's pleasant to walk. A lot of the streets have sidewalks, so people could walk it."
Floral trails in the past have drawn many people to the area, and the hope is the same will happen this year.
"It's not the biggest event we have by any means, but it's just another opportunity for us to have something to showcase to visitors," said Robyn Bridges, vice president of Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau. "It's just a good time of year to kind of celebrate that renewal and rebirth of the new season."
"We have businesses that come into town, we have industry that's here," Cook said. "And it's always something for them to do, to just view Auburn in this beautiful light while things are blooming."
Participating in the trail gives a sense of pride to the residents who live along the routes.
"We have some other members that have been involved for a while, and one mentioned not long ago that somebody called and asked if their house was going to be on the trail again, because they were going to do some work in their yard if they were going to be on the trail again," Richardson said. "So it's just kind of something that people take a lot of pride in and a lot of interest in."
Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau will put photos from the trails on its website.
"We do have a great slideshow that will be posted online on our website that you'll see there," Cook said. "I think it provides a great light for Auburn."
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