STATESBORO — Georgia Southern’s Botanical Garden is currently in the process of constructing a labyrinth path for guests to use as they please.

With over 11 acres of land already dedicated to a variety of natural spectacles, including an arboretum, camellia garden and coastal plain garden, the minds behind the garden hope this new addition will provide a sense of calm and quiet to its visitors.

“What we’re trying to do is create a meditative space,” Carolyn Altman, the director of the Botanic Garden said. “For centuries, different religious groups of all different kinds have had a labyrinth as a way of focusing the mind and releasing all the worries of the world.”

Associate Director Bob Randolph was inspired to create a labyrinth at the Botanic Garden after seeing similar mazes like it across the world. Once the plan was set, the project received funding from former GS mathematics professor David Stone, with construction beginning in January. 

Constructed out of Tennessee stone, the labyrinth’s path will be filled with sand, while the entire structure will be accented with various plants to add a bit of green. Trees planted around the area will eventually grow to obscure the labyrinth from the rest of the garden, giving the area an additional level of isolation and privacy, Altman said. 

Though not directly intended for religious purposes, Altman hopes the labyrinth will provide guests with a means of calm and quiet thinking or a chance for meditation. The maze has no actual purpose; its use and meaning is entirely up to those who visit, Altman said.

Construction on the labyrinth is expected to be completed in late April, with extra materials being put towards the garden’s next projects. The Botanic Garden is free, open to the public, and open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 

Davis Cobb, The George-Anne News Reporter, wc02248@georgiasouthern.edu