The seven-session series prepares volunteers to guide school and children’s groups, but the classes are only the start: docents take on recurring Garden tours and must meet membership, screening and attendance requirements.

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Docent Tour Guide Training is preparation for a continuing volunteer role at Atlanta Botanical Garden, not a stand-alone class series. The work centers on leading groups through the Garden and connecting them with its plant collections, conservation work and current exhibitions.
The Garden’s volunteer information describes docent-led tours for groups of 8–12, with each docent guiding a group for about an hour. The subjects can include plant collections, conservation work and current exhibitions; the 2027 training listings do not identify which places or topics the classes will cover.
The event listing describes the training as preparation for school groups, while the series calendar refers to children’s groups. The Garden’s school-program information also describes guided tours alongside self-guided visits, with programs focused on particular areas and paired with curriculum guides. It does not explain how those school-program elements figure in this training.
Further reading: Atlanta Botanical Garden | Docent Tour Guide Training ↗ · Docent Tour Guide Training | Atlanta Botanical Garden ↗ · Atlanta Botanical Garden | Volunteer ↗ · Atlanta Botanical Garden | School Programs ↗

The series meets Friday mornings from January 29 through March 12, 2027, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Garden’s volunteer information says docents must attend all seven training classes. The listings give the series’ broad purpose, but do not publish a separate topic or activity for each session.
Further reading: Atlanta Botanical Garden | Docent Tour Guide Training ↗ · Docent Tour Guide Training | Atlanta Botanical Garden ↗ · Atlanta Botanical Garden | Volunteer ↗

The training listing asks volunteers to lead two 90-minute tours each month and be available on weekdays and weekends, with morning and afternoon shifts. The general volunteer page describes a minimum of two tours a month during peak seasons, while its account of a docent-led group tour says it lasts about an hour. The Garden does not explain how the durations or seasonal expectations fit together, so prospective volunteers should confirm the schedule for this cohort.
Docents are also invited to monthly lunch meetings for Garden updates and program information. That continuing involvement is worth weighing alongside seven Friday mornings when deciding whether the role fits your schedule.
Further reading: Atlanta Botanical Garden | Docent Tour Guide Training ↗ · Atlanta Botanical Garden | Volunteer ↗

All seven classes are required. The series listings describe the training’s aim but do not assign a distinct topic or activity to each date.
The Garden’s volunteer page says docents must be Garden members and complete a background check. It lists a one-time $20 training fee, but the event listing does not state a fee; ask the Garden whether that charge applies to this cohort.
The Garden’s general minimum age for volunteers is 18. Its exception for students aged 16 or older applies to the separate SPEAK program, not docent volunteering.
Atlanta Botanical Garden | Docent Tour Guide Training ↗ · Atlanta Botanical Garden | Volunteer ↗
The Garden’s volunteer registration page directs Atlanta applicants to complete a volunteer application. For information about this training, the event listing names Volunteer Manager Josh Todd at [email protected].
Atlanta Botanical Garden | Volunteer Registration ↗ · Atlanta Botanical Garden | Docent Tour Guide Training ↗
The training is listed at Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. The event information does not specify a transit route, parking details or an entrance for this training. Use the map link to calculate directions from your starting point.
Atlanta Botanical Garden | Docent Tour Guide Training ↗ · Docent Tour Guide Training | Atlanta Botanical Garden ↗
Yes. The Garden’s volunteer information says attendance at all seven training classes is required.
No. The series listings describe the broad goal of preparing volunteers to lead children’s or school groups, but do not name a topic or activity for each session.
Atlanta Botanical Garden | Docent Tour Guide Training ↗ · Docent Tour Guide Training | Atlanta Botanical Garden ↗
The Garden’s volunteer page lists a one-time $20 docent training fee, while the event listing does not state a fee. Contact Volunteer Manager Josh Todd at [email protected] to confirm details for this cohort.
Atlanta Botanical Garden | Volunteer ↗ · Atlanta Botanical Garden | Docent Tour Guide Training ↗
1345 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
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Images from the linked sources. Each caption identifies the context of the image.
Event, planning and background information checked 2026-11-01 against the linked sources.