Scores of people got their first peek today at the Augusta Botanical Gardens, since Georgia lawmakers cut funding to the park last summer.

"We had a lot of people drive by and not really know what was behind here. So we want them to come by and view the area," said Darrell Bennett, Augusta Recreation and Parks.

A crowd did come by, and most seemed to like what they saw.

"We decided to come by and see how bad it was," said Ron Rondeau. "It wasn't bad, it was really very nice."

"It's great. It's a very beautiful place here," said Tamala Mims.

She liked it so much she's decided to change her wedding plans and have her reception in the gardens.

"What I envision is a live band and food everywhere and children just running around because it's such a beautiful place," Mims said.

It's taken a lot of work to get to this point.

"We spent a month and a half every day pulling weeds and removing dead trees," Bennett said.

He concedes it's still a work in progress, but he has high hopes.

"We're trying to make this like Augusta's Central Park," he said. "A downtown park. People can come, bring their dogs, walk around and have a picnic."

The gardens will open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 to 3pm. They are free to the public.

County leaders say the park will stay open for a trial period of several months.