by Leigh Knight

A strange magic fills the air at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. My children stood outside the entrance, frozen in awe, mouths agape, in front of a large sculpture depicting a multi-colored tree trunk topped with golden-headed snakes covered with beautiful glass mosaics. This mesmerizing piece called the "Arbre Serpent" is one of 41 extraordinary sculptures created by world-renowned artist Niki de Saint Phalle on display at the Atlanta Botanical Garden through October 31.

"It’s amazing! You’ll love it," Danielle Macik of Atlanta gushes enthusiastically as she and her family exit the garden. Her three children, ages 21 months, 4 and 7, agree.

"It’s fun for children," says daughter, Olivia, 7.

"Niki in the Garden," sponsored by Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc., features the world’s largest display of de Saint Phalle’s outdoor sculptures ever presented, with sculptures traveling to Atlanta from Germany, France and California. Many of the whimsical pieces invite the entire family to "come play," allowing children to crawl on, climb through and explore the sculptures and their secret passages, something the artist, who passed away in 2002, loved to see.

In her autobiography, Traces, de Saint Phalle says: "Nature, dragons, monsters and animals have kept me in touch with the feelings I had about these things as a child. I feel that the part of me that stayed a child is the artist in me."

 De Saint Phalle’s outdoor sculptures, some of which are massive in size, weighing up to six tons, include fantastical animals, legendary musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis, various sports figures, totems inspired by Native American traditions, and the delightful female forms called Nanas.

For the Nikain family from Buckhead, "Nikigator," a 25-foot-long alligator-like creature, was a sure winner. "It’s wonderful. We are very excited about it," says mom, Nilo.

"Our daughter, Niki, thought it was so cool that Niki de Saint Phalle spells her name the same way," says dad, Mo. "They have something in common."

"We’ve been here two hours," says Jackie Brown of Atlanta, who brought her granddaughter, Elise, 1 1/2, for an afternoon outing. "She is fascinated with the colors and texture of the sculptures. Her favorite piece is the fountain [‘Fontaine aux Nanas’] in the Fuqua Conservatory. She stood and stared at it for about five minutes. Of course, when she tired of that, there are always the flowers!"