If you grew up in the ’80s or ’90s, odds are you either had a Cabbage Patch Kid or desperately wanted one (or maybe both). So when we found out there was an actual place called BabyLand General Hospital, where Cabbage Patch Kids are “born” under a magic crystal tree, we knew we had to check it out. Tucked away in the North Georgia mountains, this place is part museum, part nursery, part gift shop, and entirely adorable (but a little weird).
About BabyLand General Hospital
BabyLand is the official birthplace of the original hand-stitched Cabbage Patch Kids and has been around since 1978, when 21-year-old Xavier Roberts turned a former clinic into a whimsical adoption center for his fabric-sculpted “Little People.” Over the years, the dolls evolved, licensing changed hands (a lot), and millions of Cabbage Patch Kids found loving homes, including a few that went to space and even the Olympics. Today, the hospital is still home to the original kids, cared for by “licensed patch doctors and nurses.” Visitors can take a free self-guided tour that starts at the nurses’ station, winds past displays of early dolls and Cabbage Patch history, and eventually leads you to the nursery- where, if you’re lucky, you can witness a live “birth” beneath the magic crystal tree. And if you adopt one of the hand-stitched originals, you’ll even head to the adoption office to take an official oath and sign your adoption papers.
Outside, the gardens were planted as a tribute to Xavier’s mother and add a sweet personal touch to this already charming stop. Whether you’re a nostalgic grown-up or bringing kids along for the fun, BabyLand is pure childhood magic come to life.
How to Visit BabyLand General Hospital
- Address: 300 NOK Dr, Cleveland, GA 30528
- Website: https://cabbagepatchkids.com/pages/babyland-general-hospital
- Hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 10am-6pm. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day
- Self-guided tours are free
Our Visit to BabyLand General Hospital
We visited BabyLand while staying at Trackrock Campground near Blairsville, GA. We were in the area to summit Georgia’s highest peak, Brasstown Bald, and stopped at BabyLand on our Saturday adventure day. BabyLand is near the Bavarian-themed town of Helen, GA, which we visited that day too.
The adventure began at the nurse’s station. This place really commits to the bit- all of the staff wear doctor or nurse uniforms and everything is themed like it’s a real medical facility. In the lobby just inside the entrance there’s a mini-museum of Cabbage Patch history. Signs talk about the history of the company and the display cases show off some of the early dolls, as well as other significant ones.
Next, we headed into the nurseries. There are several small rooms here with cribs holding hand-stitched original Kids and Babies. These are all available for “adoption” for a couple hundred bucks each.
Then we entered the main room that has the Magic Crystal Tree, Mother Cabbage, and the rest of the shop. The Magic Crystal Tree is where “live births” take place. We weren’t luckily enough to see one, but there are plenty of videos online. “Live births” are little shows put on by the staff when someone “adopts” some of the nicer dolls. The whole store is called to gather around as they help Mother Cabbage “birth” the doll. It’s definitely one my bucket list to see one someday, because from the videos I’ve seen it’s quite a trip.
The shopping area is huge here and has tons of options for Cabbage Patch Kids and other toys. There are a range of doll options- some very expensive, and others more affordable. I got my nephew one of the Cutie Rainbow dolls and it was under $20.
From in the main shop area, you can also peek into the Delivery Nursery. Also off to the side is the adoption office, where if you “adopt” one of the regular dolls you’ll be taken to give an adoption oath and fill out paperwork.
Josh was not impressed by Babyland, but I enjoyed visiting! It’s very cute, but also definitely weird- but in a good way!
