Looking for a travel destination that prides itself on providing wholesome family fun while keeping your schedule full of activities you'll always remember? Then Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia may be the place for you.
Callaway Gardens (
800/CALLAWAY, 706/663-2281 is a 14,000-acre garden, resort and nature preserve in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains that opened in 1952 as a place for families to relax and enjoy nature's beauty. There are many educational and visually pleasing activities, whether you're touring a 19th-century log cabin, playing golf or seeing some unusual flora. When I was younger, I visited Callaway several times with my family, and after reviewing their current accommodations and attractions, I feel confident recommending the experience to your family.
Callaway has year-round packages that will keep your family entertained from morning to night, but it's summer in Callaway that will always stand out in my childhood memories.
Summer Family Fun
The most popular part of the summer family packages is known as "Summer Family Adventures" (SFA), a busy schedule of activities, sports and recreation typically offered daily from the beginning of June through the beginning of August.
For children ages 3-6, supervised arts and crafts, train rides, visits to the Butterfly Center and
Birds of Prey Show (lakeside amphitheater that gives children a chance to get up-close with exotic birds), sing-alongs, miniature golf, learning circus skills, beach games, paddleboat rides, shuffleboard and more are available. Children ages 7-12 can enjoy supervised beach games, swimming, circus activities, field sports, tennis, bike hikes, the
Wildlife Discovery Program, and water skiing.
Teens 13-18 can have fun with ropes courses, water skiing, arts and crafts (I still have a T-shirt I painted almost 10 years ago at Callaway!), golf clinics, learning circus skills, water volleyball, golf tournaments, and tennis matches. A Teen Center is also open from 3-11pm that allows teens to play video games, dance and sing karaoke. Adults 19+ enjoy tennis, aquacise, ropes courses, golf clinics, circus activities, water skiing, aerobics, a fun run, tennis mixers and more.
Callaway's top value seller, for example, is a four-day program for a family of five that cost $1,599 in the summer of 2004 and included: accommodations in one of 155 two-bedroom Southern Pine Cottages that has four double beds; two full baths; living, dining and kitchen areas; fireplace; and a screened porch and deck big enough to dine out on. These simple and rustic cabins are designed to feel like home (depending on what "home" is like) and are surrounded by beautiful pine trees. Also included in summer packages is admission to each of the Callaway Gardens' attractions and Robin Lake Beach, the SFA scheduled activities and kids programs, use of the fitness center, and daily newspaper delivery. The many activities offered make it a very affordable and worthwhile choice for a summer vacation.
Callaway's Beautiful Gardens
The Gardens are at the heart of Callaway's appeal and family programs. Families can experience Virginia Head Discovery Center museum and theater, and the Day Butterfly Center where 1,000 tropical butterflies fly freely. The Butterfly Center is closed for renovations from November 1-March 18, 2005, but if you are visiting before or after this time, I recommend it as an unusual experience that won't be forgotten. Gardens admissions also include the Sibley Horticultural Center that is five acres of native and exotic plants within a conservatory, and Mr. Cason's Vegetable Garden, which is a 7.5-acre vegetable garden. Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl, 40 acres of beautiful flowers, is also part of the Gardens admissions, as well as the Overlook Garden trail of flowers, the Discovery Bicycle Trail through nature, the Pioneer Log Cabin that takes you into a 1830s piece of history, and the lakeside Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel that provides a quiet place for reflection.
During the summer, Callaway visitors also receive admission to the inland Robin Lake Beach and Flying High Circus performances by Florida State University students. The Circus was always a favorite of my younger brothers and older sisters.
Year-Round Family Activities
If fall or winter vacations are more your style, Callaway celebrates autumn every weekend in October with a Harvest Festival that includes hay rides, pumpkin painting and more. In November and December, special holiday dinner menus are available, and Callaway's elaborate and very popular Fantasy in Lights, and outdoor light and sound show, takes place. We learned of one family from Florida who have booked 10 two-bedroom cottages for the Thanksgiving week, when the lights are already up, for the past four years because they enjoy the show so much!
A 10-mile paved path is also opened year-round that allows you to pedal through Callaway's beautiful landscape on the Discovery Bike Trail. For many parents, it's a favorite pastime, as the trails wind through some of the gardens, by the butterfly museum, and through serenely beautiful countryside. Bike and helmet rentals are offered, and child carriers are available.
Mountain Creek Lake Fishing activities include boat, canoe, and rod and tackle rentals. Guided fishing and fly-fishing lessons are also available. Hunters can enjoy target shooting under professional staff supervision at the Gun Club where skeet and trap rounds, as well as gun rentals are available.
If you're not visiting in summer when the SFA schedule is in effect, I recommend purchasing the Family Activity Pass, which provides seven opportunities for anyone in your group to play golf, tennis, and racquetball. You can also rent carts, fishing boats, skeet and other shooting targets with this pass. The Family Activity Pass costs $110 but boasts a $665 value that would be helpful no matter what time of year you plan on visiting. If you just want to relax on the back porch of your cabin, you may see wild turkeys, great blue herons, red foxes, beavers, raccoons, white-tailed deer, rabbits and many other of nature's inhabitants.
Near Callaway are the F.D. Roosevelt State Park, Pine Mountain Trail for hiking, and the Little White House that includes artifacts from FDR's life in his seasonal Georgia home.
Resort Facilities
There are three types of accommodation at Callaway, ranging in price from $99/N to $551/N depending on season and unit size. If you choose not to book a package incorporating one of the primitive family cottages scattered around the grounds, you can consider the plaid 'n' tweed rooms or suites in the Mountain Creek Inn (thought by some to be outdated and worn), or the one to four-bedroom villas. Most cottage and villa rooms have dining and living areas, as well as great outdoor sitting areas that allow you to enjoy the scenery.
Although many families choose to prepare meals in their cabins, Callaway has a number of restaurants and snack stops, including the Robin Lake Beach Pavilion, which is perfect for beachside snacking; the Plantation Room that has large breakfast and dinner buffets at bargain rates; and the Gardens Restaurant that overlooks the Lake View Golf Course.
Because the activity-packed, week-long SFA program is sold as a "cruise on land," it is a popular choice for family reunions. In the summer of 2004, it cost $2,331 for a family of five staying together seven nights in a two-bedroom cottage. Spokesperson Rachel Crumbley adds, "We host 15-20 family reunions that identify themselves each summer, and many more that gather here on their own. We also have some in spring, a time famous for our azalea gardens." Additionally, Callaway offers a $115/night Family Reunion package any of time of year, based on double occupancy accommodations in the Inn, admission to the gardens, use of banquet room for catered event, and a 10% discount on golf, tennis, fishing, biking and skeet shooting for your group. There are also tennis, golf packages or other sport-specific options for booking family visits.
Water taxis to bike trails, shuttles to Gardens attractions, and bike rentals are available and fun for adults and children. I think having your own vehicle is recommended though, since bikes are rented at an hourly rate and shuttles require waiting time.
Vivienne is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is now living in New York City. She loves traveling with her family and taking road trips with friends.
