Calloway Gardens - Pine Mountain, Georgia

Callaway Gardens is 13,000 acres of gardens and resort, just at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Pine Mountain, Georgia. The resort features year-round activities, accommodations, restaurants, golfing, spa, boating, a gun club and skeet shooting, fly-fishing lessons, a variety of gardens and tons of shopping. There's so much to see and do at Calloway Gardens.

There's the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center is named after co-founder Virginia Hand Callaway (1900 - 1995), co-founder of Callaway Gardens. It's devoted to "enhancing the harmony between man and Earth." There's staff on hand and interactive kiosks. You can also watch Time & the Gardens in the theater, visit education wing, a lecture hall, museum/exhibit hall, the Discovery Gift Shop, and grab something to eat at the Discovery Café.

If you love nature and all its creatures big and small, check out the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center and the Birds of Prey show. The Butterfly Center has 1,000 tropical butterflies, representing more than 50 different species. This is North America's largest, glass-enclosed tropical conservatory. The film On Wings of Wonder plays on several monitors to tell you all butterflies. A gift shop is in the lobby with everything related to butterflies, birds and insects. The Birds of Prey show is at a lakeside amphitheater that allows the birds to swoop right over your head.

Named after John A. Sibley, a Georgia banker, lawyer, civic leader and agricultural enthusiast, the John A. Sibley Horticultural Center is five acres of tropical garden/greenhouse with native and exotic plants. The Center also has a gift shop in the lobby with gardening books, tools, birdhouses, T-shirts, toys and some cool stuff to decorate your house. A lot of people have their weddings and receptions here because it's so scenic.

Mr. Cason's Vegetable Garden was one of the last major projects initiated by Gardens founder Cason J. Callaway before his death, and is 7.5 acres of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. The Vegetable Garden is also the setting for the popular PBS television show, The Victory Garden.

If you love azaleas, then you have to see the Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl and the Overlook Garden, which boasts to be "one of the most beautiful places on Earth" during the spring. There are more than 700 varieties of azaleas in the Overlook Garden. And the Azalea Bowl is a 40-acre garden with more than 3,400 hybrid azaleas. Many of the flowers came from the Overlook Garden, the original azalea garden. There are also 2,000 trees and shrubs, a pavilion, gazebo, stream, wide walking path and arched bridge.

If you need a little peace and quiet, relax at the Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel. It's set in the woodlands around Falls Creek Lake, and is reminiscent of 16th-century Gothic chapels with fieldstone quartz and other natural materials, plus six stained glass windows, and a custom-built Möller pipe organ. They have regularly scheduled organ concerts at the Chapel.

Nature or hiking enthusiast? Or if you just like to be outdoors getting some fresh air, there are also several trails to explore at Calloway Gardens. Most of the trails range from ½ mile to 1 ½ . The trails include: Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl Trail (1.2 miles), Wildflower Trail (.6 miles), Holly Trail (.8 miles), Rhododendron Trail (.6 miles), Mountain Creek Lake Trail (1.5 miles), Laurel Springs Trail (.5 miles), Overlook Azalea Trail (1.6 miles), Whippoorwill Lake Trail (.5 miles), and the Discovery Bicycle Trail (10 miles).

The Pioneer Log Cabin is a real log cabin. It was built in the 1830s of yellow pine and was occupied until the 1930s. The last family that lived in the two-room cabin had 15 people! In 1960, the cabin was relocated to the Gardens from Troup County and features original and period reproductions of the furniture.

During the summer you can also visit Robin Lake Beach to swim, ride the paddleboat, play miniature golf, table tennis and see the Florida State University "Flying High" Circus performances.

If you're making your visit more than just a day-trip, you can stay over at any of the three accommodations here: the Mountain Creek Inn (prices range from $119 - $159 per night), the Cottages at Callaway Gardens (one and two bedroom prices range from $179 - $349 per night) or the Villas at Callaway Gardens (one, two, three and four bedroom villas prices range from $209 - $689 per night). If you book a room, the room price also includes admission to Callaway Gardens, the fitness center and admission to Robin Lake Beach (open seasonally).

If you love to golf, then check out their famous Mountain View Golf Course - Golf Digest and Golf magazines ranked among the nation's top-rated courses. The Course was also the home of the PGA Tour's Buick Challenge for more than a decade. They also a great golf pro shop. Mountain View welcomes all types and levels of players: foursomes, families, beginners and the expert golfers. They even have Golf gift certificates!

Calloway will be opening Spa Prunifolia in February 2007! They will feature treatments inspired by nature's healing elements of herbs, fruits, flowers and plants (some which are grown right in the Gardens). Their services will include 13 treatment rooms, a two-person treatment room and a VIP suite with a Purist Bath Soaking Tub and private shower, weight & cardiovascular training studio, group exercise studio, locker rooms with saunas, steam rooms, and showers, and women's private dressing rooms, luxurious men's and women's relaxation lounges with juice bar and fireplaces, a full-service salon and spa boutique.

Daily admission to Callaway Gardens includes the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, Day Butterfly Center, Sibley Horticultural Center, Mr. Cason's Vegetable Garden, Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl, Overlook Garden, Discovery Bicycle Trail, Pioneer Log Cabin, Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel, nature trails and daily programs.

Calloway Garden is open from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm, and admission is $13 plus tax for adults and $6.50 plus tax for kids (6 - 12 years old). Kids under 6 years old are free. They also have military and group rates available. And admission rates will, of course, go up during special events.

Some of their of annual special events include the Spring Celebration, Plant Fair and Sale, Callaway Classic Car Auction and Exposition, Masters Water Ski and Wakeboard Tournament, July 4th Surf & Sand Spectacular, Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival, Muscadine Festival, Fantasy In Lights, Steeplechase, New Year's Eve, Southern Gardening Symposium, Valentine Dinner Dance Weekend, Easter Weekend, Summer Adventure, Fitness Series and AutumnFest.

No matter if you're seeking relaxation, education, nature or pampering, Calloway Gardens has a bit of everything. They are located along GA Highway 18/354 in Pine Mountain. You can reach them by calling locally at 706-663-2281 or toll-free at (800) CALLAWAY (225-5292), or visiting their website at www.callawaygardens.com.