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Today on Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio’s Around Atlanta edition, Rachel Crumbley, spokesperson for Callaway Gardens joins our hosts Bryan Nonni, Todd Schnick and Carol Morgan in the studio. Rachel discusses what visitors have to look forward to at Callaway Gardens this fall.
Many Atlanta residents have heard of Callaway Gardens, a 6,500-acre resort in Pine Mountain, Georgia. However, many may not know all of the history behind the destination. Cason J. and Virginia Hand Callaway founded Callaway Gardens in 1952. When Cason Callaway began to develop heart problems, he went off to Blue Springs in Harris County to restore his health and while there, Cason discovered the Plum leaf azalea, which was near extinction. In an effort to save the species, the couple bought that piece of land and eventually ended up amassing 40,000 acres of land, which became Callaway Gardens.
Callaway Gardens welcomes more than 750,000 visitors per year. Those visiting the gardens can either go for a day trip, or take advantage of the destination’s lodgings, which include The Inn, Cottages, Villas and houses. There is a variety of activities at Callaway Gardens. A sampling of things to do include dining at one of the eight restaurants, golfing, fishing, tennis, water sports, trail walks, bike riding and more!
In addition to fun activities and fantastic overnight accommodations, Callaway Gardens is a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental education, and the destination seeks to entertain and educate with its attractions and workshops. One of the most popular attractions at Callaway Gardens is the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center where more than 1,000 butterflies live in one of North America’s largest butterfly conservatories. Here, visitors can also see butterflies in their chrysalides and may even be fortunate enough to see one emerge and take its very first flight!
The Gardens have most recently experienced a Blue Morpho butterfly takeover. During the month of September, Callaway’s butterfly center was filled with Blue Morphos making it the location with the highest concentration of Blue Morpho butterflies in the world. This unique butterfly uses mimicry to camouflage itself in the wild, but its normal color is a beautiful iridescent blue.
Workshops at Callaway Gardens expose visitors to a variety of hobbies, subjects and interests that can spark a newfound passion. One of the upcoming fall workshops is on geocaching. For those unfamiliar with geocashing, it is basically a high-tech version of hide-and-seek. Geocachers use their GPS systems to navigate to a hidden “treasure.” Once there, the geocacher signs a log book, trades a knick-knack, and moves on to the next geocache. Callaway Gardens has become one of the largest concentrations of caches and there are an additional 40 to 60 in the area.
Callaway also has a Birds of Prey show, which takes place two to three times per day and introduces owls, falcons, hawks and more to visitors. During the show, birds fly over the audience and interesting facts about the animals are discussed.
Highlights of upcoming events at Callaway include leaf peeping and leaf color changing, a fall collegiate topiary display made with Chrysanthemums, a Halloween night murder mystery dinner and a fall steeple chase, which will raise money for the Arts of West Central Georgia.
This year also marks the 24th annual Fantasy in Lights. From Nov. 20 to Jan. 2, more than eight million lights will create a winter wonderland at Callaway Gardens that visitors can explore in their own vehicle or on the Callaway Jolly Trolley. During the Fantasy in Lights, there will be opportunities to explore the attraction by motorcycle, bicycle and there will be a March of Dimes Night Walk, which will raise money for the charity.
To find out more about the attractions at Callaway Gardens visit www.CallawayGardens.com or call 1-800-Callaway. Also, check out their social media pages:
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