• News & Culture
    • Arts & Events
    • Great Reads
    • Atlanta 500
    • Block by Block: Stories from the streets that connect us
    • Women Making a Mark
    • Pride Guide 2022
  • Food & Drink
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • 75 Best Restaurants in Atlanta
    • 50 Best Tacos
    • 123 Things to Eat on Buford Highway
    • 50 Best Bars
    • Best Barbecue
    • Best Breakfast
    • The TOUR Championship Cocktail Contest
  • Home
    • Atlanta Magazine’s HOME Digital Editions
    • Artists & Galleries
    • Design Advice
    • Design News
    • Gardens
    • Real Estate
    • Neighborhoods
    • Real Estate All-Stars
    • Sponsored: Preferred HOME Partner
  • Life & Style
    • Style
    • School Guide
    • Health & Wellness
    • Top Doctors
    • Top Dentists
    • Sponsored: Physician & Dentist Profiles
    • Buckhead Guidebook
  • Travel
    • Southbound
    • Southbound Digital Editions
    • 50 Best Things to Do in Georgia
    • Hidden Georgia
    • North Georgia Mountains
    • Great Georgia Hikes
    • Jekyll Island
    • Georgia Travel Guide
    • Gilmer: Ellijay Visitors Guide 2022
    • Alabama Vacation Guide 2023
  • Best of ATL
    • Eat
    • Drink
    • Do
    • Buy
    • Readers’ Choice
  • Magazine
    • Subscription Center
    • Newsletters
    • Digital Editions
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Pitch Us
    • Advertise
    • Custom Media
    • Give Atlanta
    • Employment
      • Careers
      • Internships
    • Archives
    • Where to Find
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2022
      • 2020 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse
      • Atlanta Baby and Beyond
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2019
      • DINES: A Taste of the City’s Best Restaurants
      • 2019 Modern Style Showhome
      • Best Burger Battle
      • Pinewood Forest Idea Home
      • 2018 Modern Style Showhouses
    • Event Photos
  • Shop
Sign in
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Sign up
Welcome!Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
Search
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Issue Archive
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Atlanta 500
  • Give Atlanta
  • GaBiz Magazine
  • Enter for the 2023 Georgia Design Awards
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Create an account
Welcome! Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Atlanta Magazine Atlanta Magazine
Atlanta Magazine Atlanta Magazine
  • News & Culture
    • Arts & Events
    • Great Reads
    • Atlanta 500
    • Block by Block: Stories from the streets that connect us
    • Women Making a Mark
    • Pride Guide 2022
  • Food & Drink
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • 75 Best Restaurants in Atlanta
    • 50 Best Tacos
    • 123 Things to Eat on Buford Highway
    • 50 Best Bars
    • Best Barbecue
    • Best Breakfast
    • The TOUR Championship Cocktail Contest
  • Home
    • Atlanta Magazine’s HOME Digital Editions
    • Artists & Galleries
    • Design Advice
    • Design News
    • Gardens
    • Real Estate
    • Neighborhoods
    • Real Estate All-Stars
    • Sponsored: Preferred HOME Partner
  • Life & Style
    • Style
    • School Guide
    • Health & Wellness
    • Top Doctors
    • Top Dentists
    • Sponsored: Physician & Dentist Profiles
    • Buckhead Guidebook
  • Travel
    • Southbound
    • Southbound Digital Editions
    • 50 Best Things to Do in Georgia
    • Hidden Georgia
    • North Georgia Mountains
    • Great Georgia Hikes
    • Jekyll Island
    • Georgia Travel Guide
    • Gilmer: Ellijay Visitors Guide 2022
    • Alabama Vacation Guide 2023
  • Best of ATL
    • Eat
    • Drink
    • Do
    • Buy
    • Readers’ Choice
  • Magazine
    • Subscription Center
    • Newsletters
    • Digital Editions
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Pitch Us
    • Advertise
    • Custom Media
    • Give Atlanta
    • Employment
      • Careers
      • Internships
    • Archives
    • Where to Find
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2022
      • 2020 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse
      • Atlanta Baby and Beyond
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2019
      • DINES: A Taste of the City’s Best Restaurants
      • 2019 Modern Style Showhome
      • Best Burger Battle
      • Pinewood Forest Idea Home
      • 2018 Modern Style Showhouses
    • Event Photos
  • Shop
Home Custom Publication: Georgia Travel Georgia’s Little Piece of Heaven: Callaway Gardens
Custom Publication

Georgia’s Little Piece of Heaven: Callaway Gardens

By
Cassie Hallam
-
April 4, 2015
2415
Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center

Courtesy of Callaway Gardens

A little piece of heaven is quietly tucked away in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Only sixty short miles south of the Atlanta airport, Callaway Gardens is the ideal location for a weekend getaway and a breath of fresh air. With a wide variety of recreational activities and 6,500 acres of stunning scenery, you’ll leave feeling refreshed and reenergized. I should know; I just returned from a brief trip there.

It was late afternoon when I arrived at Callaway’s pleasant and inviting Southern Pine Cottages. Nuzzled between magnolias and white oaks, these one- and two-bedroom suites provide a full kitchen, fireplace, dining area, and a tranquil place to rest your head. (Callaway Gardens also offers several other lodging experiences, including vacation homes and the Mountain Creek Inn.)

The author takes a leap at the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center
The author takes a leap at the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center

Stefanie Schmidt

With only 24 hours to spare, I was buzzing to begin exploring, so off I went to the Day Butterfly Center. Founded in 1988, this glass-enclosed tropical conservatory is home to more than 1,000 free-flying butterflies. One of these magnificent creatures landed on the center of my hand and didn’t budge for several moments. The other visitors stared in annoyance as I gleefully snapped pictures and yelped in excitement.

The author at Callaway Gardens
The author at Callaway Gardens

Stefanie Schmidt

Leaving the Butterfly Center on cloud nine, my companion and I meandered aimlessly, hoping to stumble upon the perfect dinner location. Along the way, we strolled through the wildflower trail, admired the Pioneer Log Cabin, and somehow ended up sprawled out on the greenest grass I’ve ever seen, appreciating the beauty of the day and the impressive landscaping.

Lost in the splendor of it all, we almost didn’t realize that the sun was beginning to set and we still had not found a place for dinner. Luckily, in a few moments we ended up at The Country Kitchen, where we gazed out at the gorgeous mountain ridge, sipped rich sweet tea, and dined on Southern fare.

Early the next morning, we awoke to conquer Callaway Garden’s TreeTop Adventure, a self-guided obstacle course and zip line attraction. Soaring seventy-five feet above the water on the zip line, I felt like the butterflies from the day before might have invaded my stomach. But I also felt alive. Electrically, happily, alive.

Trails at Callaway Gardens
Trails at Callaway Gardens

Cassie Hallam

Afterward, we had salads and sandwiches at The Discovery Café, then rented two bikes to take on Callaway’s ten-mile bike trail. Determined to see several more attractions before the impending rain came, we pedaled along the scenic trail as fast as we could. We made it to Sibley Horticultural Center and the famous Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl, a vibrant homage to the flower that inspired the gardens. It was then that the heavens opened and threatened to drown us. But as the rain poured down and we biked forward, I couldn’t help but laugh as I realized how transcendent the beauty of this place really is.

 

 

 

Advertisement
  • TAGS
  • azaleas
  • butterflies
  • Callaway Gardens
  • travel
  • zip line
Cassie Hallam

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Digging for Precious Stones at Crater of Diamonds State Park

One City, Three Ways: Natchez, Mississippi

My South: Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy on Atlanta

Follow Us

69,386FansLike
144,836FollowersFollow
493,480FollowersFollow
Atlanta Magazine
Since 1961, Atlanta magazine, the city’s premier general interest publication, has served as the authority on Atlanta, providing its readers with a mix of long-form nonfiction, lively lifestyle coverage, in-depth service journalism, and literary essays, columns, and profiles.

Most recent

Things we like: Arak

Things we like: Arak

June 8, 2023
Itzayana

The Hall at Ashford Lane offers a bit of a different take on the food hall experience

June 7, 2023

Storico Vino to become Pachengo’s Mexican taqueria in late July

June 6, 2023

GREAT READS

Okefenokee Swamp

Will mining threaten the Okefenokee?

April 13, 2023
Repurposing downtown Atlanta springs

The scent of water: Searching for hidden springs in downtown Atlanta

February 3, 2023
Abu Talib

Hell and high water: A harrowing journey from Myanmar to Clarkston, Georgia

February 1, 2023
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Issue Archive
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Business Forum
  • Privacy and Cookies Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • General Contest Rules
© 2023. All rights reserved.