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Georgia: Pine Mountain, Callaway Gardens Holiday Family Vacation Fun.  For almost two decades Callaway Gardens Fantasy in Lights® has been providing families with magical moments meant to be shared. The enchanting event is perhaps the most spectacular holiday light and sound show in the Southeast. Here’s the scoop. Fantasy in Lights® was named one of the top 48 events in the world by Chicago Tribune. It features eight million lights stretching more than five miles and includes 14 larger-than-life holiday scenes. Visitors experience the light and sound extravaganza on the “Jolly Trolley” or by driving through the lighted scenes in their personal vehicle. The sparkling, animated displays include Snowflake Valley, a winter wonderland filled with enormous snowflakes and thousands of white lights; Magical Christmas Garden with a 24-foot wreath entrance; and Santa’s Workshop, showcasing animated lighted versions of Santa’s elves busy making all the toys for the big night. Bonus points: The two scenes on Robin Lake Beach - ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and The Nativity - are both narrated.  Visit Santa at Christmas Village. For families Christmas Village, an indoor magical Christmas wonderland, offers a chance to visit Santa Claus and other holiday characters. Inside the Village, guests will have the opportunity to shop for specialty food items from the Callaway Gardens Country Store ®, unique gifts, nostalgic toys from simpler times and an assortment of holiday ornaments. An array of Georgia crafters will be on hand making and selling their wares. Green for the holidays. With a mission of connecting man and nature, every kilowatt of power used to light up Fantasy In Lights is compensated with “green” power as Callaway Gardens recently became the first resort in the Southeast to offset 100 percent of its electricity use by purchasing wind power credits. Make it happen. Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens runs from November 19 through December 30, 2010. Ticket prices range from $16 to $22 for adults and $8 to $11 for children with children five and younger always admitted for free. www.callawaygardens.com
Callaway Gardens – A natural family vacation Spot any day of the year. If being hugged by Mother Nature sounds appealing Callaway Gardens is the spot to make it happen. Within the tranquil complex, the ways to interact with nature are innumerable. Even a day will give you a lovely dose of calm but stay a week at the Resort and you will find new energy.
Here’s the scoop. Callaway Gardens is actively engaging in stewardship to secure the future. Their spoken message is “Our earth, our responsibility.” Within the first hour of our arrival it was obvious to me that every staff member shared the same goal. The more than 14,000-acre complex contains natural beauty worth a trip starting with The Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center - the launch pad for all activities and information.
Whisper to a butterfly. The Day Butterfly Center is one of North America's largest, glass-enclosed conservatory. Nestled in a clearing amid the forest, it is the home to more than 1,000 tropical butterflies representing more than 50 different species. The crystal-like glass enclosure is filled with tropical plants and birds, including energetic hummingbirds. It takes only moments of within the conservatory to feel the need to slow down and whisper. It is definitely rewarding to share the space with small children. With a little luck, just sitting still will invite a butterfly encounter. Bonus points: The award-winning film, On Wings of Wonder, (explaining the life cycle of butterflies) plays continuously on two wide-screen monitors in the center's multi-purpose room.
Share garden secrets. The indoor and outdoor gardens of the John A. Sibley Horticultural Center flow together as a seamless landscape only interrupted when the weather fails to cooperate. This one-of-a-kind garden/greenhouse encompasses five acres of native and exotic plants. The complex includes a tropical conservatory, sub-Mediterranean Conservatory, sculpture garden, fern grotto, main conservatory, and outdoor garden. Bonus points: The man-made focal point a 22-foot indoor waterfall is a terrific spot for family pictures.
Make your own discoveries. The Virginia Callaway Discovery Center is the starting point for enjoying the various facilities within Callaway Gardens - the John A. Sibley Horticultural Center, Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl and Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel. The orientation theater at the Center continuously shows the film Time & the Gardens depicting the remarkable natural evolution of Callaway Gardens. The Center also houses an education wing, lecture hall, museum/exhibit hall, the Discovery Gift Shop, and Discovery Café.
Not your grandpa’s bird watching. Just make your way to the lakeside amphitheater for the daily Birds of Prey Show. Entertaining and definitely educational, the show demonstrates man's influence on the survival of wildlife. The free-flight shows allow the birds to demonstrate their strength, speed, and natural instincts often swooping directly over the heads of audience members. No two shows are ever the same because there are approximately one dozen birds in the program, and at each show three to five of the raptors appear.
As seen on TV. An inspiration to anyone who has ever planted a garden, Mr. Cason’s Vegetable Garden spans 7.5 acres – not exactly a backyard project. It is the Southern setting for the popular PBS television show, The Victory Garden. The Garden area includes fruits, herbs, flowers, an All-America Trials garden, a composting area and more.
Travel back in time. The Pioneer Log Cabin inside at Callaway Gardens provides a glimpse of life in the 1830s – a time when people lived closer to nature. Inside the two-room log cabin you will find original and period reproductions of the furniture typical of Southern rural life.
Hike or bike. The area is well suited for hiking, and biking. Popular with all ages the 10-mile bicycle trail weaves its way among all of the Gardens' major attractions. Bicycles and helmets may be rented here or you may bring your own. For hiking you’ll find a series of eight nature trails each with its own personality. Most trails range from one-half mile to one and one-half miles and provide easy to moderate walking.
Drop a line. Within its 14,000 acres Callaway Gardens has some of the best fishing in the Southeast. Fisherman will find bream, shellcrackers and bass on Mountain Creek Lake. The lakes are professionally manages for warm water species, but several lakes are stocked with rainbow, brown and brook trout seasonally. For those who are interested in fly fishing, guided fly-fishing trips are available year-round. Weekend fly fishing schools for the novice as well as seasoned veterans of the sport are available. Bonus points: The staff includes Federation of Fly Fishers certified casting instructors and a FFF certified master casting instructor.
Location on the planet. Callaway Gardens US Hwy. 18 and GA Hwy.27 Pine Mountain, 31822. (706) 663-2281 or toll-free 1-800-225-5292 or www.callawaygardens.com Stay on the spot. To maximize downtime with your kids it makes sense to make Callaway Gardens Resort and Spa your family vacation base. The Resort offers guests oodles of ways to play, have fun, and connect with nature from golf and tennis to waterskiing, ropes courses, boating, kayaking, canoeing, and biking. And the obvious benefit you will have easy access to the awesome Gardens and more than ten miles of trails. The Resort offers guests a rich menu of organized activities. Supervised activities for children at Day Camp include: swimming, beach fun fishing, water play, Chickadee Choo-Choo trains, circus activities, and games galore. Organized activities for teens include: volleyball, dances, scavenger hunts, water skiing lessons, and ropes course challenges. Bonus points: Callaway Gardens Resort has partnered with The FSU Flying High Circus to provide an expert-led family camp experience for all ages, interests and skills. www.callawaygardens.com Content researched and created by Family Travel Files.com images provided by Callaway Gardens.Copyright 2010.
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