Callaway Resort and Gardens with Kids: The Perfect Weekend Getaway in Georgia

We were invited to spend a weekend celebrating Spring at Callaway. The spring season offers fantastic food and drink deals, a beautiful lodge that blends architecturally with the surrounding forest, 2,500 acres of forest and flowers, and some truly unique adventures. A highlight is the butterfly center that houses almost 2,000 butterflies you can interact with! 

Callaway Resort is one of the best resort destinations in the South, and here’s everything we loved (and what you won’t want to miss) when planning your own visit.

What is Callaway Resort and Gardens? 

Callaway Resort and Gardens was a vision come to life for Virginia Callaway and her husband, Cason, who wanted to pay homage to the landscape of the dense forests of Western Georgia and the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. In 1952, they opened the original resort and gardens as a way for humans and nature to intermingle.

Over the last 70 years, the grounds have now become home to an award-winning butterfly center (considered one of North America’s largest tropical conservatories), an educational center (where you can meet and greet with hawks and owls), miles of paved biking and walking trails, a popular summer sandy beach at Robin Lake, and of course, a scenic golf course.

Spring at Callaway: Food and Wine Weekends

Spring is a beautiful time to visit Callaway Resort & Gardens. Not only are the gardens in bloom throughout the resort, but the surrounding native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees begin to show their color, with tulips, daffodils, dogwoods, and azaleas putting on a show. 

Spring Events at the Callaway

The resort and gardens have events going on all spring, with additional spring events you will not want to miss at Callaway, including an upcoming Plant Fair in March. The first weekend of April offers both BirdFest and Easter at Callaway, which will feature Easter brunch, egg hunts, and a sunrise service at the gorgeous Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel. 

With May comes peak blooms, and the resort will host a Mother’s Day Brunch right before one of the largest events of the season, Symphony on the Sand, as the resort moves toward opening day of Robin Lake. Memorial Day Weekend is sure to be a hit, but book soon if you plan to stay at the resort. 

Explosion of Color: Callaway Gardens in Spring

You can see how much love and care go into the resort and gardens at Callaway over the last half-century when you experience all there is to do at Callaway. There is a wonderful balance of manicured gardens, like those at Cason’s Garden, and the wild beauty of the forest dotted with azaleas and native flowers. 

The azalea bowl

One of the biggest highlights of Callaway Gardens is the Azalea Bowl, created by the Cason brothers. Here, thousands of azaleas of all different shades of color emerge at the beginning of spring. We were just a week or two too early this time around, but did see a couple of dozen azaleas in bloom (and even that was gorgeous). We recommend late March, early April to catch peak blooms. I’m certain walking through the bowl in full bloom is almost surreal.

The moss-covered fountain

One of my favorite things at the resort was right at the lodge, and it was possibly the most unique garden feature of the entire property. A huge, deep green, moss-covered fountain! It’s easily one of the coolest fountains I’ve ever seen. The entire surface is covered in thick green moss with gentle flowing water running beneath it. I’m obsessed.

The Day Butterfly Center: The Crown Jewel of the Gardens

Butterflies are one of my favorite things. I literally spend hours in my garden every year tending to host plants for the caterpillars I love to watch transform. So when I found out that the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens has one of the largest tropical butterfly conservatories in the United States, I made sure we visited not once, but twice during our stay. There are almost 2000 butterflies! The best part is that there are at least 50 different species of butterflies fluttering about in the greenhouse, including blue morpho, paper kites, and longwing butterflies.

Entering the Butterfly Center

When you first enter the butterfly center, you’ll see a variety of educational displays and exhibits along the walls about butterflies. One room even has a film that goes through the life cycle of a butterfly from egg to chrysalis, which was pretty neat for the kids to watch. Just before you enter the big room of butterflies, you can observe several dozen chrysalis behind a glass pane. There were many different species to see, some of which had freshly emerged with their crinkled wings ready to dry out for flight. 

The Tropical Greenhouse- Where the Butterflies Flutter

As you enter the tropical greenhouse, you’ll immediately see butterflies. They are literally everywhere. You may have one land in your hair or on your shoulder. My daughter was fascinated with the paper kites, which are white with black markings, and followed them around throughout the greenhouse. We would sit quietly on the benches under the blooming pink begonias to try to see if any would land on us or nearby, and it was just pure joy and peace.

The greenhouse pathway is circular, and you start from a higher elevation and can either take a set of stairs down beside a waterfall or walk down a sloped ramp. No matter where you go, there will be butterflies to see, just be careful where you step. This activity got a big ol’ check mark off the bucket list for me, and I hope to revisit many more times in my life. 

Things to Know Before Visiting the Butterfly Center

• Strollers and wagons are not allowed, so bring a soft carrier if you have a small child or baby.
• Please do not touch the butterflies, as it can harm their soft wings and bodies. If one lands on you, stay still until it gently flies away.
• The center kindly asks visitors not to bring food or drink into the tropical greenhouse. 
• The exhibit is open year-round and daily from 10 am – 5 pm. 

The Callaway Discovery Center

The Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center could easily take up an entire day of your visit, and for good reason. There are presentations and films throughout the week, unique animal encounters, arts and crafts, bike rentals, an aerial ropes course, and even go fishing at one of the resort’s 13 lakes, and so much more! We spent a lot of time here, looking at exhibits, crafting, and riding bikes. 

Birds of Prey Show

The Birds of Prey show was hands down my favorite activity of the weekend at Callaway Gardens. Picture this: a bird educator is speaking to a small crowd at the front of an outdoor amphitheatre, a lake glistening in the background, crows cawing overhead, swallowtail butterflies fluttering about. All of a sudden, you feel a Whoosh of wind from the wings of a bird flying right over your head, and just a few feet in front of you, a Great Horned Owl lands. Coolest. Thing. Ever. 

You better believe I left the presentation bursting with excitement. In addition, the handler and presenter did a fantastic job showing us three of their ambassador birds one at a time, including two species of hawk and the Great Horned Owl, all while they flew from perch to perch over the crowd. If you only had time to do one thing while at Callaway Gardens, this is my top recommendation. The Birds of Prey presentations are at 11 am and 3 pm and are free with admission to the gardens.

Exhibits, Films, and Crafting for Kids

The Discovery Center has interactive exhibits, short films, and crafts for kids throughout the week. The films were surprisingly interesting, and my kids didn’t want to leave the film we were watching about how forest fires help forests renew themselves and how turtles create burrows that protect other wildlife during fires. Kids can also stop in for free nature crafts (we made animal masks), plus weekend workshops and bug encounters on Saturdays at 2 pm.

Cruising Around Callaway- Cruiser Cart Rentals & Bike Rentals 

The golf cart cruiser was, of course, one of our kids’ favorite activities. Plus, it’s a great way to cruise around the resort grounds and travel to and from the garden area. From the resort lodge to the gardens, it is about a 15-minute drive. But what a lovely drive it is! You’ll see flowers in bloom, a spectacular view of Robin Lake, towering hardwood and pine forests, tons of ponds with critters and birds flying about.  You can rent a 4-seater or 6-seater cruiser for $165+ per day.

Rent Bikes, It’s Worth It!

Biking is very popular at the resort and gardens, and it was so much fun and one of the best ways to explore the forest on the paved trails. We rented our bikes at the Discovery Center, and they have several options, plus helmets for kids. 

The tagalong bike was a big hit, and I pulled our youngest in a bike trailer, and it was a blast for our group! We rode our bikes down to the azalea bowl to check out the chapel, then parked back by the Discovery Center to eat lunch at the Discovery Cafe. There are paved trails throughout the garden, and you can easily ride down to the Azalea Bowl or over to the Butterfly Center, and trails lead all the way back to Robin’s Lake. Just be ready for a few hills along the way!

Where to Stay at Callaway Resort

Callaway Resort has several places to stay, including the lodge, villas, and cottages. The rooms at the Lodge and Spa at Callaway Resort are super clean, comfortable, and feel very homey. Throughout our stay, the staff was friendly and helpful with any questions we had about the resort, where to go, how to participate in the weekend events, and even helped us secure our golf cart (which we highly recommend as your mode of transport around the resort and gardens).

Our lake view queen room had one of the best views the resort could offer (those sunrises were gorgeous), overlooking the lake, moss-covered fountain, pool, and more. It also had one of the best bathrooms I’ve ever seen in a standard hotel room, with a full-size bathtub (that our kids appreciated greatly) and a separate step-in shower.

The room came with two queen beds, which worked perfectly for our family of four. Larger families may enjoy staying in one of the villas or cottages, where you can have an entire space to yourselves, nestled among the pines. Our room included a mini fridge, but you’ll likely want to order from the on-site dining options if you’re looking for hot meals, if you stay in a lodge room.

Dining at Callaway Resort

There are several options for dining at Callway Resort, including at Cason’s Garden and the Discovery Center. We visited a couple of the resort’s restaurants and enjoyed that there was a variety of options, plus, if we were feeling lazy, we could just walk downstairs and eat (two of the best restaurants are right at the lodge where we were staying). 

Breakfast at The Country Kitchen

The Country Kitchen had a delicious breakfast (they also serve lunch and dinner on the weekends), with a fantastic view of the surrounding forest, especially if you can grab a seat by the huge bay window. It was probably the best meal of the weekend, simply because it reminded me of my grandma’s cooking (especially that cheesy hashbrown casserole). They even had cereal and mix options for the kids, which took the hassle out of trying to get them to eat something they would enjoy. 

This is also the spot you’ll want to get up early for to grab a good seat, and it’s conveniently where you’ll likely end up picking up a few souvenirs, too. Right across the street is the entrance to Georgia’s largest state Park, F.D. Roosevelt State Park, if you’re looking for additional hiking and great views. 

Lunch and Dinner Right by the Lodge: Cason’s Tap Room and Piedmont Dining Room

We ate at two on-site restaurants at Callaway Resort for dinner and found more upscale offerings like ribeye and other entrees, but also a kids’ menu for the girls. Since these are on-site restaurants, many resort guests dine here, so it can get busy. We dined in the Piedmont Dining Room on our first night and really enjoyed the atmosphere, which offered low lighting, quiet booth options, and a relaxed but slightly elevated feel.

The next night, we picked up food from Cason’s Tap Room and ordered the smash burger and flatbread margarita pizza, both of which were delicious and definitely appeased the picky eaters in our group. There was also live music on the patio at Cason’s over the weekend, which made it a popular spot for guests.

And don’t worry, there’s a Starbucks right at the lodge inside Azalea Market, so you can grab your morning coffee without going far (we did both mornings to catch the sunrise!).

Other Recreation Options at Callaway Resort 

• TreeTop Adventure Park & Kids Zip Line
  A great option for adventurous kids who want to try something new. The aerial ropes course is designed with kids in mind, so it’s not too difficult, but still gives them a fun little rush and a confidence boost.
• Fishing
  We saw several groups heading out to the lakes with their fishing rods for the day. You can also book guided fishing trips through the Discovery Center if you want a more structured experience.
• Golf
  The golf course is beautiful and peaceful, with scenic views of the surrounding forest. The resort offers Stay and Play packages for families looking to golf.
• Spa at Callaway
  There’s also a spa on site if you’re looking to add a little relaxation and downtime to your trip.