They tell us this is typical late summer weather for Georgia, not early summer . . . all we know is that it’s HOT! We spent the week doing whatever we could to beat the heat . . .
Monday . . . hanging out at the pool
Tuesday . . . shopping and a movie – San Andreas
Wednesday . . . another day at the pool, and this time we all got fried pretty well
Thursday . . . we stayed in the air conditioned comfort of the RV, reading and watching movies
Friday . . . we were ready for the pool again!
We had a nice crowd at the pool . . . but not so busy that it felt crowded.
We’ve had beautiful days, and some amazing sunsets!
We don’t have any shade in the area of the park that we’re in, but luckily there’s a loop road that’s in a wooded area where we can walk Casey every day – it’s nicely shaded and a dirt road, so easier on her paws than the asphalt.
I call it Yurt Village – the only thing in this loop are a group of rental yurts and some of the work campers.
We’re just down the road from the little village of Pine Mountain, and Callaway Gardens, a major vacation destination. Almost everyone we’ve talked to has said that we should spend a day at Callaway Gardens, but we’ve been hesitant at a daily rate of $20/person. The bike trails are supposed to be nice, and the beach, but as Michigan natives, where lakes and beaches are plentiful, we have a hard time justifying that kind of expense just to ride bikes on a path and go to the beach.
On Friday evenings, though, admission is just $5/person at the beach and they have a big circus tent where the Florida State University trapeze team puts on a performance, followed by a movie on the beach. We figured that would give us a chance to check it out and see if it’s worth coming back for a full day.
We had an early dinner so that we could get there right at 5pm. The beach looked like fun,
and Bryce was intrigued by Aqua Island.
Looks almost like a mini version of “Wipe-Out”. Aqua Island is NOT included in the normal admission price, though . . . it requires an additional fee!
Same goes for the various available watersports.
We had some time to kill before the trapeze show, so we took a drive through the main area of the park to check out the gardens.
We didn’t see much besides a few areas of wildflowers.
The azalea gardens, which Callaway is famous for, either bloomed early or got wiped out by spring storms . . . we didn’t see any in bloom.
We stopped at the Pioneer Cabin . . . just so I’d have something to take pictures of. 
The inside of the cabin was set up the way it must have looked in the early 1800s.
Out back, there was a well,
and a smokehouse.
After our little break, we continued around the park and back to the beach . . . and made it back just as they were locking up the gate between the beach and the rest of the gardens!
We still had about an hour until the show, so we stopped in at the Rockin’ Robin Diner for milkshakes.
Based on our experiences so far, Tom was expecting the shakes to cost a small fortune, but we were pleasantly surprised.
We enjoyed our delicious milkshakes while learning about the history of Callaway Gardens from the diner’s owner.
After enjoying our shakes, we made our way to the big tent and found seats on the bleachers to watch the performance.
It began with a parade of performers,
and then the Ringmaster announced each of the performers.
The performers and crew are all college students, and this is an extra-curricular activity for them, not their field of study (probably isn’t a field of study at all!)
There are acrobats that perform on the ground, and others that are up high. 
The girls who performed on the high swing and the cloud swing were really talented – they were just as good as any professional circus performers!
The bicycle group was particularly entertaining.
The grand finale was a the trapeze act, and they were very good, also . . . they moved so fast, it was hard to get a picture of them!
All in all, it was a really good show, and would have been worth the $5 admission on its own!
Well Done, Florida State University!
We're getting the same hot temperatures but they bring a lot of rain our way.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great way to check out a park at a reasonable price.
Many times it's the new acts that really show how talented they are,
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Can't believe the heat wave that is hitting the south. We sure are lucky to have headed north. It is a bit wetter than normal here...but not hot!!! Looked like a nice time at the park and the circus acts were a unique find:o))
ReplyDeleteHot here too! We will be heading out today or in the morning. Heading back to South Carolina then to Gulf Shores. Hope to see you there when you get there.......
ReplyDelete