Springtime in the Deep South means azaleas. And there’s no better place to see them than at Callaway Gardens. Located only 70 miles south of the Atlanta airport, the resort offers miles of bicycle trails and picnic spots.
Callaway Gardens is one of my favorite places and you can read a previous (and more detailed) post here. Today’s post features the springtime azaleas in dazzling shades of red, pink, purple and white.
Parking at the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, we unloaded our bicycles and began on the Discovery Bike Trail. We pedaled under the zipline/obstacle course and past the Ida Cason Callaway Chapel before stopping at the Cason Brothers Azalea Bowl.
Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl
I refer to the Azalea Bowl as Callaway’s “new” azalea gardens. Planted in 1999, the 40-acre site features over 4,000 azaleas.
Several paths meander among dizzying arrays of pink, red, white and purple blooms to Falls Creek Lake. Although we arrived about a week before the azaleas hit their peak bloom, they were still spectacular. Some azaleas are native to the area and some are hybrids – all beautiful.
Overlook Gardens
We got back on our bikes and rode around both Bluebird and Bobolink Lakes to the original azalea area – the Overlook Azalea Gardens. This smaller area was designed by well-known horticulturist, Fred C. Galle (1919-1998) when the gardens opened to the public in 1953. Galle ended up working at Callaway Gardens for over 30 years before retiring in the 1980s. During his tenure, he brought in over 700 azalea varieties to the gardens and put the gardens on the map for having one of the largest azalea collections.
The mulched walking trails lead up the hillside to a picnic pavilion. with views of the original clubhouse (now the Gardens Restaurant), the golf course and Mountain Creek Lake.
Picnic
We finished the rest of the 10-mile bike trail passing by the Day Butterfly Center and the Pioneer Log Cabin, built in the 1830s.
Back at the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, we sat outside and ate our sandwiches by the lake. It was there that I saw what looked to be a yellow azalea, a rare sighting indeed.
Although we only spent a few hours on this particular visit, the time spent outdoors enjoying the azaleas gave us the much-needed relaxation we were seeking.
For more information about Callaway Gardens, click here.