Pine Mountain, Ga. - Spring is a magical time to visit The Gardens at Callaway™. With azaleas, daffodils, dogwoods and many more flowers blooming, warmer temperatures and lots of activities, being at Callaway is sure to let spirits soar as the Gardens kicks off its “Nature Takes Flight” theme for 2005 with Spring Celebration.
Spring Celebration in the Gardens is definitely a reason to celebrate. The Southeast Tourism Society selected Spring at Callaway as a March 2005 Top 20 event.
Amid the beauty of Spring, weekends between March 19 and April 30 will offer special activities.
March 19 and 20 Callaway hosts the re-opening of the just renovated Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center. Expanded in its offerings and size, guests are sure to be clamoring for a glimpse of the Center’s new landscape design, features and inhabitants. Through the windows of the Center’s new USDA Containment Zone, visitors watch experts work with newly arriving chrysalides and collect recently emerged butterflies ready to take flight in the conservatory.
Easter egg hunters of all ages should bring their baskets to Callaway's annual Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday, March 26 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (included with admission). Insider’s tip: Be sure to look for the special prize eggs. Sunday, March 27 provides an opportunity to contemplate the meaning of this special day at the inspiring Easter Sunrise Service at Robin Lake. The Auburn University Choir performs and Dr. Stuart Gulley, president of LaGrange College, brings a message of hope and joy. The service begins at 6:30 a.m. Admission is free until 8:00 a.m. Afterwards, Callaway restaurants will provide Easter Brunch options.
Eager Spring gardeners can find unique plants at the Callaway Plant Fair and Sale (free admission). Select nurserymen from around the Southeast convene at Callaway with their specialty plants March 31 through April 3. Friday, April 1, showcases the three-session Callaway Gardening School with expert Paul Epsom of PBS’s The Victory Garden program sharing his knowledge. Landscape design authors Martin Mosko and Alxe Noden will present a session as well. Advance registration is required. Simply call 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292) ext. 5153.
The weekends of April 9-10 and 16-17 offer a selection of special activities to engage families including Spring for a Sprout, where children plant a seedling and take it home to nurture; Wildflower Trail Scavenger Hunts; Sidewalk Chalk Art; making Hand Print Flowers; and more. For the gardener who has lots of questions about azaleas, these two weekends they can take advantage of the Horticulturist on Duty. At 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. a Callaway azalea expert will be on hand at the entrance to the Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl to share knowledge about caring for azaleas.
Even though every day is Earth Day at Callaway, April 22 and 23 offers some bonus fun, educational activities focusing on conservation. On April 23, guests can visit the Discovery Center’s Education Wing to learn about Guatemala Certified Shade Grown Coffee including how drinking this coffee can help ensure the survival of migrating songbirds. Guests also can make a pressed flower bookmark and take it as a keepsake or to share an environmental message with a friend. Locally owned Peeper Creek Crafts will be on hand showcasing soaps, lotions and candles made from herbal extracts. A Discovery Table highlighting The Legacy of the Longleaf Pine provides information about this rare, mountain longleaf tree that grows on Callaway land and in the Pine Mountain region. A second Discovery Table shares information on the dangers of invasive plants to our environment.
In celebration of National Arbor Day, on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30, Callaway’s naturalists will host two complimentary National Arbor Day Tree Walks at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The morning of Saturday, April 30, the staff will guide a National Arbor Day Hike (fee charged, advance registration required by calling 1-800-CALLAWAY [225-5292] ext. 5153). On both days, guests visiting the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center guests can attempt to Win a Free Tree, learn why this date is set aside to recognize the importance of trees at the Discovery Table for National Arbor Day and try their hand at Making Recycled Paper.
Each weekday during Spring Celebration offers a special activity for guests including Spring Wildflower Trail Walk (Monday and Friday at 2:30 p.m.); Vegetable Garden Stroll (Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.); Peek Behind the Scenes at Sibley (Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.); Founder’s Azalea Stroll (Thursday at 2:30 p.m.); and Bird Walk (Friday at 10:00 a.m.).
Daily through Spring guests have the opportunity to watch the 90-minute film Winged Migration created by French director Jacques Perrin. This 2002 Academy Award® nominated film documents the migration of birds through 40 countries by using hot air balloons, gliders and helicopters to get as close as possible to their subjects.
Guests can always see the wonderful Callaway Birds of Prey show. Here raptors take flight over the heads of guests as they absorb information about these beautiful creatures displaying their natural behaviors. During Spring, these shows can be seen daily at in the Discovery Amphitheater at 10:30 a.m.; 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
To enjoy your visit even more, stay overnight. A special Spring Bed and Breakfast Package is available for $149 (Sunday through Thursday) and $159 (Friday and Saturday) in the Mountain Creek® Inn with breakfast for two in the Plantation Room and Gardens admission. This package is valid March 19 to April 30, 2005; cottage and villa rates available, some restrictions apply; taxes and gratuities are additional.
The Gardens at Callaway™ is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Most activities will be offered between 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please visit www.callawayonline.com for a schedule of events.
Callaway®: Gardens, Resort, Preserve, a premier travel and meeting destination in the South, is owned by the non-profit Ida Cason Callaway Foundation™ (ICCF). For more than 50 years Callaway has provided “a place of relaxation, inspiration and a better understanding of the living world” for millions of visitors. Callaway is committed to its mission of environmental education and land stewardship for the benefit of future generations.
In January 2005, Noble Management Group, the operating arm of Noble Investment Group (www.nobleinvestment.com), was selected by the ICCF to use their management expertise to oversee the day-to-day operations of Callaway.
Noble Investment Group is a leading national hospitality organization that conducts business through three wholly-owned strategic divisions. Noble Capital Group makes ownership investments in luxury and upscale hotels, resorts and convention/conference centers. Stormont Noble Development is a pre-eminent developer of first class hospitality and mixed use developments, and Noble Management Group is the company's award-winning operating arm.
An acclaimed operator of destination resorts and upscale hotels, Noble Management Group operates more than 4,500 hotel and resort guest rooms including 500,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, convention and conference centers, championship golf courses, spas, and fine dining operations, together with approximately 7,000 hotel rooms operated by Alliance Hospitality Management, a majority-owned affiliate of Noble.
Since 1979, Noble Investment Group and its predecessors have developed and acquired more than $900 million in hospitality assets. In 2004, the company began development on and acquired an aggregate of $200 million in hospitality investments.
Callaway®: Gardens, Resort, Preserve, is located in Pine Mountain, Ga., 60 minutes southwest of Atlanta and 30 minutes north of Columbus. For additional information, contact Callaway at 1-800-CALLAWAY (225-5292) or visit www.callawayonline.com.