What: Great American Backyard Campout 2011
Where: Across the Country
When: Saturday, June 25, 2011
Cost: Free to Register but each “team” is encouraged to raise $100 for the National Wildlife Federation

Each year the National Wildlife Federation sponsors the Great American Backyard Campout to entice families to spend an old-fashioned night outdoors. This event can be as simple as pitching a tent in your backyard or as elaborate as creating a “team”, planning an event and raising money for the NWF. Eighty cents of every dollar raised for the Great American Backyard Campout supports programs that address the problem of America’s indoor childhood and the associated health risks. Your funds are used to establish and maintain programs to make outdoor time a priority to protect children’s health and ensure their readiness to learn.

Beyond all that, it’s just plain fun. I find my boys connect more when we are camping and away from the electronic distractions of our age. If you need some planned programming, Tugaloo State Park in Lavonia is hosting a program about the Native Americans who lived along the banks of the Tugaloo River before the arrival of the white man. Artifacts, tools, games and crafts will be displayed, along with legends and tales from long ago. The program is at the amphitheater from 8 – 9 pm.

Here are some other Georgia State Parks we’ve been to that offer camping adventures, let us know about your favorite camping spot.

Providence Canyon
Sweetwater State Park
Tullulah Gorge
FDR State Park
George T. Bagby State Park
Reed Bingham State Park

What: Spring Break 2011
When: March and April
Where: West Georgia
Cost: A few parks have Lodge-ical Rates of $59 and $69 (including George T. Bagby State Park listed below)

Ever since I saw an article in Southern Living about 15 years ago on Providence Canyon, I’ve wanted to vist. Last year, I decided to craft a spring break vacation around a trip to the state park. It took a bit of planning, but we had a fabulous and inexpensive spring break trip. Below was our itinerary. Make sure to visit the links – which will take you to the posts I did on each location mentioned. In many instances, you’ll see video and links to photos.  Enjoy!

Photo by Liz Gray

Day 1: We began our journey at my in-laws in St. Simon’s Island. If you are starting in Atlanta, you might want to do this a bit differently. We crossed South Georgia and arrived in Albany on a Monday evening. We checked in to the Hilton Garden Inn and went to the restaurant for dinner. Food was difficult on our adventure. I was really hoping to find some great local restaurants, but aside from BBQ joints, we really didn’t find any. The Hilton Garden Inn is a great place to stay in Albany. The hotel is across the street from the Riverwalk  and you can walk to all the attractions. Downtown Albany is not an evening destination, there really weren’t any restaurants open, so I’m glad we had the option of eating at the hotel, even if it was satisfactory food and service. Next time I’m in Albany, I’m going to make time for Jimmie’s Hot Dogs. This was the type of place I expected to find throughout the trip and really didn’t.

Day 2: We visited Chehaw Animal Park, Flint RiverQuarium and walked along RiverFront Park. We had a good lunch at Riverstreet BBQ (but again, Jimmie’s was more of what I was looking for, and cheaper too!) I wish we had made time for the Thornateeska Heritage Museum and Planetarium. We left Albany in the evening and headed to George T. Bagby State Park for the night. On the way we passed through Antebellum Cuthbert, which seemed like a town in need of some exploration, but alas, that is for another visit.

Frontier Village, Ft. Gaines, Ga.

Day 3: Our original plan was to travel 45 min. to Lumpkin, Ga. on both Day 3 and 4 to visit first Providence Canyon and second Westville. We opted to hang out at George T. Bagby State Park for the day and combine our Lumpkin visits into one day. It was a good decision as everyone needed a bit of just hanging out. Frontier Village was a great side trip and we were a lot closer to the Kolomoki Indian Mounds than I thought. Next time, I might head there for part of the day. We ate dinner at Tommy’s restaurant, a cinder block building that had all the attributes of a fantastic little find, however the food was ok, but nothing to write about. We had breakfast at the lodge, which was fine and close. Food was a good mix of eggs and bacon and healthier fruit and yogurt.

Providence Canyon State Park

Day 4: This was the only day of rain. Of course this was also the day we planned to hike Providence Canyon and visit Westville, an 1850’s living history museum. Luckily, we were able to hike the canyon itself before the rain hit. It waited until we were at the opposite end of the rim hike, so we had the maximum walk possible back to the car. We would have loved a bit more dry time to truly explore the canyon. Food in this area is non-existent, so bring a picnic and snacks. If you’re planning to visit these attractions, the best place to stay is Florence Marina State Park. It’s right down the street. Cottages book fast, so if you don’t want to camp, plan ahead. If you can’t get a place at Florence Marina, Columbus isn’t far either. In fact, in an effort to get out of the rain, we opted for a side trip to the National Infantry Museum in Columbus before heading to our final destination, camping at FDR State Park.

Day 5: The rain on Day 4 made me question my decision to camp at FDR. They do have cottages, but as with all the other parks, these book fast and were not an option when we finally decided on our trip’s itinerary. FDR is right next to Callaway Gardens, so if you need less primitive accommodations, Callaway is the way to go. Again, we had a difficult time finding food. I would recommend heading to nearby Warm Springs for food vs. Pine Mountain. Our quest for pizza ended up at the chain Fox Pizza Den in Pine Mtn., but a better choice would have been the Whistling Pig across the street. Better still, Mac’s BBQ in Warm Springs. Warm Springs also had the elusive ice cream shoppe we had been seeking since Fort Gaines on Day 2. The highlight of this day was a horseback trail ride. Since it was our first horse riding adventure, I booked an hour trip, but the boys were clamoring for more. I booked our horseback riding trip the weekend before, but when we got there, they were full for the weekend. I’m not sure if that’s normal, but I wouldn’t wait until you are on site to book the riding, however, you don’t need to book it as far in advance as the cottages.

Treatment Pools at Warm Springs, Ga.

Day 6: Our last day we spent at the Little White House and the actual Warm Springs pools. The older boys found this somewhat interesting, but the 5 year old was ready to go fairly quickly. This was more a stop for me than them. I’ve always had a fascination with the 30 and 40s and as the daughter of New Deal Democrats, FDR has always been an interesting figure to me. These stops took longer than I thought. I was very excited taht we were only an hour and a half outside of Atlanta when it was time to go home.

I’m not much for New Year’s Resolutions, so instead, I’m going to make a list of activities I’d like to do in 2010. These are in no particular order. What’s on your list? What should I add to mine?
1. Silver Scream Spookshow – This sounds so bizarre, that I’m dying to go. I don’t like horror. I’m still freaked about the Starskey and Hutch episode where a body fell out of the closet. But this is vintage horror and the pre-show sounds like a blast. Bonus: Kids under 12 are FREE.
2. Laurel and Hardy Museum – I saw this on my way to the Master’s last year. There is a sign off of I-20 West from Atlanta. The museum is free and you can watch any Laurel and Hardy movie.
3. Interactive Neighborhood for Kids – This has been on my list for years. The museum is in Gainesville, just north of Atlanta and from what I understand the museum is a city just the right size for little kids. I need to go this year before my little one is too big.
4. Snow Tubing – My kids got Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games for Christmas. I highly recommend it, except now everyone wants to go skiing and snowboarding. Not in the budget this year, but tubing at Snow Mountain might be.
5. Tubing Down the Chattahoochee – My youngest turns 6 in May, so he’s now old enough to go tubing down the Chattahoochee. We’re planning to head to Up the River Outfitters to try it out.
6. Canoeing at the Chattahoochee Nature Center – The CNC is a wonderful place. I’ve always wanted to do a canoe trip with CNC staff, but didn’t want to leave the youngest at home. The minimum age is 5 years old.
7. Providence Canyon State Park – Called the Little Grand Canyon, this has been on my list since before I had kids. I even cut out a story from Southern Living and saved it for years. I’m also dying to take the boys camping, so perhaps we’ll combine the two.
8. Fishing at the Carter Center – I recently discovered you can fish at the Carter Center. My middle son just got a fishing pole for his birthday. This is a beautiful spot for a picnic and a little fishin’ too. Bonus: it’s FREE.
9. Bird Walk at Piedmont Park – One of my sons is a birder. He loves birds. We keep saying we’ll take one of the bird walks at Piedmont Park, but it starts at 8 am. That’s been a little early for us in the past, but I imagine the park is beautiful in the morning. Bonus: it’s FREE too.
10. The Agrirama in Tifton – I just saw this in Brown’s Guide. The Agrirama is a 95-acre complex featuring a historic village with over 35 structures. Included is a museum, a main street, farmsteads, homesteads, a schoolhouse, community buildings, and more, all replicating the 1870-1890’s era.
11. Storytelling at the Wren’s Nest – I haven’t been to the Wren’s Nest since Joel Candler Harris’ great-great-great grandson took over the museum. He’s doing a wonderful job. I love the blog and the storytellers. We heard one of the Wren’s Nest storytellers at Oakland Cemetery’s Sunday in the Park and my children were enthralled.(ok, so was I) This year, I want to hear stories at the museum and see the fabulous renovation.