Pine Mountain

Panoramic Pine Mountain

Outdoor fun, historic sites, and Callaway Gardens make for a perfect weekend getaway

By Collin Kelley

A mountain getaway usually means heading to North Georgia, but why not head south instead?

Pine Mountain and nearby attractions like Callaway Gardens, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Little White House, the historic towns of Warm Springs and Manchester are perfect for a weekend away from the city.

Located about 80 miles south of Atlanta, Pine Mountain is both scenic and activity-filled whether you’re an outdoor or history enthusiast. There’s also plenty in the way of accommodations, from resorts to campgrounds.

Warm Springs

The town of Warm Springs (warmspringsga.com) takes its name from the nearby springs – 88 degrees Fahrenheit and full of minerals – that edge Pine Mountain. Creek and Iroquois Indians used the springs to heal their sick and wounded, and in 1832, David Rose built the area’s first resort around them.

The town’s original name was Bullochville, and today, tight alleys lead visitors to Old Bullochville, a reconstructed homage to Warm Spring’s past, found behind Bulloch House and the many shops on Broad Street.

Warm Springs gained national recognition in 1924 when President Roosevelt visited the area to treat his polio-related paralysis. The springs are no longer open for public use, but they are used therapeutically by the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, founded by FDR.

Since the invention of the polio vaccine, the institute provides Vocational Rehabilitation programs for people with disabilities. A touch pool allows visitors to feel the warm spring waters and learn about its history.

Also be sure to check out the Warm Spring National Fish Hatchery, which was established in 1899 to restore and manage fish such as striped bass, alligator gar, and lake sturgeon. It’s also used to recover species that are listed under the Endangered Species Act and restore freshwater fish habitats. The hatchery includes a public aquarium and visitors’ area with walkways amid a beautiful, natural environment. Looking for a place to stay? Hotel Warm Springs (hotelwarmspringsbb.com) in downtown was built in 1907 but has retained its historic charm with the addition of modern conveniences like wi-fi, plus a full southern breakfast in the third-floor dining room.

And if you’re still hungry, the famed Bulloch House Restaurant (bullochhouse. com) on Broad Street serves up Southern food like your grandma used to make.

The view from Dowdle’s Knob at FDR State Park (Photos courtesy Explore Georgia) A waterfall at FDR State Park.

Hotel Warm Springs

Little White House

became FDR’s home while he visited the area to take advantage of the springs. The people he met and the experiences he had in Warm Springs prompted some of his programs once he became president, such as the Rural Electrification Administration.

In 1945, while posing for a portrait, FDR suffered a stroke and died shortly afterwards. The “Unfinished Portrait” is one of the many exhibits in the museum, as is his 1938 Ford convertible with hand controls.

The Little White House has been carefully preserved much as FDR left it. Visitors are welcome to visit the home, museum, and pools.

F.D. Roosevelt State Park and Manchester

Georgia’s largest state park (gastateparks.org/FDRoosevelt) is set among the Pine Mountain Range. The 9,000-plus acre park offers more than 40 miles of trails, winding through pines and hardwood trees, over creeks, and past small waterfalls.

Dowdell’s Knob offers a breath-taking view. It’s a spot where FDR was known to sometimes picnic and ponder national and international issues. He was so fond of the spot that a brick oven was installed for

Continued from page 38

barbecues.

The overlook now features a life-size sculpture of the president gazing out over the mountains. Dowdell’s Knob is located just of State 190, a winding and scenic roadway that begins just south of Manchester and takes you all the way to Callaway Gardens.

There are plenty of places to stop and stretch your legs as well as snap more of those fantastic views from atop Pine Mountain.

Speaking of Manchester, it’s a fine example of a mountain town with a delightful main street full of shops and the historic President Theatre, originally built in 1935 as a movie house. It was restored with the help of a grant from the Fox Theatre Institute and is now home to regular community events, theatre productions, films, and more.

A fun fact for the literary-minded: Manchester is the hometown of bestselling author Stuart Woods, who fictionalized the city as Delano for his novel “Chiefs.”

A butterfly at the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens. Hot air balloon festival at Callaway Gardens.

Callaway Gardens

Founded in 1952 and set on nearly 7,000 acres, Callaway Gardens (callawaygardens.com) has become a favored weekend getaway spot, especially for golf lovers and nature enthusiasts.

One of the main attractions is the giant Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, which has the distinction of being the largest enclosed tropical conservatory in North America. Thousands of butterflies from 50 different species flutter over a vast array of flowers and plants.

There are also 10 miles of walking and biking paths, the white sand Robin Lake Beach and two 18-hole golf courses.

Regular events are held, such as the annual Labor Day weekend hot air balloon festival and Fantasy Lights, which see the gardens decked out in millions of twinkling bulbs for the holiday season.

An array of accommodations are onsite, including The Lodge, villas, cottages, and the more affordable Mountain Creek Inn. You won’t go hungry either, with sevent restaurants and bars to choose from, including the down-home southern delights of Country Kitchen located inside the rustic Callaway Gardens Country Store.

Let’s Find Your Home In The North Georgia Mountains

Call for an appointment today

155 CRESTVIEW LANE

offered for $864,251 | Cherry Log

360 LAUREL CREEK

offered for $925,000 | Cherry Log

430 ARBOR WAY

offered for $799,000 | Blue Ridge

SANDY WILBANKS

Associate Broker/Realtor® | Blue Ridge Office

c: 678.333.7907 o: 706.613.HOME Sandy@AnsleyRE.com