Explore Pine Mountain: A Weekend Getaway Guide

By The Backseat View

Pine Mountain Travel Guide

Get away to small-town America for a weekend in Georgia’s outdoors using my Pine Mountain Travel Guide. Explore local art shops, enjoy an animal safari, or stroll through historical sites. Y’all, the town feels like coming home, likely due to the pine trees. Pine Mountain is famous for Callaway Gardens, but there’s much more to explore. Whether it’s the holiday light show, unique stores, or food, this place keeps drawing me back. It’s one of the best weekend destinations, just 90 minutes from Atlanta.

Let’s open the Pine Mountain Travel Guide.

Pine Mountain, GA, made the Forbes list of Best Places for Families to Travel in 2024.

Having visited over 25 times, here’s my Pine Mountain Travel Guide.

Callaway Gardens

Callaway Gardens provides a tranquil environment within its picturesque setting. Guests can ride or bike through 2,500 acres of flower gardens and trails that encompass the lake. Boasting a variety of entertainment options, Callaway Gardens serves as a year-round destination for visitors.

Butterfly Center

The primary attraction is the Butterfly Center, housed within a glass structure containing over 1,000 butterflies that freely navigate through the conservatory filled with tropical flora. It’s a great area to walk around, rest in a swing, or tour the log cabin.

Discovery Center

Following the butterfly exhibit, we attend the Free-Flighted Birds of Prey show at the Discovery Center. At the entrance you receive a list of show times. It’s two shows, usually between 11 am and 2 pm. Birds fly over the audience back and forth to trainers who provide education about each bird. The Discovery Center features a wooded area near the lake. It includes MEGA Bugs, a playground, and Tree Top Adventures Zip Lines. Y’all, I love these HUGE bugs.

Bird Show

While in the woods, we can sneak over to the Memorial Chapel. In a noisy world, it’s comforting to find a serene chapel in the forest. We enjoy sitting outside on the rock bridge in peace.

Memorial Chapel

Robin Lake

In summer, visit Robin Lake Beach, one of America’s largest inland white sand beaches. The lake features Aqua Island with giant trampolines and inflatable mountains. There’s also mini-golf, volleyball, and rentable cabanas for relaxing. Enjoy the award-winning golf course and Spa Prunifolia. Seasonal events also offer various activities throughout the year.

Seasonal Events of the Pine Mountain Travel Guide

Fantasy in Lights

Fantasy in Lights is a beloved family tradition for most of the South. Enjoy a festive 7-mile, 10-million light show from your car or the trolley. We travel with big groups, selecting the earliest trolley time and getting in line 40 minutes before our ticketed time.

Trolley Tips

The trolley line can be really long easily adding an hour to your wait on the weekends. It’s always chilly so bring a blanket. When it’s just the four of us and the kids didn’t like being cold, we drove.

Christmas Village

Next, experience Christmas Village with Santa and Frosty’s Winter Wonderland walk-through area. We arrive at the Christmas Village early around 3:30 pm. We play mini-golf, take photos, and have a slice of pizza at the pavilion. Then we get in line at 5:25 pm for the trolley.

Tip: The hot chocolate is better and cheaper at the pavilion than the fancy food trucks.

The Fantasy in Lights was ranked third on Forbes’ list of 7 Spectacular Christmas Light Displays that Offer Holiday Magic 2024!

For an admission fee of $30 per person, you receive access to the gardens for the entire day, followed by an evening light show.

Azalea Festival

Callaway celebrates spring with over 150,000 tulips and 4,000 azaleas. Southern Living recognized Callaway as the “Best Place to Travel in the South this March!”

Hot-Air Balloon Festival

During Labor Day Weekend, Callaway organizes a Hot Air Balloon Show on the beach. The event typically features around 25 balloons drifting in the night sky.

Lodging

Callaway Resort

• Most people stay amidst nature in the Callaway Resort Lodge or Cottages. The Lodge is very nice and costs around $300 to $500 a night on the weekends. The cottages are older than the resort.
• TIP: The resort shuttle takes to long for everything. Drive your own car.

• The Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, GA, is 20 minutes outside Callaway and is always a favorite with the kids. The 100,000-square-foot indoor water park is a world of fun for all ages.

• Cheaper, chain hotels are in LaGrange as well as fast food options.

Food

• The Piedmont Dining Room and the Country Kitchen are the best choices in Callaway. Reservations are recommended at the Piedmont Dinning.
• TIP: The Country Kitchen closes early it’s mainly a lunch place.
• This is a great opportunity to have a picnic with sandwiches while in nature.
• Downtown has EatZ On The Corner, and I love this Caribbean Island fusion food. It’s small and quaint, serving reasonably priced fish, fried bananas, shrimp, and grits.

• Carriage & Horses for the best fine dining food in town.
  
• Warm Springs is home to the Bulloch House, known for its excellent food.
  

Downtown Shops

I love nothing more than a classic, quaint downtown filled with stores holding interesting treasures. The Cat’s Meow features a collection of homey artwork. Since the author of Pete the Cat is friends with the owner, an extensive selection of his books is available. Additionally, the store offers high-quality handmade items for home decoration. From the antique stores to the kitchen store, it’s the perfect place to buy unique gifts.

Y’all know we visit every animal encounter available, so it’s safari time.

Wild Animal Safari

The Wild Animal Safari, a thirty-year tradition, offers close encounters with exotic animals. You can drive your car, rent a safari van, or join a tour on the safari bus. I recommend reserving a safari van that you drive to avoid the hour-long wait.

Buy Lots of food

We buy more than a cup of food for each person, and we always run out. Bring a towel to wipe all the slobber off, too. Prepare for constant laughter as the animals visit your car for feeding.

The Adventure Zoo walk through area has over 20 exotic animals, monkeys, lions, tigers, and bears to finish your day. It’s great for all ages, and we love it.

Great Wolf Lodge

The Great Wolf Lodge is such a fun adventure for kids. You need no introduction to enjoy the water park and arcade games. Technically, it’s a 20-minute drive, but it’s part of so many of my trips that it has to be in this post.

After exploring the Pine Mountain Travel Guide options, don’t miss the charming nearby town of Warm Springs.

Warm Springs

Warm Springs features a variety of exceptional shops along its downtown area, as well as an artist quarter behind the main street establishments. While I enjoy shopping, my primary motivation for driving 30 minutes is to dine at the Bulloch House. The meat, vegetables, homemade rolls, and banana pudding are top-notch Southern cooking, with lines out the door as proof. After a bit of shopping and lunch, it’s time for a little history.

Warm Springs Travel Guide

Roosevelt’s Little White House

The history is so impressive, and only $13! President Roosevelt made more than 40 visits to The Little White House, often staying for several weeks at a time. He came to swim in the healing waters to help with his polio. Spending time in rural GA forged a connection to the average American that defined his legacy. Allocate one to two hours for touring the house, viewing the automobiles, and experiencing a journey through American history. FDR fell in love with the GA forest, so our next stop was the FDR State Park.

FDR State Park

The FDR State Park encompasses more than 9,000 acres, offering numerous hiking trails. Pine Mountain Trail is the most renowned at 23-miles, featuring scenic waterfalls and creeks along its path. Additionally, visitors can enjoy the spring-fed Liberty Bell swimming pool within the park.

Lodging/Food

Hotel Warm Springs Bed & Breakfast Inn is situated on the main street, conveniently close to various shops and Bulloch’s restaurant for dinner. This historic hotel offers guests a family-style homemade breakfast. The lobby features an ice cream and fudge parlor for added enjoyment. The hotel offers a nostalgic experience, with hospitality and antique furnishings. However, my boys think its old and creepy.

The Bulloch House Restaurant

I have already mentioned the Bulloch House, but the meat and vegetable buffet of old Southern cooking is worth mentioning again. It’s why we come year after year—it’s that good! The food is buffet style so it’s very quick service.

Mac’s BBQ is behind the main street for a delicious BBQ.

The Lightnin’ Bugs Bakery & Café is perfect for picking up a snack while you shop.

Pack your cooler & bikes

While Pine Mountain is small at only three square miles, it packs a delightful punch of nature, good food, and family time. For the best trip, set your expectations accordingly. This is not a fancy resort vacation or a big city with numerous dining options. Pack your cooler and bring your own bikes for a relaxing weekend. Thanks for reading my Pine Mountain Travel Guide.

If you are looking for another fun weekend try Helen, GA and Dahlonega, especially at Christmas.