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Callaway Gardens and Wild Animal Safari

Whew, my son and I just got back from a 14 hour field trip to Callaway Gardens and Wild Animal Safari! It was a loooooooong day but oh so much fun! I am so thankful for the opportunity to chaperone on field trips with my kiddos and I pray they will always ask me to go with them places!


We pulled out from school at 6AM and headed to Pine Mountain, Georgia to Callaway Gardens. I'm sharing the link below for you. If you are looking for something fun to do this summer during your break from school, I highly suggest going. There are all kinds of activities including a spa, golf, hiking, biking, dining, music, a ropes/zipline course and you can even stay on site at the resort! There are also seasonal events for the Fall and Christmas and they host weddings there!



We first got to the gardens and walked around the Mega Bugs. Such cool mega sized metal bugs and information about each of them. There's also a fun playground with a kiddie zip line by the bugs.


Next it was time for the Birds of Prey show. They have this show twice a day, daily, and it is so cool! Be forewarned of two things. 1.) It is extremely hot and there's little to no shade, even at the 11Am show and 2.) If you have a fear of birds, you may want to steer clear because these birds, like hawks and owls, fly directly over you back and forth throughout the show! It's super cool, it's educational and your kids will love it!

After we had a picnic lunch on site we went to the Butterfly center! This was so beautiful and the one place I had remembered from my field trip there as a child! They let you watch a 12 minute video about butterflies in the center and then you get to go in and see all the butterflies and turtles! It is EXTREMELY warm in there...think sauna, but it is a little tropical paradise!

Judson and myself inside the Butterfly Center!

Some of the beautiful flowers and butterflies.

Prior to going in to the Butterfly utopia you can see butterflies hatching from their larvae and coming into their beautiful new wings. Isn't that amazing?!?!

These beautiful turtles are sunbathing on some rocks in the Butterfly Center right beside a waterfall. It was very relaxing and serene. If it had not have been so hot I could have sat there all day!

Next up we went to the Wild Animal Safari! This was SOOOO cool and somewhere I had never been! First off we loaded a bus that was painted like a zebra to go feed and see some amazing animals like zebras, giraffes, deer, and piggies. Since we were part of a big group, everything was pre-paid and all of the kiddos got a huge cup of food to feed the animals with along the drive. Pre-warning, it's easy to hand out all of your food early so be sure to watch the signs to know how far you've gone so you spread it out!


Below is the website. There are also safari's in Missouri and Texas!



We were able to feed them straight from the bus and they came running when they saw us pulling into the reserve!!! It's hard to describe what it feels like to be on a bus and see a massive giraffe come walking down the hill towards you but I must say it was pretty surreal! These magnificent gentle giants had no problem putting their heads right in the bus!


This adorable Zebra looks like he is saying "Cheese" while getting his treat!

After our reserve ride through we got to go to the animal walk-through and see monkeys, baboons, parrots, a hyaena, a bear, snakes, and of course this amazing peacock! Truth be told, he was not trying to impress us. There was a pretty female to the right of him and he was doing his darndest to impress her in all his glory. She wasn't having anything to do with him but we sure enjoyed the show!

Below is another great picture from the safari ride. I promise you that some of these animals knew exactly how to smile for the camera! One of the llamas even tried to board our bus! The driver was amazing and he had forewarned us there was one sassy llama that always wanted to ride and sure enough, he didn't fail us this time either!

Here is a picture of the Zebra bus we got to ride! They also have vans and smaller SUVs for smaller groups!

I hope this summer you will take the time to find some really cool and educational things to do with your kiddos! The trip was not only educational but oh so fun! I look forward to sharing other fun ideas for you and your kids for some summer fun!


XOXO,

Allison

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