Always a good time at George L Smith Park. My grandson likes to fish there even if he doesn't catch.read more

Wow! When you step near the waters of this park and see the Cypress trees in near-black water, your…read moreimagination just may sweep you back in time to an earlier era in Earth's history, perhaps, the Pleistocene Era? These waters make you wonder whether some prehistoric creature will launch out of the waters at you if you get too close. Yet, you'll see kayakers padding all about these waters. Located in Twin City, Georgia, is a serene retreat spanning 1,634 acres with a 412-acre mill pond surrounded by cypress and tupelo trees draped in Spanish moss, creating a picturesque and tranquil environment. The park's centerpiece is the historic Parrish Mill, a combination gristmill, sawmill, covered bridge, and dam built in 1880. The mill, restored in 1998, occasionally operates and can grind up to 200 pounds of corn per hour, offering visitors a glimpse into its rich history. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy a variety of activities, including fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and hiking. The park offers 11 miles of trails for hikers, runners, and cyclists, as well as opportunities to spot wildlife like gopher tortoises, blue herons, and white ibis. For accommodations, the park provides lakeside camping, cozy cottages, picnic shelters, and a conference center.

Beautiful walk for you alone alone or easy enough with the kiddos. Great seeing the plant…read morediversity and learning.

An awesome place where you can easily get lost when you are on the mountain and you will always…read morewant to go just a bit further to see what else there is around that strangely shaped boulder. If you like to meditate or just need a place to clear your head, this is the place. The parking is free and you can enter the park from two separate places. Watch where you walk though because the ecosystem there is fragile in places. Be sure to read the information at the beginnings of the trails as well as at separate places throughout the park. I highly recommend this park for its quiet and because it is much less crowded than other Atlanta parks.

Nice park with playgrounds, ball fields, tennis, a pond, picnic areas, and a walking/running trail…read more Just watch out for the awful gnats!

What a beautiful little park. We stopped to plan a future trip and I just feel in love with the…read moreserene water and that feeling that you can only get from being out in the sun and fresh air. To me it feels like total freedom! So we saw some nice Prevost Mobile Homes (Shout out to my new friend for letting us go inside) in the Campground area, a beautiful lake, a "Splash Pad" (Water feature) that if I remember correctly as a child was a pool, rustic cottages, a huge Golf course and a big, nice Lodge. Due to our tight schedule, we did not get a chance to walk the Trails or the Boardwalk but I did see it. I think this State Park is a great way to take a quick retreat or a wonderful spot to hide away at for a weekend. Plenty of things to do and the Parking fee is only $5 per day. Or you can purchase a State Park Pass for about $50. This pass does NOT cover Stone Mountain Park. Just FYI there!

My husband, Grandson and I were there camping this weekend of October 19th and the camp site host…read morewere awesome! They took care of our every need. Welcomed us and made certain they were there if we needed anything. I do not remember their names but the are there until November. Beautiful husband and wife that truly care about the park and the visitors. Thank you for being such gracious host. Alicia and Ben Powell!

Amazing place that is off the beaten path. I would highly recommend all visitors seeing this place…read moreand getting to experience nature. It's just a boardwalk that goes maybe 1/4 to a 1/2 mile out, but it is so scenic here. A great addition to the Midway area!

Cay Creek Wetlands Interpretive Center (CCWIC) is located in Midway, off exit 76 on I-95. According…read moreto one of the info boards, the site of CCWIC was bought by the City of Midway to provide its citizens, as well as visitors, a green space to enjoy and to learn about the unique environment in our coastal area. I'm always on the lookout for nature spaces to bring my kids, so when a friend had mentioned this place that she had heard, I, of course, immediately did some research and went to check it out this weekend with my kids. The unique thing about this space is that this is where you can see the wetlands transition to a salt water marsh. - Parking - Private lot. You'll clearly see a wooden sign from Charlie Butler Road and a metal gate that bears its name. It states on the website, open daily from 9 am to dusk, so plan accordingly. You'll drive straight down a short dirt path and will arrive at the parking area. - Admission - FREE, Baby! - History - The area used to be a plantation which, back then, used to be called Salter's Creek, owned by Raymond Cay. Rice and other food crops were grown on a smaller scale then. Pine trees were abundant in the area and eventually, with the booming paper industry, paper companies bought large pieces of pine lands, including Cay Creek. In 1996, the City of Midway bought the property. - Trail Description - There is only one path with no off shoot trails, about 0.7 miles round trip. An elevated boardwalk has been built the entire way. It's very well maintained, with built-in benches and trash cans with their own built-in nooks for your convenience throughout the trail. There is also a 15-ft tower about halfway through the trail that provides a great bird's eye view and great for bird watchers. When you get to the end of the trail, there is also a bigger deck with benches built in on either side and you can see the transition of the two types of water flow. Lots of birds and animals can be found here, but my kids and I probably scared them all away. Haha. - Heads Up - You will find modern and recent info boards in color, throughout the trail that talks about the different flora and fauna and how they have adapted to this environment. There are QR codes at the bottom of the boards that you can scan to read more about it, but I tried scanning the code on the first board and it came up as an error so I didn't bother scanning the others. Given the proximity of this trail to I-95, this would be a great place to stop and have a quick snack and to stretch your legs as there is a picnic table in the parking area. However, there are no bathrooms on site, so you might want to stop at the gas station down the road for that. This is such a great gift by the city of Midway and anyone passing through or live in the area, should take advantage. It was a great place for a small afternoon adventure and get some fresh air and teach my kids about the unique environmental conditions in this area. Get outside!

While visiting a friend, we were looking for a little outside time. We saw Shelby Park listed…read moreon-line. So we headed over to check it out. Pulling up I was surprised at the small size. It is basically a large pretty pond with a walkway around the perimeter. Add to that swinging park benches and picnic tables. The bridge looks new and the trees look old. I love mature trees that add character. The large water feature in the center of the pond looks great as I watch the ducks enjoying the spray. We even saw turtles! This adorable, well maintained park is sitting right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. How fun. You could literally walk out of your house and have your morning coffee at the park that is just outside your door. There is a nice parking lot also for people like us who visit from other places. Overall, this charming little park is perfect for a bit of outdoor time without having to commit to long trek through the woods. Coming from a Chicago girl, this was perfect for me.

Love the beach area! Tons of trails- grass, paved, and gravel. Has a surprisingly nice bathroom…read more Park is still in development.

A great place to unwind! Beautiful lake & trails! Please mark trails & have a map of the area!read more

Near some botanical gardens, this separate tract of land was not particularly happening when I…read morebriefly dropped in, but it is free. A lake with a small bridge is the main attraction, with some areas around it to walk and a picnic enclosure. The highway is nearby and audible to some extent. There are some short trails, but signs caution against swimming in the water (which is true pretty much anywhere in the region given the robust reptile population).

It was a beautiful day last Friday and my youngest and I had been cooped up in the house most of…read morethe week, so for Adventure Friday, we decided to explore Chatham County Wetlands Preserve. This 494-acre wetland preserve and park is another piece of property purchased by Chatham County. They created a 20-acre lake and have planted more than 20,000 trees. This park is tucked away on Highway 17, on Chief of Love Road. Parking - When you turn off on Hwy 17, you just have to continue driving until you get to a fork in the road. I stayed to the left and then we found ourselves in a huge gravel lot where it seemed the most appropriate to park the car. Trail Description - Once I parked the car, we walked to the fork where I could see the barrier and hiking sign (I saw it on the drive in). We started there and kept to the left. It started out as a pretty well marked path, under the trees. Once you get out of the shaded part, it's just grassy. It will bring you around the lake, and it's wide open, so there is no way you would get lost. We opted to take a shortcut and cut through on the bridge. There was a man there fishing. He said some days the fish bite like crazy and other says, nothing, so just a tip to anyone who likes to go fishing. There are picnic tables and a covered picnic area in the middle by the bridge that are great spots for meal and snack breaks. There were beautiful flowers along the way and also a patch of what I think are called Cypress Trees at one end of the lake. They are pretty much dead, but I thought they were pretty to look at the cluster of them. The reflection of the trees on the sunny day was just perfect. My Fitbit clocked the portion we did as about 1 mile. Kid-Friendly - Absolutely! Very flat trail, however not paved. Unless you have a B.O.B or a jogging stroller with bike-like tires, I would just use a baby carrier. Thankful that Chatham County is very nature focused and is committed to providing green space in the area for its residents. There seemed to be another trail by the park sign, so we will have to come back to explore that portion!

It was about 4 years ago I was wild and free, reviewing the best bars and restaurants on Yelp …read more.. Now I look for the best kids parks and kid-friendly restaurants. :D With that said, this park is very popular at certain times during the day and is fun for kids from ages 18 months to 10 years old. The playground offers a variety of the traditional kid-friendly jungle gyms, forts and swings. My kid was there for about 40 minutes, got tired and then napped afterwards. (Small victory) It can get hot and some areas don't have great shade. Highly recommend sunscreen and a water bottle for the little ones.

If u are like me and want to get back into shape. Be like me and take a short walk around the…read morewetland trails. Throw on some tunes and enjoy the beautiful nature scenery.