Perry, GA Outdoor Activities

Ranging in length from 4,940 yards to 6,626 yards, Bowden Golf Club’s emerald fairways were designed more than 70 years ago, making it Macon’s second-oldest course. With four sets of tees on each hole, golfers can opt for team play, test their mettle during tournaments, or borrow Paul Bunyan's 5 iron to hit a quartet of balls at once. As a full-service facility, the club boasts an onsite pro shop and snack bar, as well as a full-length driving range flanked by practice bunkers and putting greens.

More than 50 species of butterflies flit between the petals of an ever-changing array of exotic plants inside the greenhouse as sunlight streams in through the glass ceilings. Outside, experts launch owls, falcons, and eagles into the air to fly—and many come back down to land on the arms of the audience. Since 1952, the staffers of Callaway Gardens’ educational nature preserve have immersed visitors in their passion for wildlife management and conservation across more than 4,600 acres of demonstration gardens, arboretums, and outdoor sports attractions.

At the 5-acre Horticultural Center, visitors wander through three conservatories, a grotto, and an outdoor garden and stand at the base of a 22-foot indoor waterfall. They can also soar up to 30 feet above the forest floor on a five-zipline treetop course replete with ladders, logs, and netting or practice their lumberjack calls on a 10-mile discovery trail through the trees. Staffers regularly lead guided hikes through the woods, hold a range of butterfly shows and cultural workshops, and help facilitate seasonal events—including circus, music, and theater performances and a holiday light show. On overnight stays, they welcome guests into lodgings such as a rustic inn, 155 secluded pine cottages, and 57 stone and wood villas with balconies.