Gifted Atlanta

One of the responses to my most recent post (about travel with gifted kids) mentioned Providence Canyon State Recreation Area. Sometimes called Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon, this park is a geological treasure not far from Albany, about a 3-hour drive from Atlanta.

When I went to the park’s web site, I saw a couple of items on the calendar that caught my eye. First, on Saturday, April 9, the park will host Geology Day — a guided trip through the canyons, exploring their geological history. (If you can’t make it that day, they’re doing the event again on June 4 and Oct. 8.)

Looking forward on the calendar, Providence Canyon will welcome stargazers for Astronomy Night on July 30 and Nov. 19.

That got me wondering what’s happening at Georgia’s other state parks. The answer is, more than I had imagined. The state parks event calendar lists dozens of events for April alone. Here are just a few examples:

• An 18th century colonial market this weekend at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder
• An evening of astronomy this Saturday night at F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain
• Civil War history hikes throughout the month at Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs
• A hike to see spring butterflies on April 16, also at Sweetwater Creek State Park

There’s much, much more, so I won’t try to list it all here. The events page has a well-designed search feature that lets you explore the calendar by month, by park, or by distance from your ZIP code, so it’s easy to see what’s happening that might interest you.