Sunflowers and Selfies Smithgall Woods Park

Sunflower fantasy

What could be better than hiking thru a beautiful Sunflower Field and taking selfies of you and your loved ones on a beautiful afternoon.

Smithgall Woods Annual Sunflower and Selfies event offers a family-fun day of hayrides, games, photo ops, a native plant sale, and a blooming field of Sunflowers. I spent the day with my family roaming thru the sunflower fields, hiking, and enjoying a hayride thru the park on a beautiful Sunday. It was a wonderful day enjoyed by all.

History

Smithgall Woods located in Cleveland, Georgia was first discovered by gold miners in1829. This area was full of wildlife and lush forest, until the miners began using hydraulic mining in the 1850’s. Because of hydraulic mining the landscape was soon stripped of its lust forest. Once hydraulic mining was put to a stop in the 1880s the forest began to recover.

In the 1940s, a local radio station owner by the name of Charles Smithgall purchased 5,500 acres of land and spent over $20 million of his money to help with the restoration. In 1994 Charles Smithgall donated the land to the state of Georgia, and It has been a Conservatory Area since.

Hayride Adventure

Traveling along the lush forest, and waterways on a hayride our guide educated us on the history, and explained the many things that are done each day to preserve this beautiful area. Our first stop was at the covered bridge where the kids were given the opportunity to feed the trout. The kids loved seeing the large trout and watching them eat the trout food.

Dukes Creek was named one of the top 100 trout streams in the US.

Fishing is allowed by reservations only. You must use artificial barbless hooks, it is catch and release. You can make reservations and receive a list of the fishing rules on their website. https://gastateparks.org/SmithgallWoods

The Sunflower Field

From the covered bridge we boarded the hayride and continued on to the Sunflower Field. Here they drop you off to allow you a leisurely stroll thru the field and time for plenty of Selfies. There are several paths you can take thru the sunflowers for great photo opportunities. Plan on spending a little extra time here to enjoy the beautiful sunflowers and remember to take lots of pictures.

Be aware there are a lot of bees in the field if you are sensitive or have an allergy's.

Once you have completed your adventure thru the sunflowers you can pick up the hayride on the trail or chose to hike back to the parking lot. The hayride will pick you up on their return with the next group of Sunflower seekers.

We chose to take the short hike back and enjoy the forest. The hike back is pretty easy. It is on a paved road, however there are hills so it can be a little strenuous.

What a wonderful day enjoyed by all.

Smithgall Woods State Park Information

Activities

Smithgall woods offers a variety of activities, accommodations and educational programs.

Visit https://gastateparks.org/SmithgallWoods for more information

Reservations, Accommodations & Facilities

5,664 Acres
6 Cottages
Pioneer Campground (Before making reservations, call park for capacity limits.) — call park to reserve, youth & conservation groups only
5 Picnic Shelters (Before making reservations, call park for capacity limits.)
Visitor Center
Discovery Room Museum
Gift Shop

Things To Do & See

Archery — reservations required
Biking
Birdwatching
Chronolog
Trout Fishing — seasonal, reservations required, catch & release only
Geocaching
Guided Tours — first Saturday of every month
Hiking — 28 miles of trails
Hunting
Interpretive Programs — reservations recommended
Picnicking
Photography
Weddings — park approval required

Educational Programs

Smithgall Woods Regional Education Center

Educational Programs — reservations required
- Program Request Form
Snakes of Georgia
- Snakes of Georgia – worksheet
- Snakes of Georgia – educational video

Nearby Attractions

Categories:Weekend getaways

Published on : August 29, 2022August 29, 2022 by lykirkland