This past Mother’s Day, we wanted to take a road trip to somewhere new, within six hours of Jacksonville. We hadn’t heard of the town of LaGrange, Georgia, but it looked like a family-friendly destination that we would enjoy.
We decided to give it a try and it was a nice change of pace for our family (we normally travel for club soccer) — three days together in a new town with fun activities on the agenda, which included a stay at the Great Wolf Lodge, bass fishing, and a drive-thru safari.
Where to Eat (and Drink)
Our first stop upon arriving in LaGrange was somewhere we could all stretch our legs and grab dinner. Wild Leap Brewery was the perfect place. Live music was playing on the stage and there were games and tables spread across the outdoor courtyard and a tasting room inside. Everyone was happy! My husband and I grabbed a cocktail and a flight of craft beers, while the kids ran around outside. The place is dog-friendly, too! The brewery doesn’t serve food, but a Midnyt Burger food truck out back serves up delicious, smashed patties and crinkle fries.
There are a lot of locally owned eateries downtown. We tried Karvelas Pizza Co., which is known for its homemade pizza dough and unique-flavored wings like Joey’s Tennessee Whiskey and Charley’s Hot Parm! This place is very kid-friendly and has large TVs to watch sporting events. Great spot for lunch or dinner.
If you like hot dogs, Charlie Joseph’s has been the place to grab a dog since 1920. Think old-fashioned countertops and barstools, and all things Coca-Cola memorabilia. Other notable menu items include the Brunswick stew and chili hamburgers. I was really expecting root beer floats and cream sodas, but we had to settle for Café Brûlée Dessert Bar next door. I couldn’t decide between crème brûlée, of course, or a snickerdoodle sipper so we got both!
Where to Stay
The obvious choice for families is Great Wolf Lodge. This was our first time staying at any of the 20 lodges around the country, and I’m honestly not sure what took us so long to discover this. There is so much to do — we ran out of time trying to get it all in. The indoor waterpark is a kid’s paradise — 84 degrees year-round and plenty of options for all ages, including the adults. Our 6-year-old loved the wave pool and the splash area. Our 13-year-old indulged in the bigger slides, and I hung out in the lazy river. At most hotels, especially with all the attractions like the arcade, mini golf, bowling, climbing wall, mining, a rope course, and more… the kids never want to go back to the room. But our little one couldn’t wait to hop into his bunk bed in our deluxe Wolf Den Suite. MagiQuest was a family favorite, and we spent hours on the quests throughout the lodge waving our magic wands (customizable) until we earned the title of Master Magis.
READ: 10 Things You Should Know About Great Wolf Lodge
There are a lot of campgrounds and RV parks in the area if that’s your thing: Three Creeks Campground and Whitetail Ridge Campground at West Point Lake are good options, and Highland Marina is enjoyed by water sports enthusiasts and fishermen, also offering cabins and cottages on the lake. There are plenty of hotel and motel chains in town, as well, if you like to earn or use loyalty points.
What to Do
For being a small town, there’s a lot to do. If you time it right, there may be live music at the Sweetland Amphitheatre at Boyd Park. Music legends from Willie Nelson to Gladys Night have performed at the 2,500-seat venue, all within walking distance of local shops and restaurants. Upcoming concerts include Melissa Ethridge & Jewel, Lyle Lovett, Everclear, and Sister Hazel.
My 13-year-old and I went bass fishing with local guide Ken Bearden, founder and operator of the Veteran’s Fishing Organization, which provides free guided fishing for veterans (donations welcome!). Many of them say it’s the best therapy. We would agree — we spent hours on West Point Lake, which extends 35 miles along the Chattahoochee River on the Alabama-Georgia state line. The lake’s 525 miles of shoreline provides excellent opportunities for fishing, camping, boating, and other recreational activities. Ken is the 2007 West Point Lake Fisherman of the Year and 2004 Georgia State Champion. If you want to catch largemouth bass, he’s your guy. We had a blast, and my son caught a few good ones!
If you like to tour estates or meander around gardens, you’ll want to visit the 1916-built, 13,000-square-foot, Hills & Dale Estate. This is considered one of the best preserved 19th-century gardens in the country and even has a bloom calendar so you green thumbs never miss a bloom! The holidays are a popular time to visit.
Just a short drive to Pine Mountain from downtown LaGrange is a drive-thru safari park called Wild Animal Safari. There are 75 animal species, and you will not be disappointed. This was the highlight of our trip, and my car still has a little water buffalo slobber lingering inside. You can choose to hop aboard a bus, rent a safari vehicle (think no windows but window bars so the animals can’t get inside), or drive your own vehicle along the 3.5-mile trail. We chose to venture into my Chevy Tahoe, and we each had a front-row seat (and sunroof) for the action. Don’t forget the food. It reminded me of circus peanuts in a brown bag. Whatever it was, the animals never tired of it.
To say the animals get up close and personal would be an understatement. I got licked by a longhorn and my car suffered no damage from the giant horns. Nearly pecked by an ostrich – recommend rolling your windows up when you see these guys. And slobbered on by countless other animals including bison, Watusi, emus, zebras, and other wild animals in their natural habitat. The kids were squealing for almost an hour and never got bored for a second.
My camera roll has hundreds of photos from this adventure, and they are hilarious because most are close-ups of all the giant tongues trying to lick us. I have to admit I loved the thrill and have never seen so many animals this close. There are a few of these drive-thru safaris across the country, and I highly recommend this for families. There are other parts of the park including the Walkabout Adventure Zoo (lemurs, monkeys Bengal tigers, etc.) and animal encounters. Prices vary depending on your experience. So worth it!
If you’re looking for a new, slower-paced vacay spot to try, a little off the beaten path, LaGrange, Georgia, is it.
My hometown! You nailed it.