Callaway Gardens — Attraction in Durand

I booked a weekend getaway at Callaway Gardens' Lodge to celebrate my wife’s birthday, choosing the Bed and Breakfast Package. This was our first visit—and unfortunately, it will be our last.

From the moment we arrived, navigating the property was a major challenge. We repeatedly encountered closed or blocked roads, boarded-up entrances, metal gates chained shut, and card readers requiring room keys—which we only had access to from 4 PM to 11 AM. The map provided was cartoonish and unhelpful, and the signage didn’t reflect the numerous closures. We spent miles driving in circles just trying to find our way around, which set a frustrating tone for the rest of the trip.

When we finally reached the Lodge, we discovered we had been booked on the wrong floor. When I originally made the reservation, the agent (Heather, I believe) upsold me to a lake-view room and assured me it would be on the 4th floor to offer the best view for our special occasion. At check-in, we were told there were no 4th-floor rooms available. After some back-and-forth, one “became available” but was still being cleaned. That also turned out to be inaccurate. When we first visited our balcony, we noticed the chairs were tilted forward against the railing—presumably to prevent water from pooling. Later that evening, we observed from the lawn that about 75% of the 4th-floor balconies had their chairs in the same position, indicating no recent cleaning activity.

The room itself was decent but not without issues. The air conditioning unit was unusually loud—sounding more like a commercial washing machine than an A/C. I’ve never heard anything like it. The TV was also poorly mounted, hanging at a sharp angle to the right. I tried to adjust it myself, but it felt unstable. Maintenance sent a very young technician who said it was “just mounted that way.” I ended up wedging my water bottle under one corner to level it (See Pictures)—not exactly what I expected for a room approaching $500 per night.

We dined at The Piedmont Room - Prime Rib Buffet on Saturday night, only to find a long line of over 16 people waiting for one server to carve meat. By the time we got our food, the prime rib was cold and of noticeably low quality. We left most of it on our plates. On a more positive note, breakfast the next morning was very good. The omelets and pancakes were cooked to order, and there were a few nice side options as well.

On our final morning, we tried to explore more of the grounds. Unfortunately, we ran into the same navigation issues as before, making it difficult to enjoy the experience. After several failed attempts to find various attractions, we finally gave up and made our way out—again requiring multiple turnarounds.

Perhaps the most disappointing part of the trip was the lack of actual “gardens.” For a place called Callaway Gardens, we expected vibrant floral displays, especially in mid-April. Aside from a few flowers by the lake and near Cason’s, the grounds were largely bare—mostly tilled or planted areas with very little in bloom. The entire property felt unkempt and run-down. Frankly, our neighborhood clubhouse has a better variety and volume of flowers.

In summary, this trip was a letdown on nearly every front—from the frustrating layout and room issues to the underwhelming dining and lack of gardens. What was meant to be a relaxing birthday weekend turned into a stressful and disappointing experience. For anyone looking to enjoy a beautiful garden setting, I strongly recommend the Atlanta Botanical Garden instead. This visit simply wasn’t worth the two-hour drive, $120 dinner, or sleepless nights in a room that sounded like a laundromat...

Resort has potential but with their lack of response and their lack of accessibility to management nothing will change. After a # of attempts to work with HR and no answers I’ve decided to let travelers know our experience. We went to bike the trails, enjoy the dining options and enjoy a couple exhibits (most exhibits were closed). With employees not really knowing what’s going on and poor signage along the biking trails getting around was most frustrating. With the only show they offer of the day, pretty much missed the raptor show. It’s a 30 min show which didn’t bother me but when biking the trails we found ourselves having to make a decision which way to turn a few different times along the path (I have a pretty keen sense of direction). The butterfly exhibit was nice but again navigating to the location was almost impossible due to poor signage. At hotel check in was told of the restaurants, made plans and chose menu item at one, got there about 5:30 and was the only car in the parking lot. They closed early due to not enough patrons but didn’t inform the hotel staff or the gentleman at front desk wasn’t trained. Seemed the management training to their employees is poor throughout the whole stay. There was a problem with the cable tv which was fine but having to notify the front desk a # of times of how to get someone to the room was frustrating. On way out stopped by HR giving them feedback so they can assure a pleasant time for vacationers in the future and was assured would hear from someone. Have emailed a couple times but still no response. Potential for a great time for all and would like to bring my extended family back, but with no response and the disorganization throughout the whole experience we will find somewhere...

This was my 3rd visit to Callaway and, unfortunately, probably my last.

Pros: The Discovery Center is beautiful, and their giftshop is reasonably priced.

We arrived early; the bike paths weren't crowded. There was plenty of shade, so we stayed relatively cool despite the heat (pro tip: buy/bring a handheld fan. It was well worth the $2)

Cons: Bike rental no longer gives discounts for military, senior, AAA, etc.

Bike paths are not clearly marked; we got turned around and accidently rode off the path several times. We encountered a family of bicyclists having the same problem; we ended up riding along the street and walked our bikes through a "no bicycles, please" path to get back on track.

The Sibley Center is closed, but it is still listed as a feature on the maps. The area around the building is not well-maintained. It was sad riding past its big, beautiful glass facade.

A lot of the ponds/reflection pools were stagnant and smelled like wet towels. The waterfall area behind the chapel smelled of mildew. It was unpleasant.

We couldn't figure out how to leave the park... No, seriously, we spent about 20 minutes following signs to two different exits and they were both closed. I called the number on my parking slip, and a woman at the Discovery Center gave me directions.

My overall impression: It's not about the gardens anymore; it's about the...