West Georgia Museum of Tallapoosa

This typical small town museum has nicely organized and curated exhibits that cover dinosaurs, Native Americans, pioneers, farmers, and natural history. A series of rooms have windows and doors to peek in and view business such as a grocery store, dentist, doctor's office, telephone office, and repair shop. 

The museum is accessible.

RVs will fit in the lot but may need to be parked across the spaces. Museum  33.75164, -85.2931

 

Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center

It's all about the water! An interactive exhibit gallery allows visitors to follow the path of the water they use from its source to their house, to the wastewater treatment plant, and then back to nature. The Waterways gallery uses full size dioramas to interpret how water in Gwinnett County, Georgia has been used by different groups of people over the years.

The building itself is environmentally friendly, featuring a roof covered with native plants and windows designed to let in natural light. The structural supports are recycled iron and aluminum. Cork and southern pine which grow fast and are considered easily renewable are used wherever possible. Ponds and waterfalls filter water runoff before it flows into Ivy Creek. 

A steep paved trail leads down to the 1850s Chesser-Williams House which is open for special events. Follow the closed road to the left to access the Ivy Creek Greenway. 

A big draw is Treetop Quest, an above ground obstacle course with ropes, ladders, zip lines, and bridges. Staff is on hand to help but participants are largely on their own. A special harness that can not be unhooked from the safety lines while on the course makes this possible. Treetop Quest is the only fee area. 

The center is accessible. Wheelchair users may need assistance on the paved paths due to the grades. We followed the Ivy Creek Greenway for a short distance and turned around when it started steeply downhill. Treetop Quest is not accessible. 

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle if parked across the spaces. It may fill on weekends. 

 

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia

The main garden is fairly small but the property has miles of hiking trails. Download a map because they aren't available at the garden. Besides the planted garden areas there's also a conservatory, a decorative arts museum, a children's play area and garden, and chapel used for weddings. 

   

    

The conservatory and the art museum are accessible. The garden paths are paved but visitors in wheelchairs will need assistance due to the hilly terrain. The hiking trails are too hilly and rough for wheelchair access. 

Our 25' RV fit in the accessible parking spaces in the upper parking lot. Longer RVs can be parked across the spaces. Look for the main entrance and follow the walkway to the elevator to access the gardens. Garden  33.90216, -83.38292

 

Watsadler Campground

 Almost every site in this pretty, Corp of Engineers campground fronts on Lake Hartwell. Amenities include picnic tables, fire rings, grills, and water and electric hookups. There are also restrooms, showers, and a dump station.

There are two accessible sites that have pavement under the table, fire ring, and grill. We stayed in site 31 and although it's not designated as accessible it's very nice. The parking pad and table area is hard packed dirt and it has a beautiful view of the lake. Campground  34.34256, -82.84269

 

 

Brick House Campground

 Horses are permitted in this small national forest campground but there weren't any horses when we were there and just a few campers - a very peaceful spot in mid November.  Amenities include tables, fire rings, grills, and vault toilets. For some reason Recreation. gov, who handles many federal reservations and usually doesn't charge a reservation fee, does charge for this campground so our $5.00 a night site became $10.50 once an $8.00 reservation fee was added on and we received our $2.50 ( 1/2 of $5.00) geezer discount. 

The campsites are all fairly level and while none are designated as accessible most are usable. We camped in site 2 and, although I never left the RV because of the cold weather, the ground seemed to be hard packed. 

A 1/2 mile dirt road in good condition provides access. Pass the large, grassy, trailhead parking area on the left and the campground is just down the road on the right. Campground  34.4481, -81.70675

 

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

We were a little too late for large displays of  flowers  but we really enjoyed this garden with its meandering paths and themed gardens. The newly constructed Prairie Castle Playground is a big draw for families. A path leads through the woods to very creative play areas using natural materials such as hollow trees, bamboo, and stacked rocks. Colorful orchids and tropical plants fill the conservatory.

While most of the paths are paved and the path through the woods is hard packed the garden is not accessible without the help of a strong assistant due to the very hilly terrain.  

RVs will fit in the parking lot if backed up over the grass or parked lengthwise through the spaces.  Garden  35.16939, -81.05733