Girl Scout's guide to Georgia state parks and historic sites [Dec. 2013]

Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites manages more than 60 unique properties that preserve the state's environment and history. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Colonial Coast, our sites offer an exceptional variety of resources that we invite you to explore. Mountains & Canyons, Forests, Fields & Marshes, Waterfalls, Lakes, Swamps & Rivers, Battlefields, Historic Homes & Native American Sites are all at your fingertips! Help us protect historic places and Georgia's natural resources where future generations of scouts can learn about the past, present and future.
Your Girl Scout Troup can take advantage of the many resources and opportunities with Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites.
EARN BADGES
ATTEND SPECIAL EVENTS & INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS
ORGANIZE CUSTOMIZED PROGRAMS
VOLUNTEER FOR A SERVICE PROJECT
EXPLORE ON YOUR OWN

EARN BADGES

level 1 badge level 2 badge level 3 badge

Junior Ranger Badges: Girl Scouts can earn three different Junior Ranger badges (a Deer, a Fox and an Owl) as they discover nature, explore Georgia history and enjoy outdoor activities. Activities range from bird watching to visiting famous forts and interviewing Park staff. Scouts can also earn a Get Outdoors Georgia badge as they explore natural areas in their own community. Junior Ranger badge requirements are outlined in Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites' Junior Ranger Activity Book. Free copies of the Activity Book are available at all Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites or can be downloaded at GaStateParks.org/JuniorRanger.

Girl Scout Badges: Badge requirements for many Girl Scout Badges can be met on day-trips or overnight stays at a state park or historic site. Some of the best suited badges for Daisies through Ambassadors are listed below.

DAISIES:
Clover Petal Go for a walk, enjoy the fresh air and help clean up the trails at any state park or historic site.
Rosie the Rose Petal or Golden Honeybee Leadership Award Watch and learn about honeybees at the beehives found at Crooked River, Georgia Veterans and Smithgall Woods state parks.
BROWNIES:
Coastal Georgia (Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia) Explore the salt marsh and get a closeup look at unique plants and animals. You can discover the organisms that live in the tidal zones, use nets to collect samples and identify what you find at Skidaway Island or Crooked River State Park.
Georgia on My Mind (Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta) There are almost 2000 Historical Markers statewide. To find Historical Markers in your community go to www.georgiaplanning.com/ hm. Visit any Georgia State Historic Site or Historic Park and learn about Georgia's rich history. Visit the Little White House State Historic Site, tour the museum and house and talk to the Rangers to learn more about President F. D. Roosevelt. Enjoy a picnic at Dowdell's Knob at F. D. Roosevelt State Park; it was Roosevelt's favorite picnic spot.

Girl Scout's Guide to Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites . . .

Georgia's Native People (Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta) Climb the Temple Mounds at Etowah and Kolomoki Mounds, drink from the healing waters at Indian Springs, walk the grounds and tour the buildings at New Echota Cherokee Capital, visit a historic home and tour the museum at Chief Vann House. Watch the video at each historic site to learn more about the native people that lived there.
Hiker Skill Building Badge All of our spectacular
parks offer miles of hiking trails. Many sites offer selfguided nature trail brochures with numbered stops along the way to help you learn about your surroundings. These brochures can be downloaded online from our web site: Crooked River, F. D. Roosevelt, George T. Bagby, Hard Labor Creek, Kolomoki Mounds, Little Ocmulgee, Mistletoe, Moccasin Creek, Panola Mountain, Reed Bingham, Smithgall Woods, Sweetwater Creek and Vogel State Park.
Legacy Naturalist: Bugs From doodlebugs to
butterflies Georgia's State Parks are great places to look for "bugs" and talk to a Park Naturalist about the variety of insects that live in our parks.
Letterboxer Skill Building Badge Search for hidden "caches" in 43 state parks in Georgia. Grab a Geo-Challenge Passport from any park, or download one at GaStateParks.org. Visit www.GAParksGeocaching.com for links to your favorite parks and letterbox cache pages.

Platform and Squirrels Nest Camping: Fort Mountain and Unicoi state parks offer covered platforms where visitors can roll out sleeping bags. Tents are not allowed on these platforms. Bathhouses with hot showers are within walking distance, and fire rings and picnic tables are provided.
Pioneer Campsites: Organized groups, such as Scouts, can pitch tents in these private camping areas found at most state parks. All come with pit toilets, most have water spigots and some have covered picnic shelters and grills. These primitive campsites will not accommodate RVs or trailers and usually do not provide showers.
Unique Facilties: Fort Yargo State Park - Camp Twin Lakes operates Will-A-Way. serving people with physical and/or mental disabilities. General Coffee State Park has the elegantly decorated Burnham House cottage which is a romantic country retreat with a rocking-chair porch. Mistletoe State Park This rustic four-bed camper cabin is on Clarks Hill Lake. Seminole State Park Primitive treehouse-style camping features a screened shelter on stilts. Unicoi State Park Groups will enjoy covered Squirrel's Nest camping platforms in the woods.
GeorgiaStateParks.org 1-800-864-7275 / Reservations
recycled paper printed 12/13 10,000 / $1293

JUNIORS:
Animal Habitats Skill Building Badge From black bears and alligators to songbirds and snakes, Georgia's State Parks provide habitat for a variety of wild creatures. Schedule a live animal program at these parks to learn more: Amicalola Falls, Cloudland Canyon, Crooked River, F. D. Roosevelt, Florence Marina, General Coffee, Mistletoe, Panola Mountain, Red Top Mountain, Reed Bingham, Skidaway Island, Smithgall Woods, Stephen C. Foster, Sweetwater Creek, Tallulah Gorge and Unicoi State Park.
Camper Skill Building Badge Pitch your tent and enjoy a campfire! Small groups can reserve a few sites together in the campground while larger groups may prefer
our Pioneer Group Camp, Platform, or Squirrels Nest facilities that are well suited for scouts some feature screened enclosures.
Coastal Georgia (Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia) Schedule a rangerled salt-marsh program at Skidaway Island or Crooked River State Park. Explore the marsh and get a close-up look at the plants and animals that live there.
Geocacher Building Badge Search for traditional geocaches in 43 state parks and 14 educational multi-caches in historic sites. Grab a Geo-Challenge Passport at any state park to get started. No GPS? No problem! You can borrow a GPS unit at select state DEMO parks for a few hours. Fist come first served, and

BADGES / JUNIORS
Geocacher Building Badge -
supplies are limited: Fort Yargo, Elijah Clark, Kolomoki Mounds, Panola Mountain, Skidaway Island and Unicoi State Park.
The History Trail Challenge at historic sites can also be played without the use of a GPS if necessary. The staff at the Visitor Centers can get you started by giving you the three clues to be solved by walking the site. Just take your answers to the cache and try to open the padlock on the cache. Visit www.GAParksGeocaching. com for more information.
Georgia on My Mind (Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta)
There are almost 2000 Historical Markers statewide. To find Historical Markers in your community go to www.georgiaplanning.com/hm. Visit and learn about Georgia's rich history. All sites listed include museums or cultural centers
and introductory videos about the site: Chief Vann House, Dahlonega Gold Museum, Etowah Indian Mounds, Fort King George, Fort McAllister, Fort Morris, Georgia Veterans, HofwylBroadfield Plantation, Jarrell Plantation, New Echota, Pickett's Mill Battlefield and Wormsloe State Historic Site.
You can go geocaching or take a ride on the SAM Shortline excursion train at Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park. Hike at Amicalola Falls and find the approach trail to the "AT" (Appalachian Trail). Meet "thru hikers" and hear tales from those who have hiked the trail at Amicalola Falls' annual Backpacking Clinic. Visit the Little White House, tour the museum and house and talk to the Rangers to learn more about President F. D. Roosevelt. Come see why FDR loved this small town in Georgia so much.

Wild in Georgia (Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta) Take a boat tour and look for alligators and water birds at Stephen C. Foster, Florence Marina and Reed Bingham state parks. Go wading in a mountain stream and look for "creek critters" in any north Georgia state park. Hike on a boardwalk through the bottomland forest at General Coffee or visit a salt marsh at Crooked River. Paddle along the lake and look for aquatic life at Sweetwater Creek State Park. Hike to the top of Panola Mountain and enjoy the view as a ranger points out the plants and animals unique to granite outcrops.
Look for gopher tortoises and learn how fire is used to conserve the rare longleaf pine ecosystem at Crooked River, General Coffee and Reed Bingham State Park. Learn how to identify trees on ranger-led hikes though a hardwood forest in our northern parks. Discover Georgia's scenic and geologic wonders at Cloudland Canyon and Tallulah Gorge State Park.

Cadette
Coastal Georgia Field Day Legacy Naturalist -Trees

Night Owl Trailblazing

Senior

Adventurer

Legacy Naturalist - Sky

Coastal Georgia Voice for Animals

Ambassador
Coastal Georgia Legacy Naturalist Water

VOLUNTEER for a SERVICE PROJECT

NATURAL
Walk along water edges or take kayaks out to clean up the banks of the river/lake, clear debris from recent tornados and storms, assist with building new trails, remove invasive plants from parks, plant new trees or assist us in our recycling efforts to make our parks even more "green".
*Every park has programs that will allow for these types of volunteer projects.

LOCAL
Senior Scouts - Create curricula and conduct educational programs at State Parks and Historic Sites for visiting school children. Volunteers with a strong background in natural history, Georgia history or outdoor recreation may conduct interpretive or recreational programs for park visitors. Assist with program interpretive presentations; assist with the retail and visitor center management, sharing information and directions to park visitors.
*Appropriate parks for these are determined based on the interest, experience and age of the Girl Scout.

Participate in a Rivers Alive clean-up in the fall. For a listing of events including those at Georgia State
Parks visit www.riversalive.com.

CULTURAL
Our Historic Sites provide a glimpse into the past. Create your own Legacy by helping to remove graffiti from Civil War cemeteries, inventory unearthed findings and memorabilia, clean the walkways and trails to keep the site beautiful for all to enjoy.
Historic Sites include: A.H. Stephens, Chief Vann House, Dahlonega Gold Museum, Etowah Indian Mounds, Fort King George, Fort McAllister, Fort Morris, Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation, Jarrell Plantation, Jefferson Davis Memorial, Kolomoki Mounds, Lapham-Patterson House, New Echota, Pickett's Mill Battlefield, Robert Toombs House, Roosevelt's Little White House, Travelers Rest and Wormsloe State Historic Site.

Contact Nyleta Wallace for more information about Volunteer Service Projects: Nyleta.Wallace@gadnr.org or call 770-389-7278.

Check out our volunteer opportunities to clean-up rivers or trails in our parks. Contact these Parks to participate in a ranger-led program to remove invasive plants: Panola Mountain State Park, Sweetwater Creek State Park.
Georgia's Native People (Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta) *See description under Brownies Georgia's Native People.
Go Fish Georgia (Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta)
Grab your fishing pole and head to a state park. For a listing of Fishing Events for Kids refer to GeorgiaStateParks.org.
Legacy Naturalist Flowers Enjoy a wildflower hike at a Georgia State Park or explore on your own as you sketch and make notes in your botanist's notebook.

ATTEND SPECIAL EVENTS & INTERPRETIVE PROGRAMS
Enjoy ranger-led nature hikes, live animal programs, living history events, canoe excursions, fishing events, campfire programs, craft activities, night hikes, recreational activities, festivals, concerts and more. For a statewide listing of events at all Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites go to GeorgiaStateParks.org/Events.
CUSTOMIZED PROGRAMS or EXPLORE ON YOUR OWN
Park staff are happy to help you arrange your own self-guided experience or create a customized overnight or volunteer program that helps you meet your badge requirements. You may call any park or historic site directly or contact Georgia State Parks Chief Naturalist to explore your options and plan your next trip, 404/6570029 or Cindy.Reittinger@gadnr.org.
FACILTIES
Group Shelters: Perfect for scout meetings or events, enclosed group shelters have tables and chairs for 50 to 250, kitchens, restrooms and adjacent parking. Most have heat and air conditioning, and many have large barbecue pits.

Picnic Shelters: All state parks except Sprewell Bluff and Sapelo Island have covered picnic tables that may be reserved up to 11 months in advance and are available on a first-come basis if not reserved. These open-air shelters include several tables assembled under a single roof and sometimes a barbecue pit or grills. Parking and restrooms are nearby.
Group Camps: Group camps are reminiscent of going away to summer camp and are perfect for large Girl Scout gatherings. While each is unique, they all provide rustic "cabins" with bunk beds, large kitchens, dining/assembly rooms, restrooms with hot showers, activity areas and swimming facilities (except Unicoi). Linens are not provided. Group camps are found at A.H. Stephens, F.D. Roosevelt, Hard Labor Creek, Indian Springs, Kolomoli Mounds, Laura S. Walker, and Magnolia Springs state parks.
Group Lodges: A group lodge is one large facility with dormitory sleeping quarters for 12 to 50 scouts, restrooms with hot showers, and a kitchen and dining area. Guests provide their own linens. Group lodges are found at Cloudland Canyon, John Tanner, George T. Bafby, General Coffee and Magnolia Springs state parks.
Lodges: The four lodges at Georgia State Parks offer hotel rooms, restaurants and assembly facilities surrounded by pristine rivers, lakes and wooded trails. Lodges are located at Amicalola Falls, Unicoi, Little Ocmulgee and George T. Bagby state parks.
Cabins: Cozy cabins with one, two or three bedrooms are available at nearly 30 state parks. In

most cases, they are located on lakes or hillsides, providing spectacular views. Cabins are as diverse as the parks themselves, such as the historic 1930s stone cottages at F.D. Roosevelt and the round "barrel" cottages at Unicoi. Cabins are fully equipped with stoves, refrigerators, dining utensils, bed linens, blankets and towels. All cabins have heat and air conditioning. Many cabins have televisions, screened porches or decks and woodburning fireplaces or stoves. Firewood, paper towels and dish soap are typically not provided.
Cabins / cottages are not designed for organized groups; groups are urged to use group lodges at the parks where they are available. Cottage occupancies are not to exceed maximum recommended. Furniture and supplies are not to be transported between cottages.
Yurts: Go "glamping!" Luxury-loving campers will enjoy the yurts at Red Top Mountain, High Falls and Fort Yargo state parks. Yurts, which are like canvas and wood tents, provide comfortable furniture inside and a grill and picnic table outside. No need to pitch a tent.
Tent, Trailer and RV Camping: These developed sites offer electrical and water hookups, grills or fire rings, and picnic tables. Some are specially designed just for tents, while others have curved pull-thrus for large RVs. Modern comfort stations with hot showers, flush toilets and electrical outlets are conveniently located. All campgrounds have dump stations, and several offer cable TV hookups.
Walk-In Tent Sites: These wooded campsites provide a tent pad, picnic table and fire ring, but usually no water or electricity. While they are more secluded than tent/trailer/RV sites, they are within easy walking distance of a comfort station, water spigot, trash bins and central parking area.
Backcountry Sites: Backpackers will enjoy the solitude of these undeveloped sites. All camping gear (including water) is packed in and out by the hiker. A few parks, such as Tugaloo and Fort McAllister, have primitive campsites that do not require a long hike.