The Folk Art Project

Holy Cow! What a fun little place!

 

I heard about this little gem in the Georgia magazine that is sent to us by our power company. It is a 2 acre park that has a whole bunch of buildings made out of pebbles (and glass, sea shells, etc). I believe there are over 60. Some are small (fairies would like in them!) and some are big (like the one pictured above). My boys really enjoyed exploring this mini kingdom. 

My favorite was the Cathedral of Notre Dame

The park is fairly small. My kids (all boys mind you!) were done exploring after about 30 minutes. But it is beautifully kept with lots of flowers, trees, and shrubs.  There are 2 picnic tables and a small gazebo. We happened to bring a picnic so we stayed almost 1-1/2 hours. There are no garbage cans so be prepared to take your garbage with you. The park is also mostly in shade which is lovely! That being said, there are a lot of bugs since the little park is located on a pond. None of us got bit by anything, but there were ample bugs, including dragonflies!

One thing my kids noticed before me that made it that much more magical:
The rooms were sometimes occupied by dancing princes and princesses or a stagecoach or a regal dinner session. It was fun to peak into all the windows!

How to get there:
Take exit 312 off of I-75. Head west on Highway 53 for almost exactly 4 miles. Don't turn right or left (There is a cross street right before you get there that might confuse you, just keep on straight!)
On the right you will see the Seventh-day Adventist Church:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Calhoun+Seventh-day+Adventist+Church/@34.463002,-84.982466,2a,90y,90t/data=!3m5!1e2!3m3!1s-Wl5-Qi4FPVY%2FUswgykJJyXI%2FAAAAAAAAaac%2Fh0wdMj9M6eo!2e4!3e12!4m5!1m2!2m1!1sseventh-day+adventist+church+near+Calhoun,+GA!3m1!1s0x0:0x5cfb489e3929e9c7!6m1!1e1

Turn INTO their parking lot. Head to the back of the parking lot where there will be a gravel driveway. Follow that driveway (only 50 feet or so) and park. There is only room for about 4 cars. If it's full, park in the church lot.

The park is FREE. There is a place to put donations if you wish. Enter at your own risk sign is there. I take it mean you could stumble and get hurt. Or get stuck in the mud if you get too close to the pond. Or even cut yourself on some glass or shell. All three of those things happened to one of the kids we were with! :)

It is a long trek from Dalton/Cohutta. But there are a lot of restaurants if you want to eat out. It is also the same exit as the Outlet Mall. Or you can visit Payne Farm and Produce
https://www.facebook.com/paynefarmandproduce
Right now they have U-pick strawberries for $1.75/lb. I go there every year! I don't know how long they will have strawberries though. Just check their facebook page.

I saw this in the church parking lot and it gave me a laugh: