Callaway Resort & Gardens
Our Growth
What began in 1952 as Cason and Virginia Callaway’s dream to create a place where people and nature could thrive together, has steadily grown into one of the South’s most beloved family destinations. Like a garden tended through the years, Callaway Resort & Gardens continues to evolve, inspiring all who walk its paths.
Timeline
Callaway Resort & Gardens
1950
Cason and Virginia Callaway deed the land that ultimately becomes Callaway Resort & Gardens to the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation
1952
First named Ida Cason Gardens in honor of Cason Callaway’s mother, Callaway Gardens opens to the public
1953
Robin Lake Beach, America’s largest man-made inland white sand beach, opens
1959
The Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament is first hosted at Robin Lake Beach
1961-1981
Callaway Gardens builds cottages & villas
1962
Imagined and designed by Cason Callaway, Cason’s Vegetable Garden opens
1988
Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center opens, it is crowned with the cupola from Virginia Hand Callaway’s family home
1989
7.5-mile Discovery Bicycle Trail opens. Permanent Beach Dome erected at Robin Lake Beach.
1990
The Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel, designed by Cason Callaway in honor of his mother, is rededicated
1992
Fantasy In Lights, Callaway’s award-winning Christmas light and sound spectacle inspired by Virginia Callaway’s love of Christmas lights, debuts
1999
Discovery Bicycle Trail is expanded to 10 miles
2000
The Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, including the Birds of Prey show and Discovery Café, opens
2001
The Lake View and Mountain View golf courses are renovated
2002
Callaway adds a 54,000-square-foot conference center next to the cottages
2006
Nestled in the woods, the 150-room Callaway Lodge opens
2007
The Lodge adds the full-service Spa Prunifolia
2011
Treetop Adventures is added to the Discovery Center
2017
Cason’s Tap Room opens at the Lodge & Spa
2017
The Callaway Lodge & Spa is renovated and expanded
2019
Herschend Family Entertainment starts managing Callaway Resort & Gardens
2021
Pumpkins at Callaway, a family-friendly and non-spooky fall experience filled with thousands of pumpkins, colorful characters, towering cornstalks, golden sunflowers, and twinkling lights, debuts
2022
Herschend Enterprises purchases resort assets, wholly takes over Callaway Resort & Gardens commercial operations
2022
Cason’s Garden is refurbished and reopened as part of Callaway’s annual Celebrate SPRING! event
2023
The Himalayan Salt Room opens at the Spa Prunifolia
2024
As part of a multi-phased plan, Robin Lake Beach Plaza is renovated, opening with enhanced guest amenities
