Daytripping from Americus - Butterflies and Wine

This was truly my kind of daytrip - butterflies and wine.  We drove about an hour and 45 minutes to visit the Cecil B Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens.  It is one of the largest, tropical, glass-enclosed conservatories in North America.

There were beautiful flowers outside of the conservatory and I found this predator lurking.

You have to be very careful entering the conservatory not to allow any of the butterflies to escape.

One of the first butterflies we saw feeding on some fruit.

Everywhere you looked, there was something beautiful and exotic.

There is a beautiful waterfall.

And, lush foliage.

But, back to the butterflies.

That's not a butterfly!

I took a little break from the heat in the conservatory to look at the "new arrivals".

This is where the magic happens as they emerge from their chrysalides, dry their wings, and take their first wing-beats. 

I found this absolutely fascinating.

I went back into the conservatory to see how many more butterfly species I could photograph.

After a couple of hours of butterfly observation, it was time to head to Warm Springs Winery.  It is about 25 minutes from Callaway Gardens.

You drive in past this lovely home, a replica of FDR's home.

And, you come to the winery and tasting room.

We were given the tasting list with tasting notes.

As you can see, we had a lot of wine to taste.

Yes, we really did try all of them.

We bought some White House White and Hotlanta.   Hotlanta is jalapeno infused red wine.  It is delicious! 

Heidi was a superb hostess.

We really had an absolutely wonderful day and if you like butterflies and wine, this is a perfect day trip from Americus.  Even if you don't visit us, check out Warm Springs Winery.  Did I mention that the tasting was FREE?

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast blog.  Check back soon to see what other day trips we may have planned that are perfect for you.

Love,

Susan

Daytripping from Americus - A Tale of 3 SouthWest Georgia Vineyards - Chapter 3

When you think of Georgia back roads, this is what comes to mind - red clay.  On our way to the third SouthWest Georgia winery, this is exactly what we saw.

It was an overcast, drizzly day, so my photos are a little less crisp than usual.

We passed lots of open spaces.

We saw peanuts, cotton, corn and soybeans growing.

There were lots of cows.

About 40 minutes away from Americus, we saw the sign for Five Points Berries.

It is a 40 acre family farm winery in Mauk, Georgia that has been producing blueberry wine since 2007.

They grow and harvest all their own blueberries.

They use solar power for the drip irrigation system.

Sterling is the master winemaker (and owner) of Five Points Berries and he was our host for the tasting of their delicious wines.  Please make sure you call them for an appointment.  There is no store front and you are visiting their home!

What makes these wines of special interest is that they do not have any added sulphites.  For those of us who are sensitive to sulphites, we can actually enjoy these wines!

We started with "Friends" which is a semi-sweet red wine with 15% alcohol.  It is delicious.

"Wild Blue Yonder" is a pale, dry wine with 16% alcohol.  Also, delicious.

We tried all 6 varieties and because we couldn't choose a favorite we bought all of them.

Of special note, "Blue Flannel", which is a sweet port styled dessert wine just took the Silver Medal in the 2016 Georgia Trustees Competition!

So, if you might enjoy some wonderful LOCAL wine, there are several wineries within a reasonable distance for you to explore.   For more information on Five Points Berries, you can visit their website.

As always, thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast online.  Stay tuned for our next day trip post about a butterfly garden and, yes, another winery!