Experience Georgia

To make your shopping easier, Walton Gas employees shared their favorite gift ideas and links for local experiences. If you’re keeping an eye on your shopping budget, note that we’ve included many suggestions that are low cost or free. Make this the year you give the gift of Georgia with any of these options.

For craft beer fans: Take advantage of Georgia’s growing craft beer scene by gifting a group of friends with a tasting experience. Robbie Nash, commercial account manager, says Athens offers a Craft Beer Crawl that covers six local breweries. Visitors can pick up a beer trail field guide, have it stamped at each stop, and earn a special gift. Drive yourself or hop aboard a trolley (available Thursdays and Fridays) to visit locations. Another option: Plan a trip to the Fire and Ice Chili Cookoff and Craft Beer Festival in Blue Ridge on Feb. 15.

For wine enthusiasts: Ashlie Franklin, commercial account manager, suggests surprising a wine lover with a day’s drive along the Dahlonega Wine Trail for spectacular views, award-winning wines and the opportunity to meet winemakers. The Georgia Foothills Wine Trail, in and around Gainesville, takes you to six wineries and tasting rooms. Or, explore the Georgia Wine Highway to put together your own wine-tasting adventure.

For the golfer: A golf course gift certificate that covers green fees, cart fees or even club membership is sure to be appreciated, says Jim Bottone, vice president of Walton Energy. The University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens offers gift certificates online for quick and easy giving. Georgia State Parks offers an annual Greens Pass that covers green fees at all eight state park courses.

For the TV or movie watcher: Does your grandmother LOVE Steve Harvey? Get her free tickets for a taping of “Family Feud” by requesting them at on-camera-audiences.com. Tickets for a variety of Atlanta-area TV game shows and courtroom shows are also offered, advises Lunnette Edens, customer care supervisor.

Georgia’s booming TV and movie industry has given rise to many paid guided tours of filming locations. For a DIY approach, volunteer to be the driver for a self-guided tour along the Douglas County Film Trail to see sites used in productions such as “The Hunger Games” and “Avengers: Infinity Wars” as well as TV’s “Stranger Things” and “The Walking Dead.”

For an animal lover: Give a guided safari tour at the newly opened Georgia Safari Conservation Park near Madison, recommends Haley Watson, customer care representative. Tour guests can see giraffes, rhinos and other African wildlife living at the 530-acre park during the 90-minute tour.

For a veteran: Plan a trip to visit one of the state’s museums showcasing military heritage, suggests Tassie Kirven, director of consumer services. The Museum of Aviation in Warner Robbins, which honors Air Force heritage, is the second largest museum in the U.S. Air Force and the fourth most visited museum in the Department of Defense. The Third Infantry Division Museum at Fort Stewart in Hinesville features objects from World War II, Desert Storm and present-day military activities. The National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center in Columbus is the only museum in the country dedicated to the American infantryman and preserves one of the greatest collections of military artifacts. All are free admission.

For the outdoors adventurer: Logan Elliott, commercial account representative, suggests purchasing an annual pass to a favorite park or natural area to treat family and friends to a year of outdoor fun. A $50 Georgia State ParkPass provides access to 48 state parks. Half-off ParkPass discounts are available for seniors 62 and older, as well as 25% off for active-duty military and veterans. Georgia also sells state park gift cards that can be used on campsites, cabins, boat rentals and more.

For $25, you can give an Oconee River Recreation Area annual pass that provides day-use access to seven Georgia recreation areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

Through its Every Kid Outdoors program, the National Park Service offers families with fourth-grade students a free annual pass to national park sites in Georgia and around the country that charge a fee for parking or entry.

For the history buff: Georgia is chock full of historic sites, museums and attractions you can explore for free with Experience Passes available from Georgia’s public libraries, reminds Phil Weatherly, business development director. Among the options currently listed by the Gwinnett County Public Library are six free admissions to the Atlanta History Center where visitors can experience the Cyclorama multi-media exhibit, see Hank Aaron’s 600th home run bat and more. Library passes can also be used for free parking and admission at any of Georgia’s historic sites maintained by the Georgia State Parks system.

For the fine arts devotee: Sara Beddington, marketing specialist, recommends giving the gift of entertainment by purchasing a season subscription to a local playhouse. Some may offer special holiday discounts on tickets. Check out the upcoming schedule of plays and musicals for venues such as On Stage Playhouse in Monroe and Lawrenceville’s Aurora Theater. Check out a library Experience Pass to score free tickets for productions at The Alliance Theater and Shakespeare Tavern, both in Atlanta.

For music lovers, set a date to attend a performance by a community symphony such as the Athens Symphony. Many community symphonies offer free admission for their performances.

For museum goers: Know someone who’s mad for museums? Contact the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens to purchase a $125 membership with reciprocal admission privileges, recommends Kathy Ivie, community youth specialist. The membership card holder will gain free admission to more than 1,000 art and history museums, botanical gardens, children’s museums, zoos and more in the U.S. and Canada, including more than 35 in Georgia.

For the curious: Give the gift of learning, says Priscilla McDaniel, customer care representative. From art to zumba, there’s a class nearby for almost every interest. Check out local agencies like Athens-Clarke County’s Leisure Services to see a list of upcoming classes and fees for instruction in art, dance, swimming and more. Retailers such as Hobby Lobby and Michael’s offer in-person classes in drawing, painting, cake decorating and scrapbooking. The Gwinnett County Public Library offers classes covering a range of topics such as screenwriting, 3D printing, sewing and origami that are low cost or free with a library card. University of Georgia Extension offices, located in each county, offer classes in subjects such as gardening, culinary arts and yoga. The Stage Oconee in Watkinsville offers performing arts classes covering dance, acting, music literacy and puppetry.

Don’t forget the discounts

Wrap up the perfect experience present by leveraging memberships in organizations like the Georgia Farm Bureau and AAA for discounts on tickets to area theme parks and entertainment options such as movies. Many electric co-ops in the state also offer discounts through the free Co-op Connections program. Active and retired military, as well as first responders, can take advantage of admission discounts offered at places like Six Flags Over Georgia.