Victoria Bryant State Park....what a gem

There’s nothing quite like August camping in Georgia. For that matter, there’s nothing
quite like doing anything outdoors during the month of August in Georgia. It’s either hot, hotter or sizzling. We had originally planned our August
excursion to be at a place called Devil’s Fort (does that really sound like a good idea?) in S.C. but due to the death of a good friend of mine, we cancelled our plans there and found a campground closer to the Lawrenceville area to allow me to attend his memorial service,
which was set for the Friday of our trip. We found a complete gem of a little campground
at Victoria Bryant State Park in Royston Georgia, just about 30 minutes outside
of Athens. Temp-wise, it still felt as if we were visiting something owned and operated by the Satanl, but really it’s just another outstanding little Georgia State Park.
As per usual for most Georgia parks, the campsites were water and electric only (no
sewer or cable hook-ups) but they were safely the largest, nicest campsites of
any campground we’ve been to yet (public or private). All the sites were graded, level and covered with tons of pea gravel.

First morning with pancakes and sausage….yummy.
The campground has two loops but only one was open during our visit. Our loop was
like a little cul-de-sac with an open area in the middle that housed a large
picnic pavilion, a huge sand volley ball court and a large fire pit. It would
be a great place to go with a group of friends and kids because you can keep an
eye on them anywhere in the cul-de-sac from any campsite plus the traffic circle is perfect for kids to ride their bikes around time and time again.
Just a few yards from the cul-de-sac sat the small but clean bath house.
It definitely could use some updating but it really wasn’t all that bad
considering some of the ones we’ve seen! Conveniently, it also has a small
laundry area as well as a shower/bath area designated for handicapped
individuals. Thankfully, the camp host took a liking to us (we called him “the
hostess with the mostest”) and allowed us to use that facility with the kids
since no one else needed it. Having extra space definitely makes it easier to
try to clean a tired, curious, wriggling two year old.
The really cool part of the park was the trail down to
the river that ran through it. As short walk through the woods (or brief
drive) brought you to a great, beautiful river with tons of rocks and bridges
to climb on and explore. Joshua had his
first ever experience of sliding down river rocks. He was a little scared (“Are
you SURE I can do this, Minya?”) but he loved it. And nothing beats the heat
better than good cold river water. Not far from the prettiest and most easily
accessible part of the river was a really great little playground that had all
sorts of great equipment on it. And just up the road from that was a swimming
pool. It is rare to find pools at Georgia State Parks and frequently when you
find the park has one, it is often closed due to budget restraints. But this
pool was open on Saturday and Sundays. We didn’t visit it since we spent so
much time in the river but it’s good to know it’s there for our next trip back
there.
Nana and Grandpa came to spend the
afternoon and evening with us on Saturday, we went on a hike and saw deer,
walked down to the river and played on the rocks, and cooked out steaks and baked
potatoes on the grill. It was a great
trip and we will definitely visit this campground again soon….hopefully our next trip will be in a 23ss Rockwood Roo
travel trailer…..the purchase is in the works.