It’s been called one of the best daytrips from Atlanta, but now you have a reason to visit Providence Canyon State Park at night. Columbus State University’s Coca-Cola Space Science Center invites the public to drive down for an evening under the stars.
The event will begin 8 p.m. Saturday, March 26, with a brief presentation from Rosa Williams, professor of astronomy at Columbus State University and head of WestRock Observatory at CSU’s Coca-Cola Space Science Center.
After Williams discusses the objects you’ll see in the evening sky this spring, participants will move to the telescopes to view “dark-sky objects” like the Pleiades and Beehive star clusters, a double cluster in Perseus, and the Orion and Flaming Star Nebulas.
Stargazing will take place on the field between the playground and restrooms, and participants are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. The park’s main entrance is off Route 39C.
If you want to make a day of it, drive down early and explore Providence Canyon, nicknamed the Little Grand Canyon.
Providence Canyon is 150 miles southwest of Atlanta, about seven miles west of Lumpkin. It’s situated in an outdoor recreation area that encompasses 1,103 acres and 16 canyons.
The state park has 10 miles of trails to hike, all beginning and ending at the visitor’s center.
One of the most popular, the five-mile Canyon Loop Trail, circles nine of the canyons and takes about two hours to hike. Rated easy to moderate, it travels through a shady forest and reaches the canyon floor at a quarter-mile, according to Atlanta Trails.
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