Playing in cool water on a hot day is the best summer sensation! We’ll help you make a splash before the end of summer with lakeside swimming beaches, splash pads or swimming pools. Dip your toes in the sand at Red Top Mountain, Fort Mountain, Reed Bingham, Hard Labor Creek or Tugaloo state parks. Little non-swimmers can jump through spraygrounds at Jack Hill or Magnolia Springs state parks. You can even swim in a historic Liberty Bell-shaped pool at F.D. Roosevelt State Park. Find more places to cool off soon on GaStateParks.org. (Photo of Red Top Mountain State Park.)

The annual Perseid Meteor Shower should be a good show this year since the new moon is August 16. This celestial event is active from mid-July to late August, peaking around August 12 and 13 in 2023. Join park rangers for a variety of Perseid programs that week, like an August 11 paddle at Tugaloo and Hard Labor Creek state parks, or August 12 telescope viewing at Magnolia Springs State Park. Stephen C. Foster State Park hosts Swampers Guide to the Galaxy on August 12 for overnight guests. This park in the Okefenokee Swamp is a certified “Dark Sky” park, making it one of the best places in the country to enjoy stargazing. Find Perseid programs and book your cottage or campsite today.

Get the buzz on bees this August while celebrating National Honey Bee Day on August 19. These tiny insects make an enormous impact on our lives. Join park rangers to learn about bees and make a bee craft at Victoria Bryant or F.D. Roosevelt state parks. Participate in a pollinator census at Skidaway Island State Park. Interested in other pollinators like bumble bees as well? Learn how to conduct bumble bee surveys on August 12 at Panola Mountain State Park (registration limited). Find details and more bee-related programs on GaStateParks.org.

From the raging rapids of Tallulah Gorge to the serene Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia has paddling experiences for all skill levels. Visitors can bring their own boats or rent canoes, kayaks and aquacycles at numerous locations. Love a quest? Join our Park Paddlers Club which challenges you to explore a dozen waterways all across Georgia, going at your own pace. Share your adventures with us by tagging #GaStateParks and #ParkPaddlersClub on Instagram. Find places to dip your paddle in the water on GaStateParks.org. (Photo of Stephen C. Foster State Park.)