ATLANTA, GA - National Grandparents Day is officially September 7, yet every day can be special when spent with those you love. While finding activities that both 6-year-olds and 60-year-olds can enjoy is a challenge, Georgia’s State Parks & Historic Sites offer plenty of ideas. You will find dozens of places right near your own back yard where grandparents can build lifelong memories with the little ones in their lives.

Even a simple stroll in the woods can be fascinating to children, and some state parks have trails suitable for little legs or strollers. Tallulah Gorge State Park near Clayton has a paved trail that follows an old railroad bed and crosses a stream. Kids will love the suspension bridge and watching live animals in the visitor center. A mostly flat trail at Red Top Mountain State Park in Cartersville offers nice views of Lake Allatoona and is perfect for older children who love riding bikes. At Skidaway Island State Park near Savannah, wave back at thousands of fiddler crabs that scamper under the boardwalk during low tide.

Georgia’s State Parks and Historic Sites host hundreds of events throughout the year, with a calendar posted on www.GeorgiaStateParks.org. A number of programs are schedule for Grandparents Day weekend. Mistletoe State Park on Clarks Hill Lake is planning a Grandparent-Child Scavenger Hunt on September 6, while Hard Labor Creek State Park in Rutledge welcomes all ages to its observatory open house that evening. Feeling more adventurous? Visit Unicoi State Park near Helen on September 27 for Outdoor Adventure Day where the family can learn to catch trout, paddle a canoe, watch a snake show, take a hayride and more.

For many families, Georgia’s historic sites are a creative way to teach children about their past. Jarrell Plantation Historic Site near Juliette, Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation near Darien and General Coffee State Park in Douglas all feature farm buildings from the 1800s. New Echota Historic Site in Calhoun teaches about Cherokee Indian lineage. Did your forefathers fight in the Civil War? Visit Fort McAllister Historic Park south of Savannah to walk into a bunker housing straw-filled beds like soldiers slept in.

Remember for fun of making s’mores and sleeping under the stars? Treat your family to a night of camping. Gather around a fire to swap tall tales, silly ghost stories and favorite memories. Campers will enjoy the comforts of bathhouses with hot showers, laundry facilities, and even rangers or campground hosts to help you settle in. If camping isn’t for you, most state parks also offer fully equipped cottages or hotel-style lodge rooms – all surrounded with adventure and beauty.

Did someone special help you reel in your first fish? Re-live that memory by teaching a youngster how to bait a hook and cast a line. Luckily for Georgians, fishing is good year-round, and many state parks offer stocked ponds. If your grandchildren don’t have their own equipment, 25 state parks will loan poles for free.

For help in planning a day with your grandchildren, visit www.GeorgiaStateParks.org or call 1-800-864-7275 for a free brochure. Georgia’s state parks charge a $3 - $4 parking fee, but many activities are free. (Helpful hint: Parking fees are waived on Wednesdays.) Admission to historic sites is affordable, ranging from $1.50 to $7 per person.