Clay Cosmos, a 12-site glamping resort near Providence Canyon State Park in Lumpkin, Georgia, has opened with accommodations designed to turn visits to the state park into overnight stays.
The resort features six canvas cabins and six handcrafted, American-made Conestoga wagons located less than a mile from the park entrance.
Providence Canyon State Park spans 2,706 acres and features canyon walls reaching 150 feet deep, along with trails, a museum and visitor center.
Murphy Talmadge, founding partner at Clay Cosmos, said the resort was created to encourage visitors to spend more time in the area rather than visit the canyon for only a few hours.
“For years, people would drive out, walk the rim trail, snap a few photos of the canyon, and get right back in the car,” Talmadge said in a press release.
“We wanted to give them a reason to stay, to watch the canyon change color at sunset, then look straight up and see more stars than they’ve ever seen in their lives,” Talmadge added.
Clay Cosmos is built around the park’s landscape and nighttime conditions, with the resort’s name referring to the canyon’s clay formations and the site’s dark skies.
Guests staying two nights can walk the rim trail, hike into Canyons 4 and 5, participate in the Canyon Climbers Club and visit the park’s museum and visitor center.
The park also is home to the Plumleaf Azalea, which blooms in July and August.
Jojo Starr, operating partner at Clay Cosmos, said the accommodations are intended to provide a camping experience without requiring guests to bring camping equipment.
“It’s all the fun of camping with none of the work,” Starr said. “Real beds, private bathrooms, and a fire pit right outside your door.”
The resort also is positioned as a base for attractions elsewhere in Stewart County and surrounding areas.
Nearby destinations include historic downtown Lumpkin, Richland Distilling Company, Omaha Brewing Company, White Oak Pastures, Pasaquan and Florence Marina State Park.
Pasaquan, a seven-acre folk art compound in Buena Vista, is open Friday through Sunday, while Florence Marina State Park is nine miles from Clay Cosmos on Lake Walter F. George. Other nearby destinations include George T. Bagby State Park, Kolomoki Mounds State Park and Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge.
Featured image by Clay Cosmos
