Although fall semester is back in full force, there’s one thing that student’s shouldn’t forget: It’s only August, and there are a lot of fun things to do while the season lasts that are cheap or, better yet, free!

The Not-So-Secret Garden

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia, located off South Milledge, is a beautiful place to visit this time of year. There are five gardens to choose from, which include many different varieties of plants and flowers. Guided tours are offered through the Volunteer office, or they can be toured solo. There are also five miles of nature trails that run through the gardens.

 2450 South Milledge Avenue, Athens, Ga. 30605
Website: www.uga.edu/~botgarden/

Hike It Out

Another place that doesn’t charge for visitation is Fort Yargo State Park, located off GA Highway 81.

Nature lovers can appreciate Fort Yargo’s fifteen miles of hiking and mountain biking trails, some of which follow the perimeter of the park’s 260-acre lake, Marbury Creek Reservoir. The lake also has a swimming beach, and pedal boat rentals are available for visitors as well.

 210 S. Broad Street
Winder, Ga. 30680
Website: www.gastateparks.org/info/ftyargo/

Gorge-ous

Though it is more of a drive, Tallulah Gorge State Park is worth the extra gas. The park is located off 441. The gorge, carved out by Tallulah River, is over 2 miles long and almost 1000 feet deep. The park has hiking trails, which range from moderate to difficult, and run all the way around the gorge- and into it, via steps and a suspension bridge. The trails feature overlooks, at which hikers can see different views of the gorge and the six waterfalls it contains.

The park also offers permits, free of charge, which allow visitors to go into the gorge. After taking the steps to the bottom and stepping off the trail, hikers must rock hop across the river and hike 2 miles to the south end of the gorge, before wading across the river again and climbing back up.

The advantages of the hike are close-up the waterfalls views, the swimming hole at the end of the hike near Bridal Veil Falls, the smallest of the falls in the gorge.

 338 Jane Hurt Yarn Drive
Tallulah Falls, Ga. 30573
Website: www.gastateparks.org/info/tallulah/

Tubing Ist Gut

Those who want get away from Athens completely should visit Helen, Georgia. The town is German-themed from the architecture right down to the fudge. There are many shops that offer a variety of hand made souvenirs, as well as restaurants of all kinds. Still, the best part of Helen in the summer is the tubing. There are two tubing companies to choose from, Cool River Tubing and Helen Tubing.

Both have water parks and offer 1 hour and 2 and a half hour tubing trips down the Chattahoochee River, which runs through Helen. Water park admissions are separate, but tubing at both places is 5 dollars or less.

 Website: www.helengeorgia.com