Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl

Cason Callaway first came to this land chasing a rare azalea — *Rhododendron prunifolium*, the plumleaf — growing wild in worn-out Georgia cotton country. That discovery in 1930 eventually became Callaway Gardens, and the Azalea Bowl is where the obsession took root. The broader gardens now draw over 750,000 visitors a year, and the foundation that still stewards its free attractions traces directly back to that single plant found in depleted soil.