Radium Springs Resort

Radium Springs Resort. A Sparkling Swimming Hole. Whether or not Radium Springs' crystal-clear, blue water has mystical powers, people once flocked to take a dip in the natural pool. Developers in the early 1900s built a restaurant and guest cottages, followed by a grand "'Casino," finished in 1927. Despite its name, the Casino did not house gambling, just entertainment., Set atop terraced stone walls rising from the pool, the colonial-style Casino building boasted an elegant dining room and a cavernous dance hall. Guests enjoyed lavish meals, dancing, moonlit canoe rides, and swimming in the sparkling water., Underwater lights revealed eels, fish, and turtles, too. Daytime activities also included golf, horseback riding, hunting, and tennis., Radioactivity Revealed , American Indians called the spring "Skywater." White settlers called it "Blue Springs." Lab tests in the 1920s found traces of naturally occurring radium in the water, and the name changed to "Radium Springs.", Year-Round Retreat Winter, spring, summer, or fall, the Radium Springs swimming hole stays at 68°F. Just 4 miles from Albany, Georgia, the resort hosted golf tournaments, galas, and beauty pageants in its "Glory Years." During World War II, the Radium Springs Casino was rented as an Officer's Club by the Army Air Corps., (captions) , The pool and was enlarged and banked with rocks removed from the spring. Concrete walkway, complete with cement railing, surrounded a semicircular portion of the pool area. Steps leading to a lower concrete walkway and to the water were placed in four different areas., Bobby Jones was one of many famous golfers to enjoy the curse at Radian Springs., The Casino Closes A fire in 1982 and floods in 1994 and 1998 damaged the Casino building beyond repair. The remaining structure was removed in 2003. Radium Springs is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. Today the grounds around the spring have been reborn as a botanical garden.