For a couple that enjoys travel, it is embarrassing to admit late May marked our first visit to a Georgia state park in over two decades.

In the intervening years, we had been to state parks in Oregon, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Texas, Washington and several other states. Even the long-ago visits to Georgia parks were one-nighters in a VW camper during a return from out-of-state trips.

The recent visit to Georgia Veterans State Park west of Cordele included a three-night stay at Lake Blackshear Resort and Golf Club, a state-owned facility operated by a private management company.

Over the years we have visited state parks that proved pretty dismal while others were delightful. Georgia Veterans checks in as a member of the latter group. The buildings and grounds are well-maintained and much of the lake is surrounded with cypress trees.

Even though our stay was on a weekend during which the lodge and campground were at full capacity, the park seemed uncrowded.

Georgia Veterans State Park lies along the eastern shoreline of 20-mile-long Lake Blackshear that was created in 1930 when the Flint River was dammed. The 1,300-acre park is home to an exceptionally nice resort, a marina, a well-done military museum, an 18-hole golf course, nature trails, an 18-hole disc golf course, a variety of water activities and, surprisingly, a train station.

During our stay, we visited the museum, attempted several activities, took a pontoon boat outing and thoroughly enjoyed a murder mystery train ride. The park’s crown jewel is its golf course but rather than embarrass ourselves flailing around on the links, most of our free time was devoted to reading, hiking and enjoying nature.

While we didn’t golf, we borrowed a golf cart to scout the 18-hole course designed by Atlanta course architect Denis Griffiths. The newly arrived course pro, Brian Williamson, who has been involved with golf for over 35 years, described the resort course as “user friendly and challenging but doesn’t eat you up.”

With regard to the latter item, Brian failed to mention the alligator that hangs out around the 15th hole. Three female golfers who had taken a lesson from Brian raved about his teaching skills. The rack rate for a round of golf including cart is $45 with discounts for seniors, veterans and first responders. The resort offers several golf packages.

With a lack of interest in golf, we tried our hand at the shooting and archery ranges. Equipment including bows, arrows and air guns can be rented at the Visitor Center. One of us went with the old-fashioned Daisy Red Ryder while the other chose a newer model with more power.

Two archery ranges are available. One includes standard bulls-eye targets while the 3-D range has 15 stations, each with a different size target shaped as an animal. We were told that hunters frequently arrive with their own equipment for practice prior to the beginning of hunting season. Our attempt at archery proved humiliating.

One of the most unusual facilities in the park is the train depot that serves the historic SAM Shortline Railroad discussed in a previous column. The train operates on weekends from the park depot to Americus, where it stops to allow riders to disembark and visit the town, then on to Plains for another stop before returning to the park.

During our weekend stay, we enjoyed a two-and-a-half-hour Mystery Dinner Train, sponsored by Friends of Jimmy Carter, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting the national historic site in Plains.

The resort and golf course are open year-round but the marina closes during the winter months, opening at the end of March and closing at the end of October. It offers gas, covered dock spaces and pontoon rentals. Kayak and canoes can be rented at the Visitor Center. One beautiful morning we enjoyed a leisurely three-hour guided pontoon boat ride. A swimming beach is near the marina as are boat ramps and a large parking area for visitors bringing their own boats.

Opposite the marina, Cypress Grill is open for lunch and dinner with live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. The grill is open from St. Patrick’s Day through Halloween. The main restaurant and 88’s Lakeside Bar are open year-round in the conference center building.

For group functions, picnic pavilions are scattered around the park, each with an outdoor grill. One air-conditioned group shelter can accommodate 100 people. The lodge is relatively small with 14 guest rooms, while eight Villa buildings each have eight guest rooms with small screened porches. An outdoor swimming pool with a hot tub is located behind the lodge. Ten two-bedroom, one-bath cottages each have a kitchen and screened porch. All rooms and cottages face the lake with a few in each category being pet friendly.

The campground has 77 relatively large sites, most with full hook-ups. Twenty-seven choice sites are alongside the lake.

David and Kay Scott are authors of “Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges” (Globe Pequot). The Scotts live in Valdosta.

If You Go

Park entrance fee: $5 per vehicle. Waived for lodge guests.

Rates: Lodge and Villas – $179 weekdays; $209 weekends.

Cabins: $199 weekdays; $289 weekends.

The Lodge, Villas and Cabins incur a daily resort fee of $16.

Campground sites: Lakeside – $65; Non-Lakeside – $55 – $60; Tent site – $18.

Rental Rates: Kayaks and canoes, $20 per hour.

Pontoon boat, $75 per hour, $250 half day (four hours); $400 full day (eight hours).

BB guns, $10; Bow & Arrows, $15.