Barnsley Resort & Beretta Shooting Grounds

May 14, 2020 Hunting,SCA Articles

At Barnsley Resort and the Beretta Shooting Grounds, you can combine a few hours of gunning instruction with some great bird-hunting.

It’s a love story straight out of the Old South, a Gone with the Wind-like saga filled with passion, wealth and war and, ultimately, despair.

Godfrey Barnsley, one of Savannah’s wealthiest cotton merchants, wanted to build an estate worthy of the love of his life, a true southern belle, Julia Scarborough. To get away from the city’s heat, he purchased some 10,000 acres in the rolling hills near Adairsville in north Georgia.

Looking to the Europeans for architectural inspiration, he began building a classic Italianate villa, complete with extensive gardens.

Sadly, Julia fell ill and died before the great manor was completed. Heartbroken, Godfrey stopped construction, but before he left, he claimed Julia’s spirit appeared to him one evening in the gardens and told him she wished him to complete the estate. With her aura to guide him, Barnsley finished work on the Woodlands, but new tragedies were soon to follow.

Barnsley lost his fortune during the Civil War, and soldiers from both sides ransacked the estate. Then in 1906 a fierce tornado ripped the roof off the villa, leaving the house at the mercy of the elements.

After decades of neglect, the property was finally transformed into Barnsley Resort, a world-class facility known for its exceptional array of outdoor activities and, notably, home to the Beretta Shooting Grounds. I’m sure Godfrey would be pleased to know that just a stone’s throw from the ruins of his Italian villa there is now a piece of Italy that’s flourishing on his beloved estate.

Through the resort’s new partnership with Beretta, guests can now sample the precision and craftsmanship of new Beretta shotguns under the guidance of an expert team.

High Adventure Company’s President and Certified Wildlife Biologist, John Burrell, alongside B.J. Moore, newly appointed shooting grounds land manager, reviewed, planned and oversaw a complete overhaul of the shooting grounds that included doubling the huntable acreage, and worked with a High Adventure Company appointed landscape architect to redesign the clubhouse grounds. Additionally, the clubhouse received a refreshed interior design, new covered pavilion for outdoor living space, and new four-wheel drive UTV vehicles, bringing the grounds up to High Adventure Company and Barnsley Resort’s premium standards.

The dog kennels have been modernized, and new pointing, flushing and retrieving dogs have been added for an unparalleled hunt, which include English pointers and setters, English cocker spaniels and Boykin spaniel breeds. High Adventure Company also introduced new world-class guides to the staff, building on Barnsley Resort’s commitment to providing memorable, expert-crafted experiences.

For sporting clays, all 28 stations on the two clays courses and five-stand have been updated with new, state-of-the-art Promatic machines and wireless card counting systems for an upgraded shooting experience.

Recently, I spent a few days at Barnsley Resort. Shooting enthusiasts will discover one of the top sporting clays facilities in the Southeast. Clays courses boast a diverse layout of shots in the open field, under a natural canopy in the woods and over water with two reclaimed bauxite mine ponds. A covered five-stand features multiple targets for team-building games and friendly competition. For tournaments and special events, an open-air pavilion overlooks an expansive open field.

While there are a handful of resorts that have excellent clay target facilities, what puts Barnsley Resort in a class by itself is the great hunting it offers. A fellow could spend the whole season there!

“Some of the best upland hunting in the world is closer than you think. In fact, for Atlanta, it’s practically in their backyard, just an hour away at Barnsley Resort,” says High Adventure Company President and CEO John Burrell. “As someone who has traveled the globe in search of memorable experiences, I can honestly say that the Beretta Shooting Grounds by High Adventure Company at Barnsley Resort is a largely undiscovered gem.”

Barnsley Resort puts a premium on customer service and has a raft of options to satisfy just about every guest. You can stay in charming but luxurious cottages, enjoy a round on a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, relax in the spa, go fly fishing or explore the resort’s historic past on horseback, not to mention its exceptional hunting and shooting opportunities.

My suggestion is to grab someone dear to you and head to Barnsley Resort for a few days. You may even come up with your own love story, and if so, I’m confident it will have a happy ending.