Getting out in nature can be a great way for people of any age to unwind or destress from a long week. And Don Carter State Park is the perfect place for such activities with its beach access and forest trails.

“We try and get all ages involved with different programs at the park,” Don Carter State Park naturalist David Guzman said.

But the facility gears one program specifically for residents 50 years and older. It is called Silver in the Park.

On most Wednesdays, the Silver in the Park group has one event to participate. It includes power walking, kayaking, paddleboating and “aquacycling.”

Ceil Thompson is one of the regular attendees. The Gainesville resident lives only 10 minutes from the park, so she is there whenever she can be, she said.

“In the mornings, it’s perfect,” Thompson said.

Luckily for her, the park is dog-friendly. She said she usually brings her dogs, Noodles and Grace, for the walks.

“They are both rescues,” said Thompson, who volunteers with the Hall County Animal Shelter.

Her dogs aren’t the only ones she brings to the state park in Gainesville.

“Whenever I have friends in town, I bring them,” Thompson said. “I come (to the park) as often as I can.”

In fact, Thompson is a member of a state parks program. She receives a calendar with all of the information she may need to stay informed. So when different activities pique her interest, she heads to the park off Browning Bridge Road.

Thompson and four other individuals met up for a mile and a half power walk Wednesday morning, walking the 1-mile Woodland loop trail and the more hilly and hard half-mile Lakeview trail. Both trails are paved.

Edna Kepper brought her friend, Margie Fannons, and her husband, Roger Fannons.

“We walk a lot together,” Kepper said of her friend Margie.

The two of them try to get together as often as possible at the park, as much as three times a week.

“I grabbed my friends and said, ‘Let’s go,’” Kepper said.

She said she heard of the program from a friend. So far she has attended the power walking, the kayaking and the aquacycling events.

“(Aquacycling) is so fun,” she said. “You always want to try new things.”

The next Silver in the Park will be a birdwatching hike. The Let’s Go Birdwatching group is meeting at 10 a.m. Sept. 14 at the trailhead parking.

According to the website gastateparks.org/doncarter, the event will be a short hike ending with an educational talk on local bird calls. Bringing a lunch picnic is recommended, but not required.

Wear closed-toed shoes and bring water and insect repellent. The cost is $5 plus $5 in parking.

Call 678-450-7726 for more information.