We wanted to go to play at night since there were Christmas lights all over the course. We had so…read moremuch fun! Some of the holes were challenging (for beginners Atleast) but we made it! A smaller group was behind us and were having to wait for us to finish at each hole so that wasn't the best. So much fun for the price we had fun!

Great little put put course. Not the best I've ever been to. Most are semi straight shots, little…read moreto no obstacles, would be great to take the kiddos to. Nice staff.

Jimmy and Joey were amazing along with their crew . This was my first time zip lining and I was…read morealittle nervous. They definitely made my experience light and laughable . Jimmy and Joey were extremely patient and kind with everyone and took their time to explain each step along the zip line adventure . I would definitely come again and try out level 3 . Each level upgraded in view, speed and distance . Best experience by far and best instructors and team from the register to the main event . Love every single minute of it .

The instructors were nice and tried their best, but the level 1 left a lot to be desired. As…read moresomeone who has zip lined before, I was expecting a few long range lines. However, we stayed in what seemed like a 200 foot radius. It was so hot out on the day we went and the lines are so short that by the time you cool off a little you are basically at the end. The level 3 may have fixed some of the law things, but it is also pretty expensive to do.

Venue Smithgall Woods State Park ( Smithgall Cottages) 5 out of 5 stars…read more After copious amounts of research and several venue tours, we decided on Smithgall Woods state park, and more specifically the cottages as the venue for our wedding on June 8th. We just have to say we loved the team we worked with at Smithgall, mainly Todd, Patty, and Art. Todd at Guestservices was simply fantastic! As he will be quick to mention "the venue sells itself", however having him as our man on the inside was a pretty huge selling point on its own. He was with us every step of the way to answer our plethora of questions, work with vendors, and generally keep our minds at ease. Honestly, I doubt the wedding weekend would have gone as smoothly and been as much of a success had it not been for Todd's guidance and cooperation. The venue is magical. I know how that sounds, but it's the truth. It's tucked away deep in the beautiful North Georgia mountains, surrounded by a lush forest teaming with wildlife. This majestic property consists of five "cottages", in quotations because they are more like log cabin style mansions. The two largest being; the expansive 4 bedroom 4.5 bathroom cottage called the Smithgall Cottage, and the even larger 5 bedroom 5 bathroom Dover cottage. The Creekside Cottage is 3 bedrooms, and The Laurel and Garden cottages are one bedroom cottages with hot tubs on secluded side porches. All the cottages were clean, modern, and a huge hit with our guests. We were able to house both our families, close friends and wedding party all on the same property. Which saved us a great deal on lodging. Which after factoring in the cost of rooms made this one of the more affordable wedding venues out there. Also you get it for the whole weekend!!! We used the Smithgall Cottage for our wedding location due to the large wrap around porch and decks, and also due to the picturesque, covered foot bridge under which flows a gorgeous champion trout stream. We had some difficulty deciding where on this property to hold our ceremony because it is simply lovely all over. Unfortunately, the record rainfall that weekend made the decision for us. Even though the storms limited our use of the enormous field in front of the Dover cottage, and the gardens next to Smithgall we still were able to comfortably host our 50 or so guests and dozen vendors, at the Smithgall Cottage and our ceremony and reception went along wonderfully. We would highly recommend this venue to anyone wishing to have a once in a lifetime event at a once in a lifetime location.

I came here to see the covered bridge, but discovered they have so much more…read more THE SCENE Smithgall Woods may not be someplace Georgians are familiar with, unless you are an avid hunter or trout fisherman. It was once private property that was gifted to the state by conservationist Charles A. Smithgall Jr. in 1994. A large section still remains private property for the Smithgall family, but what was gifted is a treasure trove of beautiful mountains, streams, meadow fields and wetlands. I began my solo hike around 12:15pm from the Visitors Center. There I was given a map and a few brief highlights of points of interest, like the waterfalls and gold mine. I then set off one what turned out to be a 4.5 hour adventure. Probably not the smartest of ideas since I had surgery just three weeks ago. But I was tired of resting around the house and desperately wanted to get out and do something. Besides, nature brings a calmness to my inner being and allows me to relax my mind in ways I just can't at home. It was a perfect day with perfect temperatures for hiking. In my entire time there, I only ran across one other human. ----- THE HIKE Inside the Visitor's Center is a gift shop and small wildlife museum of the nature plants and animals. I walked down the paved Tsalaki Trail towards the Cathy Ellis Trail (approximately 2.6 mile away). The trail starts off as a fairly steep incline. Along the way I saw a sign saying "caution - bees". I thought that was a curious warning until I noticed the white honey bee houses in the woods nearby. Next came the wetlands with a one mile looping trail and a boardwalk into the marshes. Here you have a strong possibility of seeing a beaver at work on a dam. I decided to save this area for my return hike and I'm glad I did. My energy on the return leg was running very low and I needed the benches here for a nice long rest. I reached the covered bridge about 37 minutes after leaving the visitors center. It was a real beauty made in the simple Town Lattice style. The memorial plaque at the entrance was titled "Bay's Bridge In loving memory of 'Bay' Elizabeth Smithgall Watts", whom died the year the land for the state park was gifted. It crosses the amazing mountain stream known as Duke's Creek. The creek from here will be a large part of your journey. The trail turns to gravel just past the bridge. MARTIN'S MINE was one of the first Gold mines in Georgia. Most of the mining occurred from 1829 to 1935. By the 1840's most of the easy gold was gone and hard mining began. Miners dug tunnels and shafts to remove ore from deep underground. You can still see some of the entrances and shafts. The trail is well marked with numbers, so be sure to pick up the Mining Trail brochure at the Visitor's Center to help you decode the locations. There is a spur trail off the Martin's Mine loop that takes you to a waterfall used for hydraulic mining, which began in the 1850's. It is an uphill hike, but the waterfall is very nice. Back on the main trail I traveled another 1/2 mile to Cathy Ellis Trail. This 1/2 mile trail starts off uphill, but once you reach the shelter it's all downhill from there. The trail ends at the beautiful Chunannee waterfall (which means friendship). Lots of vegetation on this portion of the hike. This land was once the home of Lucy Bryant, a Cherokee Indian widow whom was granted this 640 acre parcel in the Treaty of 1817. But by 1839 the Trail of Tear forced all Cherokee Indians off their land to relocate in Oklahoma. They curiously chose to name the trail after a 19 year old girl who fell over a waterfall in a different county altogether instead of the Indian widow Lucy. I don't get that, but whatever. The waterfall here is beautiful. I sat here about 25 minutes resting and admiring its beauty and feeling sad for the ancient Cherokee Indian nation. I arrived here approx. 2.5 hours after I began my journey from the visitors center. NOTE: Prior to arriving at the Cathy Ellis trail there is another steep incline, similar to the one near the Visitor's Center. ----- FINAL THOUGHTS In total I hiked approximately 7.5 miles today. I would normally have done this in probably 3 hours, but I tried to go at an easier pace since I'm still recovering from surgery. I allowed myself plenty of places to sit and rest, the most enjoyable of them being the waterfall on the Cathy Ellis Trail. Smithgall Woods State Park is indeed a wonderful place for those who love nature and peaceful hiking venues. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND giving them a visit.

The whole team here are so kind and passionate about what they do. They're patient with new guests…read moreand create memorable experiences for all. We will definitely be back!

Went for an 11yr olds birthday surprise & had a wonderful time! Staff is excellent at giving easy…read moreinstructions, working as a team to get all 5 of us on our horses, and with a witty guide perfect for our day. Definitely recommend for any group wanting time on horseback through beautiful wooded area trails.

We had a great experience here. Everyone was very friendly and kept asking if we enjoyed it. The…read moreriver is nice and calm (pretty low so be prepared to get stuck on some rocks). It was not crowded at all but we did go on a weekday. I like the perk of going as many times as you want but it is a walking trail to get back so might not be ideal with young kids.

We stopped by for a 2-hour kayaking trip, but unfortunately, no one was at the facility when we…read morearrived. The place appeared well-organized and inviting, so we waited for about ten minutes. Eventually, an employee arrived in a van, seemingly returning from a pick-up run. He asked how he could assist us, and I mentioned that we were interested in the 2-hour paddle--their most popular option--referencing the sign that clearly stated it was available anytime before 3 PM. We had arrived just after 2 PM. However, he informed us that they were closed and no longer offering that paddle for the day. I pointed out that both the sign and the website indicated that the last drop-in time was 3 PM. He acknowledged this but explained that since it was towards the end of the season and business was slow, they had decided to close early to avoid losing money. It would be helpful if the website and signage were updated to reflect these changes, or at the very least, if the information was honored. We had planned this activity for our afternoon during our short stay in North Georgia, and it was disappointing to find it unavailable despite the posted information.

Achasta is a tough course for me to rate. Like many courses in Georgia (https://bit.ly/3OtHDQZ) and…read morebeyond, this is a golf course and country club that looks like it's seen better days. Achasta opened in 2000, during the American golf boom. Despite the resurgence in rounds booked thanks to COVID, many courses just aren't what they used to be. I think Achasta falls in that category. Based on what I've heard and read, I hold Achasta to a higher standard. It's semi-private, co-designed by Jack Nicklaus (marketed as a "Jack Nicklaus Signature" course), and has been the site of qualifiers for the US Open, Georgia State Amateur, Georgia State Mid-Amateur, and the PGA Tour's old AT&T and BellSouth Classic tournaments. Impressive. When we played (2022), the Friday-Sunday rate was $90, slightly above average for a daily fee course, but not high-end either. I called the golf shop to book. I believe it's the only way you can book. They don't appear to do online tee times. I was told non-members, a.k.a. the public, could book weekend tee times beginning at 12pm. Twilight rates ($74) started at 3pm. Unlike some courses, booking our tee time at Achasta was simple. All they asked for was my name and number of golfers. I don't recall them asking for my phone number and they didn't ask for a card number to hold the reservation or anything like that. As a non-member, the furthest in advance I was able to book was seven days out. I made it a point to call around 8am on a Saturday morning to get on the tee sheet for the following Saturday afternoon. It sounded like the afternoon was wide open. I put us down for 2pm and we ended up being one of the last groups to finish that day, shortly after 6pm. Great pace of play. We had a foursome too. The foursome ahead of us let us pass at the 14th tee and we let a twosome pass us after we teed off on 15. We never saw a starter nor ranger. For the booking, I spoke with Austin. He was very nice and polite. The fellow who checked me in was friendly as well. The cart girl was nice, but we only saw her once, after we finished the 3rd hole. She said it was her last round. To me, that meant there weren't enough golfers on the course in the afternoon to make it worth her being out there. Also, the clubhouse restaurant, bar and grill was closed for a wedding reception that evening. There was a sign at the bar that said: "We cannot fill coolers with ice until further notice. Our ice machine is not working. Sorry for any inconvenience." When I left the clubhouse just before 6:30pm, it was arranged for the reception. The DJ booth was set up and there were fans all over the place. I think the air conditioning was broken. Yikes. The cooler on our cart didn't have a lid. Not that a cooler without ice was much use to begin with. Our cart didn't have a GPS device either. The other twosome in our group had a lid on their cooler and a GPS device. Our foursome wasn't given any attention by the cart attendants upon our arrival at the bag drop nor cart staging area. Preference appeared to be given to the members. The members I saw were older and more elderly/retirees. They were on average older than what I typically see. The Yamaha golf carts were old and beat up. The Achasta sticker logos and front of the carts were scuffed and scratched. The golf bag covers on the back of the carts had Reunion logos on them, making me think perhaps the fleet was "handed down" from Reunion Country Club in Hoschton: https://bit.ly/3QXZAJl. Curious. Complimentary Achasta logo tees and a compressed air blower/shoe cleaner were plusses. The hole makers were mostly in good condition, but there were no ball washers (probably a holdover from COVID) and no water coolers. The flags were weathered and worn out. Men's and women's restrooms are located at 8 and 14 tees. As for the course itself, when I called the golf shop two weeks before we played, I asked when the greens were last aerated. They told me they punched their greens nine weeks ago (11 weeks by the time we played) and the greens were in "great shape." When we played, the greens definitely had holes in them and were bumpy. However, it wasn't full-on aeration and sand (topdressing). The tines were smaller. Still, a little disappointing, especially since I had asked. Overall, I thought the course conditions were good, but not great. The course has several large bunkers and they were in good shape, which I appreciated. The tee boxes were hit or miss. Some looked fine while others (e.g., 3 white, 18 blue) looked awful with lots of sand and/or weeds. The fairways were satisfactory. Aside from the aeration, 11 green had a large "gash" on the front half. I really liked the layout with scenic views of the hills and the Chestatee River. This course has several relatively big (and loud) bridges. At $90 though, our group agreed that the value wasn't there for what we experienced. It was more comparable to a $60-80 suburban metro Atlanta course experience.

Far too many stipulations that are there just to line their pockets…read more Community is not worth the cost and poor investment choice.

This is a terrific bowling alley! They have 16 alleys and a bunch of arcade games too…read more Grant Street Grill is in the same building as the bowling alley. You can order anything off their menu & eat in while bowling. We especially liked their mozzarella sticks & supreme pizza (pepperoni, sausage, etc).

They over serve alcohol when people are visibly & badly intoxicated. While patrons are responsible…read morefor their drinking once a person is visibly intoxicated & they are unable to make sound decisions continuing to serve is illegal not to mention deadly.

Looking for a day camp that feels like sending your kids to grandma's house? This is it! Joy, the…read morecamp director, used to throw a "Granny Camp" for her grandkids each summer. She saw the need for affordable childcare while schools are out, and decided to do something about it. The kids have an incredible playground, tons of activities throughout the summer, and are treated like family. We LOVE Camp Timothy, and have sent so many of our younger family members there. Return to simpler times, where kids really get to be kids!!