This is one of the best festivals around!! There's so much homemade stuff by some talented people!…read more Make plans to see this festival every time they have one! April and Oct are huge

BRASLETON ANTIQUES AND ARTISAN FESTIVAL!…read more The Antiques Festival is a semi-annual affair that is in its 13th year. It is a free festival that takes place in downtown Brasleton with approximately 150 vendors participating . Parking is free and convenient if you arrive early. The festival starts on Friday afternoon and continues through Sunday evening, (Oct 21st-23rd). You will find a variety of items here including vintage, repurposed, farmhouse, handmade, home décor, pottery, furniture, collectibles, art and so much more. If you are looking for something very specific or just wanting to browse for things you don't need, this is a great opportunity to do so. This festival is perfectly timed for those looking for holiday décor or fall accents. In addition to the vendors, there were food trucks and a play area for kids. We arrived 30 minutes before the event started and were able to purchase items during this time. I love being able to get first pick because the bracelet that I purchased was one of a kind. My husband also purchased a unique item. During this time, we were able to spend time talking with vendors, taking photos and learning more about the products. Attending these festivals is a great way to support small businesses and Yelping helps to shine the light on some businesses that would otherwise go unnoticed. I could not photograph all of the items of interest because some of the items cannot be photographed due to a fear of being "hi-jacked" which I certainly understand. One such vendor had unique sculpted items that were absolutely beautiful but since she only presents once or twice per year, her items are not often seen. She is very low-profile and her items should definitely be put on display for all to see. Although there were several food trucks, no one was serving breakfast which was a missed opportunity. Also if you wanted to get something to eat, there was no designated dining area for those who prefer to sit and dine. I also missed having a bit of music while I shopped. Never the less, I had a nice time and was just glad to get out and enjoy the weather, vendors and fellow shoppers on such a beautiful day!

I used to live going to this festival. Great food, beautiful and colorful balloons, music,…read more lots of people, vendors. They haven't held it since before the pandemic. Sad. If they hold the event and you get a chance to go, you should experience it!

We attend this event every year. They donate the proceeds to Hall County animal control and other…read moreorganizations. The Sterling community does a great job organizing the event. They have a variety of kid friendly activities, and crafts. Each year it gets larger and larger and over all my family and I have an enjoyable experience.

This festival was a blast! If you love Bluegrass you must…read moreattend this next year. The festival runs from a Friday to sunday. Friday evening you check in at the main stage tent. For 5.00 you get a bidding paddle for live and silent auction. All the food you can eat, this year provided by Bourbon Street. Shimp, cornbread, deserts. Fab! All the wine you can drink. Yes you read that correctly! Plus you can purchase your Bear on the square tshirt! Bid on wonderful items! Listen to live music. I got to meet Ugly Cousin! Definitely go to the festival on Sunday. This is when the gospel music is until around 1pm Then, this year headlining the event was Becky Buller. Amazing song writer, singer and fiddle player. I got to meet her also and she signed all my stuff! Food, food, and more food. Everything you want. I got a gyro. It was awesome. A bit pricy but it's a festival. Basically if you enjoy Bluegrass go to this festival. You will get to meet some amazing artist that are very willing to speak with you and appreciate that you are a fan. Definitely going back next year.

WHERE IS THAT BEAR?…read more This is the twentieth year for the "Bear on the Square" Festival and I thought that it would be interesting because of the emphasis on Appalachian music and culture. We love all genres of music and enjoy being able to hear something different and speak with the various artists. Storytelling, workshops and demonstrations were also featured. This festival is a huge favorite of the locals and the highlight on a Sunday morning is the gospel jam which is held in a tent overflowing with attendees. This jam should have been held in the local park because of its size and the interest that it generates. During the Gold Rush Festival, the Sunday service is held in the park and it is wonderful and accessible to all. As a rule, we always attend the festivals on opening day (Saturday), because it has a fuller and more varied schedule. On this day, many of the acts were not scheduled to perform until later in the day around 1pm but since we were there at 9 am, we would love to have seen musical acts performing at that hour. The cool aspect of this festival was being able to talk to artists such as the resident weaver who were working this very sophisticated weaving machine that was making cotton wash cloths. She had been weaving since the age of seven and had definitely discovered her passion. I also enjoyed talking to the dulcimer artist who carefully constructed custom dulcimers one or two at a time. The craftsmanship was impeccable and it usually takes a minimum of three months to create one from beginning to end. You get to totally customize your own design and whatever you want, he will make an effort to execute it. There were plenty of vendors who were showcasing personal wares such as jewelry, pottery, leather, wood products, instruments, clothing, food items and more. This was just a beautiful day to walk around, explore and mingle with vendors and visitors. It was also a great way to cap off the weekend after spending all of Saturday working in the yard. Next year we will be sure to arrive on Saturday so that we can take advantage of the full schedule.

Honestly, save your time and go apple picking at a specific farm instead. This fair was much more…read morecraft-oriented and the number of actual apple products was severely lacking. Food was fine, but was primarily just fried foods you can get at any fair (not specifically apple-y). Only a few stands were selling fresh apples, and of those, only one had apple cider! Very crowded, and admission did not feel worth what we got.

After seeing the apple festival on Instagram, I knew it would be the perfect fall activity for me…read moreand my friends. We headed up north and had a relatively easy time with parking. We parked at the school for $5 and were easily able to get in and out. The festival had over a hundred vendors available for browsing, with lots of unique handcrafted items, interactive activities, and yummy food. You can get everything from tacos to barbeque to ribbon fries. We opted for some tacos, street corn, a pretzel, and some apple dumplings and all the food was great! The apple dumpling and the pretzel were personal highlights for me. The event itself does get really crowded, so be prepared to wait in lines for a good portion of your experience. Many of the vendors are cash only, and the day we went the credit card system was offline, causing a reliance on Venmo or other online payment options. Just like every other fair, the prices will be a bit high, so bring a decent amount of cash so you can enjoy your time. One thing I would hope to see in the future is more participation from local orchards. There was a lot of variety with vendors, but I was hoping to see more of a focus on apples as the star of the show. Overall, the festival was a fun experience I could see becoming a yearly tradition for our friend group.

The festival always has plenty of vendors and their tents setup to keep people busy. Cars are…read morebeautiful and interesting to view at leisure. The foods are always delicious.

Great car show, good vendors with some food options. It's an area tradition. Our first time and was…read morevery impressed they had an electric scooter rental which makes the day "do-able" if you have endurance or walking issues. My fav Vendor was "The Zoo: Groovy Yard Art" from Mineral Bluff, GA around the Blue Ridge area. Bought a sweet little cat us sculpture for the front years traditional green with blue flowers and definitely will be f going to their 7 acre property to check out the rest of the selections. They had all your seasons covered along with some pretty interesting and unusual pieces. I want to add a couple large cactus to our new collection A surprising lack of actual moonshine, which I guess with liquor laws, children of all ages etc. understandable. Just thought maybe they'd play up the name. The dog got to try some

THE TOCCOA HARVEST FESTIVAL!…read more The Toccoa Harvest Festival takes place in downtown Toccoa in Stephens County during the last week of October. It is now in its 40th year. We decided to visit for the first time this year. We headed out before dawn and as the sun came up, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and change of colors. As per usual, we had planned to get there at least an hour before the start of the actual event which was scheduled to start at 10 am. We actually arrived around 8:30 am and was surprised to see several vendors already set up as well as volunteers providing directions. These small town people don't play! After eating breakfast we set out to view the vendors' wares and to see what was "poppin". My first stop was at the classic car show where I met Kent and his classic blue Chevy truck, (see the photo). `I absolutely love classic vehicles, (especially trucks), so I always have to get the "back story". This truck was purchased approximately four years ago when it was seen on someone's property. Kent had asked about the truck but the man had said that his son was planning on purchasing it. Approximately one month later, Kent saw the truck and stopped by again. At that time he was told that someone else was interested in the car and had stopped by earlier in the day. Kent offered the man cash on the spot and sealed the deal. He then spent the next four years stripping the truck and rebuilding it. All of the work was done in his garage or yard, including the paint. I was blown away to know that he had completed all of the work, (except the welding) himself. He did a phenomenal job because he showed me his book that documented the process. Collectors always have a book to document their restoration process so just ask if you are curious. I really enjoyed talking to this guy! We met another guy who had this sick 1935 International "flower wagon" that was once used to transport flowers to funerals. It too had been totally stripped and restored with a beautiful red interior and custom additions. Incredible! I could have spent hours here but I needed to explore more. There were a variety of vendors selling a variety of items such as candles, holiday décor, homemade soaps, jewelry, toys, hair accessories, art leather goods and more. I ran into my favorite jewelry vendor who I tend to purchase sets from exclusively. She didn't have anything that I don't already own so I ordered a custom piece that I will pick up at the next festival, because we just tend to run in the same circles. I must confess that I am getting a great deal because I am a repeat customer and she wants a pound cake! She is one of the few vendors who actually uses sterling silver and genuine stones while the others will just tell you that those materials are too expensive. I also like her because she does the larger adjustable statements pieces with matching earrings. Enough about my favorites! They had a Christian choir singing in the square, an activity area for children, full service restrooms that didn't include a porta-potty, great food options including Lobster, Mongolian Beef and Thai, carriage rides, baked goods, and probably some things that I just did not get to see. It was a beautiful day for the festival and it all started with a beautiful drive up from Alpharetta and ended with a visit to see the falls. When you visit the festivals, take time to see the landmarks visit the local vendors and spend time in the community. Your visit is always appreciated! By the way, if you like the frequent sound of trains running through a small town, Toccoa is your kind of town!

I have been trying to attend this festival for years and I finally did! It is worth your time. So…read moremuch to choose from foods: deserts, gyros, corn dogs, foot long corn dogs, bacon on a stick, funnel cake and more. There all types of lemonade, beer and water. Many things to buy crafts, jewelry, pots & pans, cheese cutting boards, baskets, paintings and more. There is a kid's inflatable area and petting zoo. Sooo much happening at this festival close to home with that fall vibe, was a perfect activity for me. It is always held the last Saturday and Sunday of September. Make plans for next year if you missed it.

I used to go to this festival every year as a kid and absolutely loved all the activities,…read moredifferent foods & stalls! I got to go back this year after a longgg time and was kind of surprised in how it turned more into a food festival, there was literally a whole strip just dedicated to food vendors. There was such a wide variety of foods from all sorts of different authentic cuisines to snacks and homemade treats for on the go! We ended up getting a frozen pink lemonade, elotes and the impossible gyoza. One of the stalls did sell fresh apple cider donuts and I would definitely recommend getting them if you go! Overall such a good time and experience with your friends and family! You can easily spend a couple hours here and they have a mini pumpkin patch, face painting, live music you name it! It's only one weekend though so be sure you're free!

Going to the fair makes you feel like the season is changing and the weather is getting cooler!…read more Plenty of rides to choose from with bright lights that will not disappoint! I like the paved pathways through the park. Oh, parking is a bit tough as it was full lots all around with a $10 fee. We chose like many others, to park on a curb about 3 blocks away. It was a walk but a better option than waiting in a big line of traffic for a full lot with no spaces. Show up early! There are some shows included in your ticket price. A man shot out of a cannon and PIG Racing! LOL kinda funny to watch! The Fair in Cumming GA is one of the cleanest, most safe fairgrounds in GA. They have a Cotton Gin display that is pretty neat and can teach your children a thing or two, if they aren't too overdosed on sugar from cotton candy! Huge corn dogs for $10, was a bit pricey and surprising!

A Sunday well spent with my family on the last day of the Cumming Country Fair & Festival! This was…read moremy first time attending, and was actually their 30th year, but certainly will not be the last time I visit. It's an annual event, and one of the largest events held at the Cumming Fairgrounds. Family friendly with tons of attractions including games, rides, a petting zoo, and lots of yummy food and drink vendors. Admission was $10, and they do offer deals for unlimited rides and such depending on your plan for your visit. Kiddos 10 and under get in for free which is nice. I enjoyed a delicious cheeseburger and fries, and of course, had to get a frozen lemonade. The funnel cake was calling my name but I ended up deciding to skip it as line was long and I knew I didn't need the extra sugar. I am regretting not enjoying a caramel apple, however! We played a few staple carnival games, and just enjoyed walking around the grounds and taking in all there was to offer. Next year (if I'm not pregnant again), I will definitely try out a few rides!