F Is for Fall Family Fun
You Bring the Kids, We’ll Supply the Fun!
Panning for gems at The Lilly Pad Village in Blue Ridge, GA.
Mountain adventures bring out the kid in everyone, so it’s no surprise that we’re the place for family fun. Indoors or out, you’ll find plenty to do for all ages, abilities and attitudes (it’s been rumored that even the grumpiest teenager has been known to crack a smile!).
Get Rockin’
One family activity that absolutely rocks is gem mining. Aska Mining Company is located across from the Shallowford Bridge on Aska Road and is a great place to look for hidden treasures. You’ll also get a little history about the fossils and gems you’re finding. There’s a general store and restaurant on site as well.
In addition to generous gem buckets, The Lilly Pad Village has a heated and covered area with seating for parents, as well as decks and picnic tables for guests. Gem mining at Cohutta Cove Mini Golf always includes a keeper bag and gem identifier card. Combo packages for mining and mini golf are available.
Catch a Show
The pride of our local arts scene, the Blue Ridge Community Theater is home to the Sunny D Children’s Theater. This fall, Sunny D will be staging two exciting shows that are perfect for the whole family: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Bugsy Malone, Jr – The Musical. The two shows will run one after the other on October 18–November 3.
Young girl horseback riding with Blanche Manor Stables in McCaysville, GA.
Visit a Farm
At Daffodil Hill Farm & Carriage, kids can brush a miniature donkey, hug a fainting goat and enjoy a guided walking tour of animals, flowers, fruit trees, berries, and vegetable and herb gardens. Then you can top off your visit with a fun carriage ride.
Horse Creek Stable Rescue Sanctuary offers free therapy farm tours for children with disabilities, and limited tours to others as time permits. Horse Creek is home to a miniature therapy donkey and a host of rescued alpacas, llamas, horses and dogs. Note: Both farms require reservations, so be sure to call ahead.
Step back in time at the Reece Farm & Heritage Center to experience early-1900s Appalachian life, including exhibits, gardens, farm animals and poetry & nature trails.
Therapy donkey at Horse Creek Farm Rescue Sanctuary in Mineral Bluff, GA.
Saddle Up
Fall is the perfect time for a scenic family trail ride through the mountains. At Blanche Manor, even the littlest buckaroos can saddle up for a spin around the ring with a guided pony ride. Blue Ridge Mountain Trail Rides offers guided 1-hour trail rides for everyone from beginner to expert. And Appalachian Trail Rides welcomes riders ages 6 and up, and offers pony rides for 5-and-unders. Ask about their delicious dinner ride.
Zip It
For some high-flying fun, it’s hard to beat a zipline adventure. Blue Ridge Aerial Adventure Park features three levels of suspended bridges and tight ropes from 15 to 50 feet in the air (try it at night!). With seven spectacular ziplines and over 6,000 feet of adrenaline-pumping fun, trips with Ocoee Canopy Tour last over two hours! Zipline Canopy Tours of Blue Ridge has one- and two-hour tours and more than 1 mile of cable.
Play Hard
In nearby Murphy, NC, WagonMaster Ranch Resort is the home of affordable family fun, with target paintball shooting, wagon rides, gem and gold panning, and mini golf. Your youngest family members can tackle the bounce castle, and take a spin in the power wheels dune buggies.
Lock and Load
For a true big-boy adventure, head over to Tank Town USA, where you can ride a military tank, crush a car and shoot a machine gun. It’s the ultimate heavy equipment playground!
