30 Fun Things to Do with the Kids

1. Ride the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

Enjoy a scenic train ride on the historic Blue Ridge Scenic Railway alongside the beautiful Toccoa River or on a railbike along the countryside. Fun for the whole family! Call 877-413-8724 or visit Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.

2. Visit Huck's General Store

500 East Main Street, Blue Ridge. Fill your bag with “penny candy” at Huck’s General Store in downtown. It's a special place for kids – and adults too! See their website at: Huck’s General Store.

3. Sweets and Treats

While you’re in downtown Blue Ridge, treat yourself and the kids to some homemade fudge at The Chocolate Express, 634 East Main Street, or a cupcake at The Sweet Shoppe, 576 East Main Street. Up the road, enjoy a slice of cake at The Little Bakery, 3558 East 1st. St. or ice cream at Blue Ridge Creamery, Appalachian Rolled Ice Cream in Blue Ridge or Happy Bear Ice Cream & Treats in McCaysville!

4. Hike on the Appalachian Trail

Georgia has nearly eighty miles of the AT running from Springer Mountain in Fannin County to where the trail begins in North Carolina. Stop by the Visitor Center for maps to get you on the trails.

5. Visit a Working Farm! Cress Creeks Farm, Mercier Orchards, The Folk Collaborative and CATE Farms:

Only 1 mile from Blue Ridge on Georgia Highway 5, Mercier's has tractor tours and U-pick strawberries, blueberries and apples in season. Yummy fried pies, apple cider, apples, peaches, jams and preserves. Bring your fishing pole and enjoy catch and release in their pond. At The Folk Collaborative you can enjoy U-pick, wagon rides, fried pies, the mercantile and events. Cate Farms offers seasonal U-pick produce, a farm market, and wagon rides. Cress Creeks Farm is open for visitors to learn about sheep farming with a corn maze and tractor rides in season.

child and mother apple picking at Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge Georgia

6. Take a family selfie at the GA/TN Blue Line

Stand in two states at the Blue Line located in Downtown McCaysville on Toccoa/Ocoee Street.

7. Picnic at Horseshoe Bend Park on the River

Enjoy fishing, a playground and a picnic at Horseshoe Bend located in the bend of the Toccoa River at 1156 River Road, Mineral Bluff. McCaysville on Hwy 60. For other places check out this picnic blog.

8. Have fun at a Playground

Enjoy one of the many area playgrounds at our parks in Blue Ridge and McCaysville.

9. The Lilly Pad Village

Located 7.5 miles from Blue Ridge on Aska Road at 24 Adelaide Drive, the The Lilly Pad offers gem mining, fishing (poles and bait provided) and a round of mini golf in the woods!

10. Water fun on Lake Blue Ridge

Rent a pontoon, a paddle board or a pedal boat at the Lake Blue Ridge Marina, 335 Marina Drive, Blue Ridge, or Blue Ridge Boat Rentals, 7715 Old Hwy. 76. Paddle the shoreline with gear from The Paddle Zone or Morganton Point Recreation Area, or take a scenic guided tour of Lake Blue Ridge with Capt'n Joe's Lake Adventures. Don't miss swimming and picnicking at Morganton Point's family-friendly pebble beach (bring water shoes!)

credit@flagstafflodge

11. Water fun on the Toccoa River

From kayaking and canoeing to tubing and rafting, the Toccoa offers fun for all ages! Outfitters include Toccoa Valley Campground, Blue Ridge Tubing, Blue Ridge Mountain Kayaking, and The Paddle Zone in Blue Ridge, plus Rolling Thunder River Company and Toccoa River Tubing Company in McCaysville.

12. Step into a Miniature World of Trains, Tracks and History

Tri-State Model Railroaders showcase a model train in the historic Mineral Bluff Depot and offer fun events throughout the year like Ride the Rails!

13. Go Horseback Riding

Visit one of our area riding stables in Blue Ridge and McCaysville for riding for all ages, hayrides and overnight trips. See a list of riding stables here.

14. Catch a Fish!

Fish for trout at Tammen Park, Hwy 515, Blue Ridge; Morganton Point, Morganton; or Horseshoe Bend Park on the Toccoa River, Hwy 60 in McCaysville. For a sure catch, try out the Lilly Pad Village pond on Aska Road or 6 Ponds Farm in Morganton. Many more places to fish – Download one of self guided tour maps here. Or get our Go Fishing in Blue Ridge Brochure click here.

15. Visit the Chattahoochee Fish Hatchery

The Chattahoochee Fish Hatchery raises a million rainbow trout each year to stock the tailwaters, streams and lakes of northern Georgia. Visitors can tour the hatchery and visitor center, fish Rock Creek, have a picnic, take a hike or camp nearby at the Frank Gross Campground.

16. The Ocoee Whitewater Center

This is the site of the 1996 Olympic Kayak competition in the Olympics offering hiking trails, swimming holes and legacy bridge. It is located at 400 U.S. Hwy. 64, Copperhill.

17. Do You Have What it Takes to Escape?

Visit the area's escape room for this interactive game of clues and puzzles, Escape Blue Ridge, 644 East Main St. Blue Ridge.

18. Visit a Waterfall

There are many area waterfalls; Fall Branch Falls, Sea Creek Falls and Long Creek Falls. Pick up a sself-guided tour from our Visitor Center or download it here.

19. Go Gem Mining

Discover treasure in the Blue Ridge Mountains at Aska Mining Company, Cohutta Cove Mini Golf, Huck's Lost Mine or The Lilly Pad, all Gem Mining operations.

20. Visit the Burra Burra Mine

See a real copper mine at the Ducktown Basin Museum off Hwy. 64 in Ducktown, TN.

21. Go Ziplining!

Zip through trees at Blue Ridge Adventure Park on Highway 515; or Zipline Canopy Tours of Blue Ridge, 891 Old Cashes Valley Road.

22. Go Bowling!

Bring your family, friends and all of the kids bowling at Fannin Lanes Bowling Center, 4115 East First Street, Blue Ridge. Open bowling 7 days a week and holidays.

23. Play a round of Mini Golf

Play a round of putt putt golf at Cohutta Cove Mini Golf at Cohutta Country Store, Highway 515; at The Lilly Pad on Aska Road; or at 2nd Story Entertainment in Downtown Blue Ridge.

24. Take Flight:

Go on a helicopter ride with Blue Ridge Helicopter Tours and see Blue Ridge from the sky.

25. Pinball & Arcade Fun:

2nd Story Entertainment, The Zone and Vertigo Pinball each has a selection of pinball and arcade games for the whole family to enjoy!

credit@monyalathem

26. The Swan Drive-In

Enjoy a movie under the stars in your car or on the lawn at the historic Swan Drive-In. It's one of the few remaining drive-in's in Georgia.

27. Visit a Tongue in Cheek or Petting Zoo

Stroll around the zoo and learn fun facts about the over 25 species of artistic renditions of animals at The Zoo Groovy Metal Yard Art. Creekside Petting Zoo, and Hooves and Feathers Petting Farms are fun stops where kids can meet and interact with the animals on the farm!

28. Hike the Trails at Project Chimps

Hike through lush, green forest at Project Chimps, the area chimpanzee sanctuary. There are multiple trails for all levels of hikers including an interpretive trail. You may even hear the chimpanzees pan hooting while you are exploring the trails!

29. For Older Kids Check Out

Blue Ridge Paintball, Haunted Blue Ridge Ghost Tours, or Whitewater Rafting on the Ocoee River!

30. Family Fun Games

Trout Art Trail - The trout statue's names have fallen in the fish bowl and we don't know who is who! Using the map, visit each fish statue at it's location, find it's name, and fill in the names of each fish on the sheet. This adventure is also available as a challenge on our app! where you can check in at each location and receive a badge upon completion. Once you have found all the trout names and filled them in on your sheet, return it to the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center for a prize!!

Light's Off, Fireflies On! Game - Travel around to our 5 area parks to find the 5 secret words about the fireflies. Learn firefly facts, play at each park and have fun on this adventure! See the game here. This game is also available as a challenge on our app! where you can enter a secret word at each location and receive a badge upon completion. Once you have completed the game, go by one of the three Visitor Centers for a prize!

Family Adventure Game - Go to each page in the game booklet and answer the questions about what’s on that page. Your parents can help you, and they’ll be taking you to cool places where you can see all the mountains, rivers, wildlife and fun that’s all around our area. Click here to learn more.