Delight in the Magic of Fall with These Georgia Activities
Cooler temperatures and brilliant foliage make autumn a great time to experience some of Georgia's best activities. From leaf peeping to train rides to wine tasting to harvest festivals, crisp weather accompanies annual pleasures we anticipate all year long.
Experience Georgia's fall scenery & festivals
Few activities are more quintessentially autumn than getting out into the mountains for viewing the vivid shift from vibrant green leaves to golds, coppers, and russets. In Georgia, one of the most spectacular ways to soak in the fall colors and stunning landscape is via train, like the leisurely 26-mile round-trip trek along the Toccoa River aboard the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.
Craving sweeping mountain and misty waterfall views? Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville delivers both in dramatic fashion – it’s where you can see the Southeast’s tallest cascading waterfall! Plus, here you can journey along a portion of the Appalachian Trail – the southern terminus is found at Springer Mountain, just 9 miles away from Amicalola Falls.
For more views in the North Georgia mountains, head to the Bavarian-inspired village of Helen, a fun stop for families seeking fall activities like zip lining and horseback riding. It’s also home to the longest-running annual Oktoberfest celebration in the U.S. Starting in September and running through October, it features German food and beer, traditional costumes, plus dancing to live polka music in the festhalle.
Savor Georgia wine & apples
After raising a stein at Oktoberfest, keep the celebratory spirit going with a wine-centric escape to North Georgia’s scenic vineyards. Sip the Scarlett blend at Habersham Vineyards & Winery in Helen, let the team at Fainting Goat Vineyards & Winery in Jasper pack you a gourmet picnic accompanied by a bottle of pinot grigio, or take a tour of the only known wine cave in Georgia at Yonah Mountain Vineyards in Cleveland. Don’t feel like organizing tour stops or designating a driver? North Georgia Wine Tours can take care of all the details, making for a perfect couple’s or girls’ trip.
Autumn in Georgia isn’t complete without indulging in apple-flavored goodies, exploring kid-friendly pumpkin patches, and celebrating the season at one of our bountiful harvest festivals. Start with a visit to Ellijay – the state’s self-proclaimed “Apple Capital” – home to U-pick orchards like B.J. Reece Orchards and Red Apple Barn. Time your trip to coincide with the Georgia Apple Festival in October, which honors the almighty apple with family-friendly arts and crafts, a lively parade, and a bounty of treats, of course.
Take a piece of Georgia home with you
Pick your own apples from numerous varieties offered at Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge and shop for treats, from hard cider to apple-cider donuts.
Find pumpkin patches & corn mazes
No matter where you are in Georgia, you’re sure to find a pumpkin patch or corn maze perfect for kids – and the young at heart. With six generations of history in the North Georgia mountains, Jaemor Farms in Alto puts on an annual Harvest Celebration mid-September through early November, where you can pick the perfect pumpkin and lose yourself in the corn maze all in one afternoon.
The Pumpkins at Callaway Resort & Gardens event in Pine Mountain brings fall festivities to dazzling new heights with its Harvest Sky canopy, an enchanting installation of hundreds of shimmering gold streamers. Children and adults alike will be captivated by how they dance and sparkle in the autumn sunlight.
Brave Georgia ghost tours
Georgia embraces the Halloween spirit with mysterious celebrations and paranormal tours come fall. In Savannah, historical squares shaded by great live oaks and magnolia trees set the stage for America’s most haunted city. Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, a ghost or cemetery tour here means you’ll be intrigued by spooky stories set around area hotels, restaurants, and attractions.
Set jetters will adore Covington Ghost Tours, whose guides spin spooky stories against the backdrop of Covington, where “The Vampire Diaries” was filmed. In Americus, tour the grand and historic Windsor Hotel to hear eerie tales of ghost sightings within. State parks in Georgia offer Halloween fun, too, like rustic hayrides at A.H. Stephens State Park in Crawfordville and spooky entertainment and themed wagon rides at Hard Labor Creek State Park’s Haunted Village in Rutledge.
