Enjoy Fall from Horseback

There are several places in Georgia that offer guided horseback riding for beginners and seasoned riders. It's a great way to get out to and explore some beautiful areas of Georgia in a way you may not have seen before. And it's a great time to do so with the cooler temperatures and the changing of the leaves. This weekend is supposed to be sunny and warm so get out there and enjoy a fall afternoon from horseback!

Southern Cross Guest Ranch in Madison offers riding and riding and meal packages to non-guests. Prices vary depending on package, length of ride and season. A 1 hour guided trail ride is $40 per person. Visit their website for more information, hours and to make reservations. www.southcross.com

Lake Lanier Islands Resort in Lake Lanier offers 45 minute guided trail rides as well as pony rides for younger riders. The adult trail ride is $35 per person and the 30 minute pony ride is $15 per child. For more information, hours and to make reservations, visit their website at www.lakelanierislands.com

Georgia Frontiers in Canton offers a variety of rides. The one hour trail ride is $30 per person. They also offer a moonlight ride with dinner for $65 per person. For more information on Georgia Frontiers, visit their website at www.georgiahorsebackriding.org.

Adventure Trail Rides in Blue Ridge offer three different ride levels based on what they call the "bum level". Haha! A 1 hour ride is $25 per person. They also offer private and sunset rides. For more information visit their website at www.adventuretrailrides.com

Fort Mountain Stables in Chatsworth offer 1 hour rides for $30 per person and many other packages including sunset rides, 4 hour rides for you seasoned riders, overnight camping rides, birthday parties and "sweetheart rides". To learn more about their packages and to make reservations, visit their website at www.fortmountainstables.net.

Get Lost in a Corn Maze

Get lost in one of the many corn mazes in Georgia! It's a fun way to spend a beautiful fall afternoon. Most of the locations offer much more than corn mazes. You can spend the day enjoying hayrides, food, cider, petting zoos, pumpkin picking and more! If you think you've got the skills to tackle a corn maze at night, remember to bring a flashlight! Here's a list of some of the corn mazes in Georgia for you to check out.

Uncle Shuck's Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch is a well known North Georgia favorite located in Dawsonville. They offer a a variety of activities including a corn cannon and a haunted maze. They also stay open until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays through November 22nd.

Kackleberry Farm offers a 7 acre corn maze each year that runs through November 8th. This farm also offers a number of additional activities. Kackleberry Farm is located in Louisville about an hour southwest of Augusta.

Buck's Corn Maze is another well known maze located in Dawsonville. The maze is 12 acres and is open through November 15th.

Connell Farms in Hollonville has a 7 acre maze for you to explore until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays through November 21st. Hollonville is about 40 minutes southeast of Peachtree City.

Colonel Cobs Corn Maze is a 7 acre maze located on Mitcham Farm in Oxford. The maze is open through November 15th. Oxford is about 40 minutes east of Atlanta.

The Carlton Farm corn maze is a 5 acre maze offering a haunted maze at night. The maze is open through November 7th and is located in Rockmart which is a little over an hour northeast of Atlanta.

Cagle's Corn Maize offer you two different mazes to get lost in. They have a 10 acre maze in Hickory Flat and a 30 acre maze (wow!) in Resaca. 10 acres of the 30 acre maze is a haunted maze. The Resaca maze is open through November 7th and the 10 acre maze is open through November 15th.

Chastain Park Arts Festival

I don't have a whole lot of information on this festival. It seems to be new. However, it's an art festival and it's at Chastain Park in Atlanta this Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th. And it's free! There's supposed to be over 100 artists in different mediums showing at this festival as well as live entertainment. For more information, visit the festival's website at www.chastainparkartsfestival.com

Rock N' Rib Festival

The 2nd Annual Rock N' Rib Festival is this Saturday, October 17th on the square in downtown Lawrenceville from 1pm - 9pm. The Rock N' Rib festival features barbeque from local area restaurants, caterers and cooking teams as well as live entertainment. There will also be a children's area, arts and crafts and a beergarten. You can also catch some college football in one of the tents and if you're game, enter a rib eating contest. Admission is free. For more information, visit the festival's website at www.rocknribsfest.com

End of Harvest Celebration at Wolf Mountain Vineyards

The 7th Annual End of Harvest Celebration and Bluegrass Brunch is happening every Saturday during the month of October at Wolf Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega. What a great way to experience a fall Saturday in the north Georgia mountains and sample the fruits of a regional vineyard! Wolf Mountain Vineyards offers their Harvest brunch buffet and live bluegrass music for $30 per person. Wine is purchased separately by the glass. For more information, visit their website at www.wolfmountainvineyards.com

Oktoberfest in the North Georgia Mountains

For many years now Helen, GA has been the place in North Georgia to enjoy a German style Oktoberfest complete with beer, bratwurst, bands and more! The annual Oktoberfest in Helen starts in September but enjoys its largest crowds in October. The festival occurs daily through November 1st. If you haven't yet visited Helen, Oktoberfest is a great time to get a feel for this little mock German Alpine town on the Chattahoochee River in the North Georgia mountains. Be prepared for a bit of traffic though! Admission on Saturdays is $9 per person but FREE on Sundays! helenchamber.com

Candler Park Fall Festival

So sad that so many of the events I'm writing about for this weekend can be affected by the potential rainy weather! But the Candler Park Fall Festival is a good one if you live in Atlanta and want to stay in town this weekend. The festival is this Saturday, October 10th and Sunday, October 11th at Candler Park in Atlanta. There's usually a good number of vendors offering a variety of goods including folk art and photography. There will be plenty of food choices available, live entertainment, fun for the kids and the Candler Park Tour of Homes which is a great opportunity to see some of the fabulous old homes in the area. Expect some great local musical artists including the ever eclectic and entertaining Kingsized. Admission if free. Parking is tricky though as the park is in a residential neighborhood so you might want to consider taking MARTA. www.candlerparkfallfest.org

Disc Dog World Finals

The Disc Dog World Finals is this weekend, October 10th and 11th at Dellinger Park in Cartersville. If you like dogs, have dogs, especially dogs who can catch and compete, you'll like this event. There will be players from 16 different qualifiers from around the world. There will also be events that you and your dog can participate in such as agility, toss and fetch and herding. Admission is free. For more information visit the USDDN's website at www.usddn.com.

Taste of Atlanta

The 8th Annual Taste of Atlanta Festival is this weekend, October 10th and 11th from 11am - 6pm in Midtown Atlanta at 5th and Spring Street. Sample food from more than 80 Atlanta restaurants, beer and wine tastings and cooking demonstrations from national and local celebrity chefs. There will also be a Farm to Festival Village showcasing the local sustainable movement with live cooking demonstrations and a farmers market filled with locally grown products. And as with most festivals there will be live entertainment. This is an outdoor event and we are looking at a rainy forecast for this weekend so you may want to plan accordingly. Tickets to the festival are $25 in advance and $30 at the gate. There is also a $65 per person VIP package. For more information, visit the Taste of Atlanta website at tasteofatlanta.net.

Sunday in the Park

Sunday in the Park is a Victorian Street Festival at historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta and is happening this Sunday, October 4th from 12pm - 6pm. There will be live entertainment, storytellers, living history demonstrations, an artist market, a scavenger hunt and in the children's area, the Teddy Bear Tea. Guest are encouraged to participate in the Victorian costume contest and the photography contest. Food will be available from an array of local restaurants including The Varsity and Six Feet Under. There will also offering free walking tours of the cemetery as well as carriage tours and the opportunity to enter some of the mausoleums. The suggested donation is $3 per person and parking is free. It's a fantastic opportunity to spend an entertaining afternoon at historic Oakland Cemetery. www.oaklandcemetery.com/sundayPark

Wine and Food in Midtown Atlanta

The 6th Annual Harvest Midtown Festival is this Sunday, October 4th from 1pm - 5pm at the newly renovated historic Georgian Hotel . Sample food from some of the most celebrated Atlanta chefs paired with wines from around the world. For your entertainment, there will be live jazz, art displays, dance performances and a fashion show. Sounds divine. General admission tickets are $45 in advance and $55 at the door. For details, address and more information visit the Harvest Midtown Festival website at www.harvestmidtown.com.

Hotoberfest

The 2nd Annual Hotoberfest is this Saturday, October 3rd at Glenwood Park in Atlanta. Hotoberfest is described as “an environmental fundraiser with craft beers and celebration of live music, featuring Beer Tasting in our OctoberFest-style Beer Garten.” There will be well over 100 beers available for tasting, live music, a children’s area and artist market. Admission fees vary. For details on the event visit the Hotoberfest website at www.hotoberfest.net.

Oh So Many Events!

There are so many festivals and events this weekend in Georgia as is common for the beginning of Fall. In the interest of giving as much notice as possible, I’m listing several events in this post.

The Cotton Pickin’ Fair in Gay is this Saturday, October 3rd – Sunday, October 4th. Art, antiques, crafts, demonstrations and live entertainment. $5 admission for adults and $3 for children ages 4 – 12. www.cpfair.org

The American Indian Festival is this Saturday, October 3rd – Sunday, October 4th at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds in Lawrenceville. Gates open at 10am each day. Admission is $7 for ages 13 and up; $4 for children 5 – 12; children 4 and under are free.
vitwind.com

The Atlanta Greek Festival is this Friday, October 2nd – Sunday, October 4th at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Clairmont Road in Atlanta. Lots of food and lots of fun. The event starts at 11am on Friday and Saturday and 12pm on Sunday. $3 admission for adults and $1 for children under 12 but does not include food. Opa! www.atlantagreekfestival.org

The Coweta up in Smoke BBQ Cook-Off is this Saturday, October 3rd in Newnan at 10am. I haven't been able to find a lot of information on this event on the internet but there seem to be a lot of competitors. Here are two websites with some info.
www.coweta.ga.us/Index.aspx?page=380&recordid=6696
www.cowetabbq.com

The Georgia Marble Festival is this Saturday, October 3rd – Sunday, October 4th in Jasper. Arts, crafts, food, car show, parade, entertainment, children’s area, street dancing and more. Whew! $5 admission for adults; $3 for children 6 and up; free for children under 5 years. www.pickenschamber.com/Marble-Festival

Field of Greens Festival

The Fourth Annual Field of Greens Festival is this Sunday, October 4th from 11am – 6pm at Whippoorwill Hollow Organic Farm in Walnut Grove. Tickets are $15 for adults and children 12 and under get in free. The admission includes small plate tastings of locally grown food prepared by 15 talented Georgia chefs. 5 Seasons Brewing, Restaurant Eugene, Rosebud, Woodfire Grill and Leon’s Full Service of Decatur are just a few of the restaurants participating. New this year is the Three Not-So-Little Pigs Cook-off, where three chefs prepare three pigs raised by three different farmers. This three-by-three BBQ cook-off, also included in the admission price, will be served up at 3pm. I had problems opening the actual event website (www.fieldofgreensfestival.com) but you can visit the Whippoorwill Hollow Farm website for their address and directions.