Summer in Atlanta is notorious for the heat. But don’t let the heat keep you hunkered down inside your house. There are great outdoor destinations around Atlanta that you can enjoy with your kids. These are our 5 favorite for a quick day trip to get out of town and enjoy mother nature.
1) Amicalola Fall : Less than an hour north of Atlanta, this waterfall is our family favorite. It has a hiking trail to go up to the top of the Falls. But you can also drive up and park and do a relatively short trail at West Ridge Falls trail. Best of all, this trail is paved with recycled tire, so strollers do just fine.
2) Tallulah Gorge State Park : Boasted the most spectacular canyon in the Eastern US, this park has various trails with varied degree of difficulty. A novice should probably aim for NORTH/SOUTH Rim Trail or the SHORTHLINE Trail. If hiking is your hobby, and you would like more of a challenge, then you can obtain a permit to hike down the Gorge.
3) Sawnee Mountain Preserve : Another perfect park that is less than an hour from Atlanta and literally in my neck of the woods. And yet, we haven’t been there. So this year, I made a mental note that I will visit this well-praised preserve to check out the hiking trail. If hiking is not your thing, there are other activities like rock climbing or simply enjoying the view from the mountain.
4) Unicoi State Park: This state park is in Helen, which is about 2 hours north of Atlanta. It’s a great park with a campground, cabins, lake and waterfall. If you still have energy after all the activities from the park, you can try out the river tubing in Helen in the summer. The river winds through town, giving a different perspective.
5) Water Adventures on the Chattahoochee River : I have driven by Up The River Outfitters countless times and I have yet to stop by and try it. Up The River provides water adventures ranging from tubing, whitewater rafting and kayaking along the Chattahoochee River. Again, another fun outdoor adventure in my neck of the woods that I can’t pass on. This might have to be a mommy and daddy adventure for the Q family because Mr. Z is a tad too young. But in a couple more years, we can have a fun family adventure together.
