This is an excellent place full of great people and interesting activities. My family had a…read morewonderful time.

We booked the 2 hour zip lining tour and loved it. We were a group of five, three of which had…read morenever zip lined before. It was a great time for all. Staff was knowledgeable and friendly. We will book with Sunburst again next time we are in the area.

I recently bought a horse from Curtis Teague at A Step Above Stables and am very happy with my…read morepurchase. I went and tried the horse in person and he was exactly what I wanted in a young horse. Curtis held him for a week for me until I returned back home and then had him delivered safe and sound. He is settling nicely in with my herd and has maintained the same chill demeanor each day. I can't wait to see what adventures we can do together! I think Curtis runs a great operation.

After researching for months, we finally found what SEEMED like the perfect "beginner-friendly"…read morehorse. Upon arrival at A Step Above Stables, the horse looked potentially injured, though I thought maybe it was just resting its hind leg. Until, during the demo canter, it started to buck. They called it on that horse and we agreed to look at another horse the seller had. This one didn't seem to have immediate riding problems--though they didn't demo it in a ring, which might have revealed deeper issues. This second horse would be $1000 more than our original budget of $15,000 -- he said he was going to sell it for $17,000 but was going to "meet us in the middle" to be fair. I (wrongly) assumed this horse would have the same training as the other, given they were supposedly trained by the same people and similar in price. We were also told there was a lot of interest from other buyers and to get started right away to secure this horse. We placed a $2,000 deposit that same day, with the balance due (and paid) on Monday. The seller sent a video showing the horse not spooking at a leaf blower or chainsaw sounds, so we felt somewhat reassured about its temperament. But from there, things started to get shaky: We asked for the bill of sale, coggins, and vaccine records before the horse was delivered. The seller promised to send them with the horse; instead, only the coggins arrived. He eventually sent the bill of sale via messenger--but it wasn't completely filled out. We were told the vet records would have to wait until Monday because the vet office was closed. Delivery day came and the horse was delivered to the boarding facility (a 3 hour drive from the seller) without a halter. The hauler nearly let the horse loose on the property. Thankfully, our boarder intervened. But it was obvious that something as basic as haltering this horse was a serious challenge, which is likely why the horse wasn't haltered before being put on the trailer. The horse then turned its hind toward our boarder--a classic sign of aggression or discomfort. She alerted us right away of everything going on and documented things every step of the way. After she finally managed to calm the horse, she took photos of its condition. She noted Conformation issues, A noticeable problem with one leg, a scar near the joint on the same leg We immediately contacted the seller, who claimed he was unaware of any injury and told us to inform him of the vet's findings. Only at this point did he hint at an "exchange-only guarantee," something he never mentioned earlier, even when I had outright asked about his guarantee and he had said, "We guarantee all horses for 30 days." NOT "We allow exchanges for 30 days." When the farrier and vet visited, they confirmed: The scar on the back leg was an old, unattended injury that would affect the horse's ability to be ridden safely at more than a walk. The coggins form failed to disclose the scar, which should have been noted per the form's requirements. The "vet" whose name was on the vaccine records turned out to be mostly a dog/cat vet. They said they'd only administer vaccines if the horse was brought in, which never happened. The seller apparently buys vaccines from that vet and administers them himself--yet made it sound like the vet was personally involved. We later learned the vet had expressed concerns about this horse to the seller, and the seller's response was, "That will be the buyer's problem." Once we asked for any or all of our money back, he ghosted us. In all honesty, I own my part in this: I didn't know what I didn't know. That's exactly how I got taken advantage of. I was initially swayed by positive reviews--but later realized those were mostly for the trail riding service this seller operates, not for his horse sales. Enough negative reviews exist about his selling practices to show that this is a pattern. And lastly, I did not sign anything stating I was purchasing this horse "as is"--so we do have legal grounds to pursue.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a fantastic outdoor concert alongside the river at River…read moreFall Resort in Lakmont Georgia this past weekend. I have been coming here for years and have had many great memories made here with my family, combined with the camping experience and/or staying in a cabin, the experience has always exceeded all expectations as the staff there has always planned different events for all age groups each time. The staff are amazing and are always available. The location of the concert was simply breathtaking. Set against the backdrop of a flowing river, the stage was perfectly positioned to encapsulate the beauty of nature. The sound quality was exceptional, and the acoustics were surprisingly great considering the open-air setup. Overall, this outdoor concert by the river and camping experience was truly unforgettable. The combination of incredible music, breathtaking scenery, and the chance to immerse oneself in nature made for an extraordinary weekend. I would highly recommend River Falls to anyone who appreciates the great outdoors, and the joy of creating lasting memories.

Too much $ four no privacy, very narrow sites, lots of road noise all night long. Lots of…read morerules/legalese packet of paper to sign off on.

Venue Smithgall Woods State Park ( Smithgall Cottages) 5 out of 5 stars…read more After copious amounts of research and several venue tours, we decided on Smithgall Woods state park, and more specifically the cottages as the venue for our wedding on June 8th. We just have to say we loved the team we worked with at Smithgall, mainly Todd, Patty, and Art. Todd at Guestservices was simply fantastic! As he will be quick to mention "the venue sells itself", however having him as our man on the inside was a pretty huge selling point on its own. He was with us every step of the way to answer our plethora of questions, work with vendors, and generally keep our minds at ease. Honestly, I doubt the wedding weekend would have gone as smoothly and been as much of a success had it not been for Todd's guidance and cooperation. The venue is magical. I know how that sounds, but it's the truth. It's tucked away deep in the beautiful North Georgia mountains, surrounded by a lush forest teaming with wildlife. This majestic property consists of five "cottages", in quotations because they are more like log cabin style mansions. The two largest being; the expansive 4 bedroom 4.5 bathroom cottage called the Smithgall Cottage, and the even larger 5 bedroom 5 bathroom Dover cottage. The Creekside Cottage is 3 bedrooms, and The Laurel and Garden cottages are one bedroom cottages with hot tubs on secluded side porches. All the cottages were clean, modern, and a huge hit with our guests. We were able to house both our families, close friends and wedding party all on the same property. Which saved us a great deal on lodging. Which after factoring in the cost of rooms made this one of the more affordable wedding venues out there. Also you get it for the whole weekend!!! We used the Smithgall Cottage for our wedding location due to the large wrap around porch and decks, and also due to the picturesque, covered foot bridge under which flows a gorgeous champion trout stream. We had some difficulty deciding where on this property to hold our ceremony because it is simply lovely all over. Unfortunately, the record rainfall that weekend made the decision for us. Even though the storms limited our use of the enormous field in front of the Dover cottage, and the gardens next to Smithgall we still were able to comfortably host our 50 or so guests and dozen vendors, at the Smithgall Cottage and our ceremony and reception went along wonderfully. We would highly recommend this venue to anyone wishing to have a once in a lifetime event at a once in a lifetime location.

I came here to see the covered bridge, but discovered they have so much more…read more THE SCENE Smithgall Woods may not be someplace Georgians are familiar with, unless you are an avid hunter or trout fisherman. It was once private property that was gifted to the state by conservationist Charles A. Smithgall Jr. in 1994. A large section still remains private property for the Smithgall family, but what was gifted is a treasure trove of beautiful mountains, streams, meadow fields and wetlands. I began my solo hike around 12:15pm from the Visitors Center. There I was given a map and a few brief highlights of points of interest, like the waterfalls and gold mine. I then set off one what turned out to be a 4.5 hour adventure. Probably not the smartest of ideas since I had surgery just three weeks ago. But I was tired of resting around the house and desperately wanted to get out and do something. Besides, nature brings a calmness to my inner being and allows me to relax my mind in ways I just can't at home. It was a perfect day with perfect temperatures for hiking. In my entire time there, I only ran across one other human. ----- THE HIKE Inside the Visitor's Center is a gift shop and small wildlife museum of the nature plants and animals. I walked down the paved Tsalaki Trail towards the Cathy Ellis Trail (approximately 2.6 mile away). The trail starts off as a fairly steep incline. Along the way I saw a sign saying "caution - bees". I thought that was a curious warning until I noticed the white honey bee houses in the woods nearby. Next came the wetlands with a one mile looping trail and a boardwalk into the marshes. Here you have a strong possibility of seeing a beaver at work on a dam. I decided to save this area for my return hike and I'm glad I did. My energy on the return leg was running very low and I needed the benches here for a nice long rest. I reached the covered bridge about 37 minutes after leaving the visitors center. It was a real beauty made in the simple Town Lattice style. The memorial plaque at the entrance was titled "Bay's Bridge In loving memory of 'Bay' Elizabeth Smithgall Watts", whom died the year the land for the state park was gifted. It crosses the amazing mountain stream known as Duke's Creek. The creek from here will be a large part of your journey. The trail turns to gravel just past the bridge. MARTIN'S MINE was one of the first Gold mines in Georgia. Most of the mining occurred from 1829 to 1935. By the 1840's most of the easy gold was gone and hard mining began. Miners dug tunnels and shafts to remove ore from deep underground. You can still see some of the entrances and shafts. The trail is well marked with numbers, so be sure to pick up the Mining Trail brochure at the Visitor's Center to help you decode the locations. There is a spur trail off the Martin's Mine loop that takes you to a waterfall used for hydraulic mining, which began in the 1850's. It is an uphill hike, but the waterfall is very nice. Back on the main trail I traveled another 1/2 mile to Cathy Ellis Trail. This 1/2 mile trail starts off uphill, but once you reach the shelter it's all downhill from there. The trail ends at the beautiful Chunannee waterfall (which means friendship). Lots of vegetation on this portion of the hike. This land was once the home of Lucy Bryant, a Cherokee Indian widow whom was granted this 640 acre parcel in the Treaty of 1817. But by 1839 the Trail of Tear forced all Cherokee Indians off their land to relocate in Oklahoma. They curiously chose to name the trail after a 19 year old girl who fell over a waterfall in a different county altogether instead of the Indian widow Lucy. I don't get that, but whatever. The waterfall here is beautiful. I sat here about 25 minutes resting and admiring its beauty and feeling sad for the ancient Cherokee Indian nation. I arrived here approx. 2.5 hours after I began my journey from the visitors center. NOTE: Prior to arriving at the Cathy Ellis trail there is another steep incline, similar to the one near the Visitor's Center. ----- FINAL THOUGHTS In total I hiked approximately 7.5 miles today. I would normally have done this in probably 3 hours, but I tried to go at an easier pace since I'm still recovering from surgery. I allowed myself plenty of places to sit and rest, the most enjoyable of them being the waterfall on the Cathy Ellis Trail. Smithgall Woods State Park is indeed a wonderful place for those who love nature and peaceful hiking venues. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND giving them a visit.

Fantastic experience at Big Bear Cabins. Went in July for a small family reunion. Each family had…read moretheir own small and perfectly sized cabin. Loved the two separate bedrooms and the special little loft area that served as a third bedroom for our youngest. The unit was clean, cozy, super log cabin like, had great Wifi and TVs, a washer and dryer and little kitchen and bathroom with a tub. Great front porch and a pull out couch if needed. Plenty of seating. It was super private yet close to all things like grocery stores and restaurants. Close enough to the other cabins but still gave each family space. The biggest house worked great for everyone to get together and eat together. AC worked great. Great little grill and fire wood and a fire pit. So quiet. Host was awesome and super at giving us ideas for where to go and what to do and eat. Highly recommend. Great little town and amazing cabins. Well done! Thanks for giving us a chance to reconnect and refresh in a perfect home away from home. Hope to be back.

Big Bear cabins are the best way to relax in the Smokey Mountains. The cabins themselves were clean…read moreand spacious and had everything we needed. We enjoyed coffee on the covered porch in our rocking chairs every morning. They are also close to so many activities! We went on great hikes to waterfalls and enjoyed many local breweries and eateries. It was a great vacation spot!

Jimmy and Joey were amazing along with their crew . This was my first time zip lining and I was…read morealittle nervous. They definitely made my experience light and laughable . Jimmy and Joey were extremely patient and kind with everyone and took their time to explain each step along the zip line adventure . I would definitely come again and try out level 3 . Each level upgraded in view, speed and distance . Best experience by far and best instructors and team from the register to the main event . Love every single minute of it .

The instructors were nice and tried their best, but the level 1 left a lot to be desired. As…read moresomeone who has zip lined before, I was expecting a few long range lines. However, we stayed in what seemed like a 200 foot radius. It was so hot out on the day we went and the lines are so short that by the time you cool off a little you are basically at the end. The level 3 may have fixed some of the law things, but it is also pretty expensive to do.

Overall great hike. A few steep sections but nothing too crazy. Beautiful scenery the whole way…read more Would recommend for anyone looking for a solid outdoor experience.

My partner and I recently visited Clarksville for a spontaneous hiking trip. Panther Creek Trail…read morewas at the very top of our list and we were not disappointed. At first we were worried that the trail would be closed due to the storm damage that occurred during the prior year but we drove by and there were multiple parties going in and out of the trail so we figured we would go for it! This trail is long and arduous, so be prepared! Us Floridians definitely overestimated our hiking abilities but we still got it done (thankfully). Bring around 2L per person or more if it's a hot day. We started on a Friday around 2pm and finished by 6:30pm and clocked in a total of 8 miles round trip. If you can go earlier, I highly recommend doing so to have plenty of light. There's two main parts of the trail where the bridges were damaged and removed. In one section, there's several logs that lay across the stream. Find a big stick, and scramble across. In the second section, the water is shallow enough to walk across without the possibility of getting your legs wet. But even if you get wet, both sections are not deeper than your ankle. I don't know if I'd recommend this for children as there are multiple sudden drop offs but more power to you if your family can do this! If you are a hiker, this does not disappoint!

Well seasoned patient staff, great groomed horses, outstanding facilities including conference…read morerooms and bathrooms. Family oriented fun for all including horse back riding 30 minutes, 2 hour or 2 hours. Pony rides for young children, axe throwing, archery and beautiful Mountain View's. Best horseback riding in North Georgia mountains!!!!