On this rainy and chilly Sunday morning the park felt almost suspended in its own quiet, the kind…read moreof stillness you only get when the weather keeps everyone else home and you end up with the place to yourself. No one was camping or fishing or wandering the grounds (though I did see one park ranger pickup truck on patrol), which meant I had time with the real centerpiece of the park, the Watson Mill Covered Bridge, and the soft sound of the river underneath it carried farther than usual in the damp air. The bridge was built in 1885 by W. W. King, one of Georgia's most skilled nineteenth century bridge builders, and it remains the longest existing covered bridge in the state at 236 feet. It uses the Town lattice truss system, a design patented in 1820 that relies on a crisscross pattern of planks secured with wooden pegs, and Watson Mill is one of the best surviving examples of that method in the Southeast. The bridge once served the workers of the grist mill and sawmill that stood nearby, and it doubled as a community gathering place where people held picnics and even square dances. The Georgia Department of Transportation restored it in 1973, and the bridge became the anchor for the surrounding state park, which preserves both the structure and the landscape that supported it. The posted clearance was too low for my Sprinter van so I walked the length of the bridge instead, letting the boards creak underfoot and taking in the smell of wet timber that always feels older than the structure itself. There is no dedicated pedestrian lane, but the interior is wide enough that I could step to the side when a car approached, and the drivers moved slowly enough that it never felt unsafe. The combination of the rain, the quiet, and the long wooden tunnel made the whole experience feel like stepping back into the late nineteenth century for a few minutes. [Review 245 of 2026 - 942 in Georgia - 25434 overall]

Beautiful, just beautiful place to go hike walk enjoy peace and quiet family time or whatever you…read morewant. Lovely, beautiful place small country perfect setting.

Not only is this facility my voter precinct but it's also my community's wonderful recreation…read moredepartment for all age groups. Wish their website was a little more up to speed when it comes to seasonal activities but you can't have it all. Favorite new upgrades includes all the brand new outdoor public playgrounds. Three total. One on the lower ball fields. A smaller more pre-school, little tikes set in between upper ball fields, and then this one near the upper gravel parking lot. Thank you Banks Co for continuing to take such great care of all of us!

Great State Park campground! Georgia has yet to disappoint on the state campground front. Enjoyed…read morethe camp site we selected, great view of the river and South Carolina shoreline. The main hiking trail, Sassafras Loop, is a good hike. The trail is well marked and has some nice variations in elevation. The park staff was super friendly and very knowledgeable.

Tugaloo State Park-Georgia…read more A large state park near Lavonia and Toccoa, Georgia off of I-85. Pronounced "Two-ga-low" according to locals we asked. Located on Lake Hartwell, this state park features 105 campsites and 4 bath houses. Cottages and yurts are also available to rent. All rv sites are well shaded and many have nice lake views. Each site has water, electric and cable tv hookups(although our cable hookup did not work). No sewer hookups but there is a double lane dump station near the campground entrance. The park staff we met were friendly and helpful. The park has a rec area with a swimming beach, a mini-golf course, tennis courts and several picnic shelters. There are two boat ramps in the park but we saw many people just beaching their canoes and kayaks on the shore behind their campsites. We also saw people fishing from the shore and from boats. We were in site 7, a lakeside pull through. The gravel drive was sloped some but relatively level midway in where we set up. The pad area with the fire pit and grill and large table was somewhat smaller than we have found in other Georgia state parks, but it was just a few steps down an incline from our back door to the lakeshore. This was a pretty quiet park but the low rumble from I-85 could be heard from across the lake from where we were. There were a few hiking trails but bikes were not permitted on the ones we saw. However, the paved roads inside the park made for nice e-biking. Toccoa is about a 20 minute drive. It is a nice small town and has just about anything you might need(groceries, pharmacies, restaurants, a WalMart, etc.). Lavonia is a bit smaller town but its also a bit nearer to the park. went into Toccoa and toured the Currahee WWII Museum downtown. Toccoa and nearby Mount Currahee were the home of the 101st Airborne Division's training operations during WWII. There are also some waterfalls in that area but we did not get to visit those. Should you go into Toccoa, if you enjoy country cooking, don't miss the M&J Home Cooking Country Buffet for tasty lunch or dinner. The weather was great when we were there in mid-October and the public areas in the park were not crowded at all.

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.

I have been to Sandy Creek Park many times and I never stop being amazed at the many activities the…read morepark has to offer. Best way to see your tax money at work. For $2 per person you may do any or all of the following. Enjoy their man made lake beach, fishing, 7 mile nature trail around the lake, volleyball, Frisbee course, picnic tables, picnic grills, use their baseball diamond and for additional fee you may rent a canoe and boat around the lake. Their is plenty of shade and plenty of room for you and your family to still feel you are on your own. You may choose to take a nature trail to Sandy Creek Nature Center which is approx 6 miles away. The nature trails are very well kept with man made wood breaches when necessary and the ocasional benches.

We went here to use one the private dog parks since our dog is a service dog in training with…read morerestrictions on playing with unknown dogs. You call ahead to reserve one of the five fenced in areas for $1 per hour per dog. It also costs $2 per person to enter the park. The space was beautiful and had tons of space for my dog to run around! Also had a nice picnic table and water for the dog so would be great for a picnic. We will definitely be back!!

Walking trails are paved and great for strollers. Path is relatively short and loops around, plus…read moreit's mostly shaded. Playground is right off of the path. Pool has a shallow end with splash pad area. Only giving four stars because there was a lot of trash on the playground despite there being plenty of trash cans nearby.

We love Bishop. It's one of our favorite places to play with the kids! It's a good place to meet up…read morewith others for outside play days and let the kids run. Plus there is beautiful views of the sky morning day and night.

Beautiful and historic. The shoals are so much fun to slide and play in the water. Once a year in…read morethe fall they have a festival called Art in the Park! Believe me, you do not want to miss it! Be sure to save a lot of time for the awesome Village of historical buildings that have been moved to the site and restored. It's well worth many visits!!!!

park is nice but unstaffed most of the time and the area is bare bones. parking isn't convenient…read morefor the pavilions and having to cross the street to large hills with no stairs to access them from the parking areas is difficult for handicapped or limited mobility individuals. The river is fun for the kids but a lack of even a single park employee leads to many insatnces of crowds of loud violent groups taking over and running families out.

Nice little playground for getting our kids' energy out on a long car trip. There's a shaded…read morepavilion in the back of the park, which is a nice respite from the otherwise unshaded playground. Well maintained bathrooms.

Great overnight camping! Fire rings, picnic tables, and roomy, flat campsites for both trailer, RV,…read moreand tent camping. The bath houses are always clean, they have 2 different camp hosts, who are both very helpful and keep the campsites at a clean, topnotch level. There is a boat launch, 2 different playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, pickle ball, horseshoes, volleyball sand area, and kayak rentals with various sizes of life jackets available. They also have a sandy beach area and are dog friendly! There is a camp store and Snack Shack(but they haven't been open since we've been here, April/May). But we played giant checkers on the store porch. It has a wonderful view of the lake with nice rocking chairs to relax in. There are also picnic areas for day use for a small entry fee. Overall, it was a great place to stay with family and friends.

My husband and I went camping in our RV here years ago. We came back for several nights, as we…read morelove the area. Unfortunately, and to no one's fault it rained the whole time we were there. We did take a local jaunt out on a drier afternoon, but the next day we were leaving. This is a beautiful park with many spacious sites. We did enjoy our stay here, but wished we had better weather. A picnic table and fire pit were available for our use. I forgot if it had a BBQ grill, but we had our own. We had electric and water hook up. We'll be back again.

Very clean and quite peaceful. Great place for a family picnic. Nice playground for the kids as…read morewell.

This park is such a sweet little find and can be enjoyed by children, adolescents, and grown folks…read morealike. There's a small playground area that is fairly standard. Clean, accessible restrooms and places to sit and eat. What sets the park apart from others, however, is the stunning view of an old mill and the waterfall / creek that surround it. It's a little bit of an adventure to hike down to if you're doing it with younger kinds, but very doable and totally worth it. This would be a wonderful place to go to take some nature-esq photos, or just quietly exist and meditate for a while. During our visit on a weekday evening we were the only ones there and it was incredibly peaceful and quiet. Definitely worth the little drive out from the highways to get out to it.