Things to do in Dahlonega, GA: A Family-Friendly List

If you’re looking for a quaint downtown square that hosts large festivals and serves good food then you’re looking for Dahlonega. Dahlonega is a gold rush town in Georgia that is home to lavender farms, downtown shopping, gold mines, and even a zoo. There are so many things to do in Dahlonega, GA that you can easily fill a long weekend.

If you are planning a family road trip to the north Georgia mountains then this town should definitely be a stop on your route. Check out our list below of the top things to do in Dahlonega that we recommend for families!

What is Dahlonega, Georgia best known for?

A quick search will tell you that there are a ton of things to do in Dahlonega, especially in the fall. That may leave you asking: what is Dahlonega best known for? As a native Georgian, I can tell you that their Gold Rush Days Festival is one of the top festivals in the state and a definite must-see for any visitors to the area!

This event happens every mid-October and includes a wide variety of events. There are over 100 festival booths set up to sell handmade foods and other household items. There is also a 5k that happens in the morning on the first day of the festival. Our favorite event is probably the Gold Rush parade because the kids love to see all of the decorated cars and trucks go by!

The Gold Rush Days Festival is one of many family friendly things to do in Dahlonega, GA. Keep scrolling to read about our other recommendations.

The Best Things to Do in Dahlonega for Families

Downtown Dahlonega

I love a small mountain downtown that has a historical square. Dahlonega is one of those towns! It is even listed on the Historical Register. Their downtown square is picture perfect and full of souvenirs for every traveler.

What is there to do in downtown Dahlonega?

There are a ton of unique stores packed in to this little town square! We have been to Dahlonega at least 5 times and we still use their map each time we go to make sure we hit all of our favorite spots. See the map below from the Downtown Dahlonega site:

The first thing you will want to do downtown is eat! Our favorite local spot is The Corner Kitchen because of their delicious sandwiches. They have homemade soup options and their sandwiches are served with Boar’s Head meats and cheeses. They also have a sister store downtown that makes their own desserts, which the Corner Kitchen proudly serves.

Aside from local restaurants, there are some shops that you’ll want to ensure you do not miss out on. The first of these is the Dahlonega General Store. Our toddlers love general stores because of the variety of unique things they always carry. Truth be told this is one of their favorite things to do in Dahlonega if only because of the toy variety.

Next on our list is The Fudge Factory. Need I say more? Go get yourself some delicious, made-in-house fudge. P.S.-this is the sister store mentioned above so you can also try their delicious sweets while you are having lunch at the Corner Kitchen.

Gold Rush Festival

The Gold Rush Festival, as I’ve already said above, is one of the “must-sees” in Dahlonega. It happens once a year in mid October and is so much fun. The festival celebrates the finding of gold in Dahlonega back in the 1800s.

There are over 200 vendors with booths set up around the town. These booths sell food, hand carved bird houses, hand made jewelry, arts and crafts, pet accessories, and so much more. We always buy our Christmas gifts from fun vendors like these because we know we are getting something unique.

There will be a ton of people out there. They estimate that over 200,000 people visit the festival over the course of the weekend. We parked on the outskirts of town and I would recommend you do the same. It will require some walking to and from the car but it is much better than being stuck in traffic when you want to leave.

In addition to the booths, there is a parade and a 5k that you can join in on. If you want more information about the festival or what you can expect from this year’s events, check out their website.

Gibbs Gardens

While not actually located in Dahlonega, Gibbs Gardens is only a half hour drive away. (We stayed on the south side of Dahlonega and the drive to the gardens was very manageable for us. However, it may be closer to 45 minutes if you are staying north of downtown Dahlonega). Gibbs Gardens contains three separate garden areas that each contain a variety of subdivisions.

The first of these gardens is the Manor House Gardens. They recommend allowing 1.5 hours to tour this area which includes: daffodils, rhododendron, azalea, and hydrangea gardens. It also houses the rose arbor, a woodland shade garden and a nature canopy walk.

The second, the Valley Gardens, also takes about 1.5 hours to enjoy. These gardens contain: Japanese gardens, waterlily gardens, sculpture gardens, rose gardens, daylily gardens, and more.

The Inspiration Gardens are the last area and contain a much more natural terrain. For this reason, anything with wheels is prohibited (strollers, wheelchairs, wagon, etc.). However, if you are traveling with a stroller, like we do, then you can view these gardens from the road while taking in the Manor House Gardens.

Make sure you check their website for seasonal information or any relevant updates. They also require tickets to be bought online in advance. They do not sell tickets on the grounds. However, the tickets you buy are good for any day at any time.

Cost: Adults $20 // Children 3+ $10 //Children 2 and under are free

Hours: Wed-Sun 9-4

Address: 1987 Gibbs Drive, Ball Ground, GA 30107

Website: Check their website for updates!

Chestatee Wildlife Preserve

A vacation is not complete for our toddlers if they do not get to see animals. I think we have set a bad precedent by always visiting a zoo or sanctuary in every town we go to. Chestatee Wildlife Preserve is a beautiful local wildlife sanctuary providing homes to animals that were injured, orphaned, or in need of a more suitable habitat.

We wrote an entire post on two of our north Georgia zoos over —-> here. Check it out for more information on this awesome little zoo!

Waterfalls in Dahlonega

We decided to try to see some waterfalls while we were in town because everyone talks about north Georgia falls. There are two that are very close to downtown Dahlonega (less than 10 minutes) so we though we would start there!

Cane Creek Falls is on the grounds of Camp Glisson and open to the public as long as it is during daylight hours. They do periodically host camp events at Camp Glisson so call the camp to make sure it is open before you drive over. We used the address for the camp and then followed signs to the falls.

Address: 690 Camp Glisson Rd., Dahlonega, GA 30533

Clay Creek Falls is another cute little waterfall very close to downtown. In fact, there is no hiking required! That’s my kind of waterfall. You can view Clay Creek Falls from the side of Clay Creek Falls road. From downtown, we typed in “Clay Creek Falls Road” and followed the directions. We drove slowly until we found the falls. We did a quick drive by since our kids were in the car and we did not want to get out on a road.

There are actually quite a few waterfalls within driving distance of downtown Dahlonega. For a complete list of all of the waterfalls, check out this post on the Visit Dahlonega website.

Red Oak Lavender Farm

If you are looking for a natural way to unwind while you are in the mountains, look no further! Just walking through this farm provides you with the distressing benefits that lavender oils possess. Red Oak Lavender Farm is one of the oldest and largest Lavender farms in Georgia!

If you’re thinking that lavender being grown in Georgia sounds odd then you are one of many others who thought the same thing. Lavender is not typically grown in Georgia and there are many species that cannot survive here. Lavender season is the first few weeks of June so you will want to stop by then to see the plants in bloom.

However, Red Oak Lavender Farm does not only grow lavender! If you are planning a trip later in the year they will have Dahlia gardens and other seasonal wildflowers that will bloom well into autumn.

Red Oak Farm has over 4,000 lavender plants which have resulted in them being able to open a shop filled with 100% homemade essential oils and other gifts that are scented with these oils. The shop is open from March through mid December but they always take online orders!

Cost: Its free to walk the farm and enter the shop.

Hours: Wed-Fri 11-3 // Sat 10-4 // Sun 1-4

Address: 2882 Red Oak Flats Rd, Dahlonega, GA 30533

Website: Check out their website for seasonal updates!

Sunny Farms North

Sunny Farms North sounds like a petting zoo or a place where I would go pick corn. Turns out, it is neither! Sunny Farms North is a place where the whole family (toddlers included) can ride some very well socialized horses. Sunny Farms North is a family owned and operated business by a family that knows horses and knows them well.

An interesting thing I learned (that makes a lot of sense) is that horses have ideal times to ride. They are very similar to people regarding weather conditions and what they are willing to do outside. For example, hot summer afternoons or freezing winter days are not ideal weather conditions for a ride. Sunny Farms North encourages you to call ahead to check weather conditions and/or schedule your visit.

They are always open on Saturdays and Sunday from 9-4. However, this farm is also their home and weekday job so they are happy to accommodate rides on any weekday, weather permitting, as long as you call in advance.

Cost: $50/hour per rider OR $55/hour per parent and child on same horse

You can check out their website here before you plan your visit!

Pan For Gold

What better way to spend your time in a Gold Rush town than to pan for gold? This is probably one of the most quintessential things to do in Dahlonega. Bonus: its so kid-friendly! There are many ways to pan for gold in Dahlonega. Some of the local shops even offer small panning stations. However, we recommend one of these two gold mines for the most realistic and memorable experience: Consolidated Gold Mine or Crisson Gold Mine.

Keep reading for more information about each one!

Consolidated Gold Mine

Guys-this place is c o o l. Consolidated Gold Mine offers the only underground mine tour in Dahlonega. In hindsight, we might not have been ready for the -whole- tour since it is around 45 minutes long. The tour literally takes you 200 feet underground so be ready for some stairs (they’re manageable though). At the end, you get to pan for gold and even take a sample from your pan home with you!

Our toddlers travel pretty well and are decently well-behaved as long as they can keep moving. However, they started to get antsy around the 30 minute mark so keep that in mind as you plan your visit. If you are not up for the long tour there are several other options you can choose from.

First of all, you can pan for gold without the tour. It costs $30 and includes a free sample from your pan. Part of the panning experience includes a person who has decades of experience in panning to show you the ropes. Its pretty neat! Let’s just say my technique was not exactly right and I probably would not have struck it rich back in the day.

A surefire way to go home with some treasures is to pay for the gemstone mining experience. You have a wide range of pricing options depending on which size bucket you would like. The smallest bucket starts at $15 and the largest one caps off at $1,000. The price also correlates with the types of stones you will find in your bucket.

Cost: Adults $20 // Children $14

Hours: Open 7 days a week from 10-5

Address: 185 Consolidated Gold Mine Road, Dahlonega, GA 30533

Website: Consolidated Gold Mine

Crisson Gold Mine

Crisson Gold Mine is home to the only operating Stamp Mill in the state. Pretty neat! Crisson offers a different experience because their gold mine is an open pit, rather than underground. It’s also the oldest in north Georgia!

One thing we really like about this gold mine is that everything is at your own pace and its all included in one price. That means if your toddler gets bored walking through the self-guided tour then you can end it a little sooner. You also get to experience both panning for gold and mining for gemstones because both experiences are included in the general admission price!

One of the coolest things we learned is that the Crisson family donated gold to be put on the dome of the State Capitol. It has a total of 43 ounces on it and the family contributed 13 of those ounces!

Cost: $13 general admission for ages 4 and up. Under 4 is free.

Hours: Open 7 days a week from 10-6

Address: 2736 Morrison Moore Pkwy. E. Dahlonega, GA. 30533

Website: Crisson Gold Mine

Any other interesting things to do in Dahlonega with kids?

Let us know! We’ve explored the area a ton but always love learning about new experiences under our noses! Drop a comment below and tell us what family activity you’d recommend.