Georgia is full of awesome outdoor destinations.

Within hours of Atlanta you can feel like you’re in a whole other world, away from the stress of the busy city and nestled deep in the North Georgia mountains.

Tallulah Gorge State Park is located in Tallulah Falls, Ga. You can find the state park just off of Hwy 441 less than two hours from Atlanta at 338 Jane Hurt Yarn Dr.

Fortunately, we live near Lake Hartwell so the trip was even quicker for us, just a mere 45 minutes from where we live.

Torie was on a business trip and I was left at the house looking for something to do.  I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money and I didn’t want to drive too far, since I wanted to be back home by the time Torie got home.

I found out about Tallulah Gorge and asked the kids if they want to see a waterfall and both of them were very excited.  It was about 10:30 in the morning by the time we made the decision to go so we got ready really quick and hit the road.

When we arrived at the park the entrance fee was only $5 (parking fee).  Luckily, for me I received a military discount and only had to shell out $3.75, every little bit helps.

We arrived around noon on Saturday and the park was packed.  The parking lot was full and there were people everywhere.  There is a picnic area covered by trees in the center of the parking lot which was a nice touch to have a little bite to eat.

There’s a gift shop and small museum you can pass through on your way down to the gorge. The trek down to see the gorge was very nice, the trail is coated in rubber like a running track. You arrive at stairs once you can officially see the 1000 foot chasm.  From there the stairs take you down to the swinging bridge where you can cross over he gorge and continue up the stairs on the other side.

Since I was unprepared for such a hike (wearing flip flops, 5 year old and 7 year old, no water, grandma) we turned around at the swinging bridge.

The journey back up the thousand stairs was slightly challenging. Although my son showed zero signs of struggle, my daughter had to be cheered up some of the way.  Both kids walked all the way down and up on their own two feet, I was a proud dad.

Grandma had to come up at her own pace, taking as many breaks as she needed to make it to the top on her own, but she too made the journey.

Be prepared for what is in store if you choose to tackle all these flights of stairs.  There was a slightly over weight boy about 11 or 12 year old that was behind us going up the stairs who made some of the weirdest and awful noises I’ve ever heard come out of a human being.  Needless to say he was struggling, but even with all the noise he made he made it as well.

Once we got back to the top, we hit the drinking faucets and left in search of some food.

It’s important to remember to spend time with the ones you love.  What better way than to take a trip and spend the day outside somewhere we’ve never been before.

Our Live Goal is to Get Out and Live.

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