By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia

The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye so it must be fall and time for corn mazes and pumpkin patches at Georgia farms.

Corn mazes and pumpkin patches are a sure sign that Fall is on its way. You will find farmers all across Georgia harvesting pumpkins and cutting their intricately designed corn mazes – everything from psychedelic circles to spooky Halloween scenes. Besides twisting and turning your way through a corn maze, at many farms, you also will find other activities, including petting farms, hay rides and bonfires.

Listed below are some farms across the state where you will definitely find some fall fun for the entire family.

Cagle’s Dairy – Wonder through the maze, choose your own pumpkin, and enjoy a hayride and bonfire at this dairy farm in Canton.

Colonel Cob’s Corn Maze – This 7-acre cornfield in Oxford has 2.5 miles of fun paths and agricultural facts to direct you through the maze, pumpkins and more.

Connell Farms – They say it takes 35 minutes to over an hour to find your way through this corn maze of psychedelic circles in Hollonville. There are hayrides, food and drinks, too.

Joe’s Rows Corn Maze – There is a corn maze, hayrides, and a petting zoo at this farm in Sautee in the North Georgia Mountains.

Little River Farms Country Inn and Petting Farm – Try you luck in the Haunted Corn Maze. You will also find hayrides, a petting farm, and nature trails at this Resaca farm. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Southwest Georgia > Lowndes County > Valdosta

Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park mixes animals, amusement rides and water park rides like the Wahee Cyclone, a four-person tube ride that swirls down a dark, 45-foot funnel.

Thrill rides, water rides — and animals!

A combination amusement park and water park sounds like a lot of fun, but Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park in Valdosta captures both of those and throws in an extra – wild animals – to give you a three-way adventure that is hard to beat.

Wild Adventures is divided into seven sections, each with its own collection of rides and animals.

When it comes to amusement park rides, Wild Adventures offers plenty of family rides – everything from the Century Wheel ferris wheel to the Dizzy Dragons. There are numerous Thrill Rides, including the 50-mph vertical loops of the Boomerang with its six inversions and two hills; The Bug Out – a wild mouse ride with single cars, hair-pin turns, and sudden drops; and the Cheetah, a 90-foot tall, 3,000-foot long wooden roller coaster. And, of course, the gentler Kids Rides, such the Rio Grande Train and Saddle Up Pony Rides, are also plentiful. (more…)

 By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Bring your mountain bike and enjoy the more than 17 miles of biking and hiking trails at Dauset Trails Nature Center. 

You’ll discover more than 1,200 scenic acres where you can enjoy nature in a peaceful, family-oriented setting of streams, creeks, lakes, fields, gardens and wildlife at Dauset Trails Nature Center in Jackson.

You’ll see mammals, birds of prey, reptiles and amphibians that are native to Georgia—black bear, osprey, red fox, coyote, river otter and red-tailed hawk to name a few.

Children will particularly like the Farm Animals area with its rustic barn, a variety of farm animals, old farming equipment, tools and wagons. Walk along the Woodland Garden Trail to see native azaleas and woodland wildflowers or through the Children’s Garden to see perennials and a knot garden. Lotus, water lily, goldfish and other aquatic wildlife can be found in the Lotus Pond. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

First stop for kids at Zoo Atlanta is Flamingo Plaza, where the long-legged birds show off their wading skills and beautiful pink plumage.

From the awesomeness of elephants and gorillas to the antics of panda bears and lemurs, there is nothing like a trip to Zoo Atlanta with kids. Just last week, I made my first trip in a good number of years with Brianna and her kindergarten class—twenty kids, who excitedly spent a couple of hours seeing as many of the zoo’s 1,300 mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians as possible!

Zoo Atlanta, which celebrated its 120th birthday this past March, is pleasant, clean and has lots of shady areas so that you can enjoy it even on Atlanta’s hotter days. Once you leave Flamingo Plaza, you can visit the African Plains with zebras, giraffes and lions; the African Rain Forest, where monkeys swing from tree to tree; and the Asian Forest, where orangutans, otters and tigers reside. Exotic birds, kangaroos and a petting zoo can be found in the KIDZone as well as the zoo train, carousel and a rock climber wall. Although not my favorite, my group of children went wild in the World of Reptiles building. Besides all that, you’ll find plenty of things to climb, places to eat, and great photo-ops at Zoo Atlanta. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Earth, the first film in the Disneynature series, was released in movie theaters across Georgia and the nation last week on Earth Day, April 22. We took Brianna to see it last Saturday night.

The film is a remarkable feat of cinematography— the story of animal migration patterns on the planet. Narrated by James Earl Jones, it focuses on three particular animal families—polar bears, humpback whales and African elephants. While it was, perhaps, a little too much for a six-year old (she stays more involved with Disney’s cuddly, animated critters), this is a story that everyone, young and old alike, should see. (more…)

By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

From precious bunnies and baby chicks to obnoxious kid goats and tame white-tailed deer, the Yellow River Game Ranch in Lilburn is home to lots of “people-friendly” wildlife just waiting to be fed and petted by little kids.

This fun place is also the home of groundhog General Beau Lee, who not only gives his spring predictions for the South at his leisure on Groundhog Day but also has a Twitter account where he delivers updates about what’s happening at the ranch. (more…)