Media release from Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites:
Calling all adventurers, paddlers, glampers, badge-earners, and explorers! Georgia’s State Parks and Historic Sites are your playground for adventure in 2025, and they are throwing down the ultimate challenge: to complete 25 only-in-Georgia experiences that will have you hiking higher, splashing harder, and exploring deeper than ever before!
Here’s your 2025 Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites Bucket List:
- Soak in summit views of four states (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) at Black Rock Mountain.
- Live out your park ranger dream and earn up to 60 badges as a Junior Ranger.
- Toast s’mores at your shaded campsite or private “glamping” yurt.
- Paddle an array of scenic and easy waterways when you join the Park Paddlers Club.
- Rent a bike at Panola to explore more than seven miles of paved pathways near Atlanta.
- Take aim with archery lessons at Elijah Clark or Panola Mountain.
- Geocache through Georgia’s past and uncover hidden secrets at New Echota Cherokee Capital.
- Commemorate the Revolutionary War’s 250th anniversary at Fort King George and Fort Morris.
- Climb, scale, and hike your way through Georgia’s epic Canyon Climbers Club.
- Spot gators in the mysterious Okefenokee Swamp at Stephen C. Foster, a certified Dark Sky park.
- Glide through the Instagrammable cypress pond at George L Smith.
- Splash with the kids at Jack Hill’s or Magnolia Springs’s “spraygrounds.”
- Climb to the top of ancient Indian mounds at Etowah and Kolomoki.
- Sip your morning brew from a Lake Lanier cottage at Don Carter.
- Scout for colorful Painted Buntings at your Crooked River campsite.
- Reel in a big one at Florence Marina, a tiny park that’s big on bass fishing.
- Collect spring water at one of the oldest State Parks in the nation — Indian Springs.
- Bring your pup on more than a dozen tail-wagging adventures through the Tails on Trails Club.
- Dig your toes into the sand at Seminole’s swimming beach — no sharks or jellyfish at this beach!
- Tee off at Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course at Richard B. Russell, voted a top public course by USA Today 10 Best.
- Say hello to the farm animals at General Coffee, then stay overnight at the historic Burnham House.
- Send it on Georgia State Park’s bike trails as you complete the Muddy Spokes Club challenge.
- Challenge friends to a friendly game of mini-golf, disc golf, or even FootGolf.
- Saddle up and spend the day riding equestrian trails at A.H. Stephens.
- Host your family reunion at Fort Yargo’s lakeside event center.
Can you complete all 25 in 2025? Whether you’re 5 or 95, there’s adventure waiting under every Georgia pine — one trail, lake, or campfire at a time. Visit GaStateParks.org to get started.
