Dallas, GA Outdoor Activities

In 2001, the first of many ziplines began to sprout from the grounds surrounding the Old Mill Farm. The cows would inspect the strange contraptions quizzically, but they soon grew comfortable with the droves of smiling guests whooshing overhead. Today, spread across more than 100 acres near the North Oconee River in Lula, Georgia, North Georgia Canopy Tours lead groups on high-flying adventures. Complete with commemorative photo packages, the tours entertain guests with serene views and exhilarating activities. The ziplines reach up to 70 feet off the ground and extend as far as 850 feet, allowing zipliners to catch glimpses of flying squirrels migrating south in V formation.

Staff also welcome visitors to stay overnight in 15 campsites and several authentic Native-American teepees equipped with amenities such as electricity and air conditioning. The walls of each teepee bear custom-painted Cherokee symbols representative of the seven Cherokee Clans, for which North Georgia Canopy Tours' seven campgrounds are named.

Fire Wire Zip Lines gets mankind off the ground with zipline flights in the Blue Ridge Mountains. After their daily safety inspection, the side-by-side Fire Wire lines are ready to launch riders out of the trees and over verdant hills on a 1,700-foot adventure. Fire Wire Zip Lines also offers the Blue Ridge Canopy Adventure, an adrenaline-pounding two-hour tour composed of a series of 15 ziplines that takes place at heights of up to 90 feet. As they swing through the trees, gaze into Dead Man's Gorge, and teeter at the Edge of Insanity, steely nerved adventurers enjoy the view while staying focused on the finish-line prize—the conferral of Canopy Hawk status—and keeping an eye out for opportunities to high-five the endangered High Fivin' Bird

At Iron Horse Farms, head trainer Christine Johnston and her staff of sheepdogs and equestrians immerse horse lovers in everything from intensive show training to introductory lessons. Riders can feel the wind in their manes in the outdoor arena or move to the indoor pen on days when the Pegasus constellation trots over to eclipse the sun. Packed with soft rubber footing to ensure horses’ comfort, the training areas represent just part of the expansive facility, which also includes lounges, tack rooms, and large turnout pastures.

AirSoft Depot lets gun toters loose on an expansive, tree-lined field to challenge their reflexes and ignite their adrenaline glands in free-form shooting games. Plywood forts, rusty barrels, and bright orange traffic cones act as safe cover during shootouts as players duck and roll through each blockade to achieve their missions. AirSoft Depot's home base stocks an assortment of imitation firearms ready to be rented, loaded with ammo, and cocked with a punny catch phrase, or airsoft gun owners can bestow their armaments on the center's seasoned techs, who repair and upgrade most brands.

After a career that included breaking both knees in the Army and seeing three back-to-back hurricanes while working for a Central Florida sheriff's office, David W. Turner Sr. felt it was time to pursue his dream of becoming a professional bass fisherman. Today, he follows the FLW and B.A.S.S. tournament trails, competing under sponsorships from major brands such as Dobyns Rods and Lew's. To stay sharp when not on the circuit, Turner lends his bass-angling expertise through services that range from customized fishing lessons to five-hour guided trips on waters such as Lake Allatoona, Lake Lanier, and Lake Sinclair. He welcomes clients aboard his 21-foot Triton boat, outfitted with Hummingbird side-imaging depth finders that create a topographical image of the lake bottom. In addition to lessons and guided trips, Turner gives back through Operation: A Day on the Lake, a program through which tournament anglers take a veteran out for a day of fishing.

Iron Gate Farm owner Lisa Eisele harnesses a life's worth of horseback-riding dedication—including a youth career with the American Paint Horse Association—to enrich the skills and horsemanship of novice riders. Along with instructor Sarah Hutchinson, who draws upon her own extensive experiences breaking and showing horses in various disciplines, Lisa emphasizes safe riding techniques as well as important skills such as barn husbandry, equine first aid, and reminding steeds to double-knot their horseshoes. When not accommodating students at private sessions, group lessons, or summer camps, the farm also shelters owners' horses in 12'x12' matted stalls replete with blanketing and twice-daily feedings.