Things to do in the area

Hiking
There are 5 trail in the park: Homestead Trail (5.5 miles), Sweet Gum Trail (3.5 miles), White Tail Trail (1 mile), Visitor Center Loop (.75 miles), Lakeside Trail (.75 miles). Click here for more in-depth information about these trail, including a printable trail map.

For other hiking in the area, check out the Georgia Trails site.

Park Events
There are a variety of events at the park, which are free to the public. In October, these are most likely to include hayrides for the kids and other fall/Halloween activities. Check the calendar for specifics.

Historic Sites
For Civil War buffs, check out the Blue-Gray Trail which covers many historic sites in this area. Also interesting is Allatoona Pass

For those interested in Appalachia, the Funk Heritage Center is close by at Reinhardt College.

Boat Rentals
Boats are available from Park Marine at the north end of the park. (Might be too cold in Oct.)

Places to Eat
If you want to stay in the park, the Mountain Cove Restaurant in the lodge offers 3 meals a day. Otherwise, we recommending heading north on I-75 for three miles to Exit 288 (Cartersville/Main St.) for dining options in Cartersville. We particularly liked Antonino's Italian Grotto if you're in the mood for Italian.

Shopping
Cartersville has a lovely Main Street which has great restaurants, antique shops and other stores.

Misc.
Lake Allatoona and Army Corp of Engineers Visitors Center
Golfing
Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site
Roselawn Museum
Booth Museum of Western Art
Or find something else.

Things to do in Atlanta
If you have an extra day or two, Atlanta is full of things to do. If you stay in a hotel near MARTA, you can ditch your rental car and get to a number of attractions. Everything listed below is MARTA accessible. The numbers in parentheses are station name and number for the MARTA stop for that attraction. Even the airport is on MARTA (S7).

World of Coca-Cola Museum (Five Points)

The city of Decatur is a town near Atlanta with a bohemian feel and a great Main Street with an abundance of great restaurants. Crescent Moon is highly recommended for breakfast and lunch. Lily is a higher-end restaurant with wonderful ambiance. Viet Chateau has tasty cheap Vietnamese food. (Decatur, E6)

The Center for Puppetry Arts is an amazing puppet museum with daily shows for both kids and adults! They almost always have a good show going which includes access to their top-notch museum. (Arts Center, N5)

The Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the world! (Peachtree Center, N1)

Take a studio tour of CNN. (Peachtree Center, N1)

The Shakespeare Tavern is dinner theater at it's best! (Civic Center, N2)