The Ultimate 2025 Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites Bucket List

We’re coming up on summertime and it’s the perfect time to get out and explore Georgia’s 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!  

This list will help you get started and get you outside this summer. Ready? Here’s your 2025 Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites Bucket List…

1. Soak in summit views of four states (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) at Black Rock Mountain. 

2. Live out your park ranger dream and earn up to 60 badges as a Junior Ranger.  

3. Toast s’mores at your shaded campsite or private “glamping” yurt. We’ve got a lot of info in our article, Sweetwater Creek State Park: Yurt Village Q&A and Hiking 411.

4. Paddle an array of scenic and easy waterways when you join the Park Paddlers Club. 

5. Rent a bike at Panola to explore more than seven miles of paved pathways near Atlanta. 

6. Take aim with archery lessons at Elijah Clark or Panola Mountain. 

7. Geocache through Georgia’s past and uncover hidden secrets at New Echota Cherokee Capital. 

8. Commemorate the Revolutionary War’s 250^th anniversary at  Fort King George and Fort Morris. We love Fort King George and wrote all about it HERE. 

9. Climb, scale, and hike your way through Georgia’s epic Canyon Climbers Club. 

10. Spot gators in the mysterious Okefenokee Swamp at Stephen C. Foster, a certified Dark Sky Park. 

11. Glide through the Instagrammable cypress pond at George L Smith. 

12. Splash with the kids at Jack Hill’s or Magnolia Springs’s “spraygrounds.” 

13. Climb to the top of ancient Indian mounds at Etowah and Kolomoki. 

14. Sip your morning brew from a Lake Lanier cottage at Don Carter. 

15. Scout for colorful Painted Buntings at your Crooked River campsite. 

16. Reel in a big one at Florence Marina, a tiny park that’s big on bass fishing.  (And is right down the road from Providence Canyon!)

17. Collect spring water at one of the oldest State Parks in the nation—Indian Springs. 

18. Bring your pup on more than a dozen tail-wagging adventures through the Tails on Trails Club. 

19. Dig your toes into the sand at Seminole’s swimming beach—no sharks or jellyfish at this beach! 

20. Tee off at Arrowhead Pointe Golf Course at Richard B. Russell, voted a top public course by USA Today 10 Best.   

21. Say hello to the farm animals at General Coffee, then stay overnight at the historic Burnham House. 

22. Send it on Georgia State Park’s bike trails as you complete the Muddy Spokes Club challenge. 

23. Challenge friends to a friendly game of mini-golf, disc golf, or even FootGolf. 

24. Saddle up and spend the day riding equestrian trails at A.H. Stephens.  

25. 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. 

Want to check out some of the special events happening at Georgia State Parks this year? We update this fun list every month!