October 2026
Sometimes making time for someone begins with a small suggestion: want to try something a little different?
Some of the best outings are the ones you’d never think to look for. These are small, a little quirky and close enough to home for a weeknight or a slow Saturday.
Before you go: Hours and plans can change, especially for outdoor events, so click through to the official page before heading out.
Walking tours of downtown Woodstock
The city’s $5 downtown walking tours have two October themes: Historic Families of Woodstock on Thursday, October 15, and Weird Woodstock, full of odd stories and funny facts, on Thursday, October 29. Tours start at 6, 6:30, 7 and 7:30 p.m. and last 30 to 45 minutes on flat sidewalks.
Tickets go on sale two weeks ahead at the Woodstock Visitors Center or online. Call the Visitors Center at 770-924-0406 to confirm where your tour meets. Grab dinner downtown afterward and swap your favorite story.
Details: Walking tour details
A Victorian house by flashlight
The William Root House Museum in Marietta opens after hours for Victorian Funeral Flashlight Tours on Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24, from 5 to 9 p.m. (arrive by 8:30). You move through the 1840s house by flashlight, room by room, learning about Victorian mourning customs. It’s spooky in a historical way, not a gory one. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
The house is at 80 North Marietta Parkway, about 25 minutes from central Woodstock. It’s an old house, so ask about stairs if that matters for your group. On Thursday, October 15, at 6:30 p.m., the museum also hosts Mother of a Monster, a $15 talk about Mary Shelley and Frankenstein.
Details: Root House events
Watch iron being poured
Red Top Mountain State Park in Acworth holds an Iron Pour on Saturday, October 24, from 4 to 8 p.m. Watch molten iron poured into molds, carve a design into a scratch block (sold on site) to have cast in iron, and enjoy a blacksmith demonstration, live music, historic cabin tours and food trucks. It’s free to attend; the park parking fee applies.
It’s about 25 to 30 minutes from central Woodstock, mostly standing outdoors on flat ground.
Details: Georgia State Parks event listing
Bring your rocks and fossils
On Saturday, October 17, from 1 to 4 p.m., Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville holds Specimen ID Day. Bring the rocks, minerals or fossils you’ve found, and the curator and volunteers will tell you what they are (they identify, but don’t appraise). It’s included with museum admission ($20 adults, $18 seniors, $16 ages 3–17), and no registration is needed.
It’s about 35 minutes from central Woodstock and all indoors. Grandkids with a pocketful of creek rocks will love it, and the free Solar Sky Watch runs the same afternoon.
Details: Specimen ID Day
A one-mile mushroom hike
At Fort Mountain State Park near Chatsworth, a ranger leads the Mushroom Mile, a one-mile woods walk to spot and identify wild mushrooms. Two Sundays are left, October 18 and 25, from 1 to 2 p.m., meeting at the beach area. It’s free beyond the park parking fee, and it’s canceled if it rains.
It’s about an hour and 15 minutes from central Woodstock, so pair it with a stop in Ellijay on the way home.
Details: Mushroom Mile details
Or make a little room at home
Pull out an old photo album or a box of letters and ask someone to tell you the story behind one picture. Odd family stories are the best kind.