Tanglewood Farm - Canton, Georgia

Miniature farm animals are so lovable! Tanglewood Farm is located less than and hour north of Atlanta near the town of Canton, Georgia. The two key attractions of this destination are the animals and the atmosphere. The proximity to Atlanta also makes this an easy afternoon trek for many fun seeking families. Admission is $10 to enter the park (as of May 2012) and if you love cute huggable farm animals, it's a fair price. Just inside the entrance of Tanglewood Farms is a nice little picnic area with shade trees, a fort with a tower, and a mechanical bull, all kid-size. Pony rides are also available in this area. It looks like an excellent place to have a birthday party. This is also the location of the first of a series of "green gates" that guide you through your miniature animal adventure maze. The first miniature animals you encounter are the Nigerian Dwarf  goats. The adults can be viewed, and the babies can be petted and held. From there, just follow the green gates. There are miniature Babydoll sheep, turkeys, calves, donkeys, bison, guineas, chickens, alpaca, lambs, rams, horses, and more. If you fall in love with an animal and want to take it home, just ask, it may be for sale. Their website has a whole section on which animals are available, but you'd better bring your checkbook. Miniature animals are usually pretty valuable. The buildings emulate a miniature version of an old wild west frontier town. Kids like it, and it's a perfect disguise for a bunch of old farm buildings and animal habitats. The facility really very clean considering the number of animals they have. We noticed no significant odor problems during our visit. In conclusion, Tanglewood Farms is a worthwhile destination that's pretty convenient. There are many other attractions in the area like Lake Allatoona where you can camp at Red Top Mountain State Park or McKinney campground. It's also just a short drive over to Amicalola Falls State Park, and the goldmining town of Dahlonega where you can pan for gold at Consolidated Goldmine. If panning for gold is what you like, check out Gold n Gem Grubbin' over in Cleveland. Of course, if you go to Cleveland, you might as well visit the alpine village ofHelen. The options are endless Note: When we paid our admission, we had to sign a liability waiver. I can certainly understand this considering the occasional unpredictability of animals. Farm animals are typically pretty docile, but accidents sometimes happen. Watch smaller children, especially around the larger animals. An alpaca kicked John Micah (no damage), and a sheep with horns butted me three times trying to get my attention (I had a pail with bread in it). I suggest leaving the bucket outside the habitat areas.