Fall Family Fun Days At The Rock Ranch Begin

The Rock Ranch, LLC, a 1,500-acre ranch owned by Chick-fil-A® Founder S. Truett Cathy, will kick off Fall Family Fun Days on Sept. 28, 2013, with a wide variety of outdoor family activities.  

Kids and parents alike can enjoy a day in the country with acres of room to run and play.  There are zip lines, hay rides, Tiny Town (a village of themed playhouses), a locomotive train, a petting zoo, paddle boats, a pumpkin cannon, pony rides, cane pole fishing, live bands, special events, and more.  The ranch also offers the challenge of navigating a corn field maze.  The theme of their annual corn maze is “Rural Life” and it features the likeness of Duck Commander Phil Robertson, best known for his role as patriarch in the popular A&E series Duck Dynasty.  Each Fall Family Fun Day will feature a different theme and unique experiences creating a full day of fun and enjoyment for all ages.  

The Rock Ranch is open each Saturday Sept. 28 to Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Admission is $15. Children 3 and under are free. Admission is half price with a military ID.  On September 28th, all public, private, or home school teachers with a valid school ID or proof of home school status will receive half price admission for up to 4 guests.  Tickets are sold online or at the gate and discount coupons are available at Chick-fil-A locations.  The Rock Ranch is located in The Rock, Georgia, one hour from Atlanta or Columbus, and 40 minutes from Macon.  Please visit www.therockranch.com for tickets, campfire site reservations, directions and more details about Fall Family Fun Days.  Also, visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/therockranch. 

 

Guests may reserve a campfire picnic site for their group during a Fall Family Fun Day.  Campfire sites are $75 for all day and, with a reserved picnic area, groups are allowed special privileges.  Overnight camping is available in oversized Conestoga wagons each equipped with 8 bunk beds.  This experience is available by reservation.  The ranch also hosts birthday parties and tour bus groups.

 

“The Rock Ranch offers an opportunity for families to spend quality time together and provides educational and entertaining programs that create fun memories,” said Jeff Manley, general manager of The Rock Ranch, LLC.  “Throughout the years, we’ve learned to blend our love of agriculture with entertainment to keep people interested and involved in a way of life that our grandparents knew well, but now is in danger of being forgotten.”

• Trucks, Helicopters, Bulldozers, Fire Trucks, EMS, Police, Sheriff, Forestry – families will enjoy displays and equipment from these and more community heroes
• Public servants in law enforcement, fire, EMS and related fields receive half-off admission for up to 4 guests this special day with professional service badge or ID 
• Teachers and Home School Educators are half-off this date (up to 4 guests) per school ID or proof of homeschool status 
• Military families are half-off this and every Saturday with military ID
• Photo op with famous U.S. Marshall character “The Lone Ranger”    
• The annual corn maze opens featuring a rural theme and the likeness of Duck Commander Phil Robertson.  The maze celebrates rural life: farming, fishing, hunting, outdoor activity   
• High-school cross country competition
• The Rock Ranch 5k – open to the public at 8 a.m. ($25) 
• Families can watch their favorite college football team on big screens in the climate controlled comfort of Truett’s Barn (this and every Saturday in the fall) 

• Collegiate timbersports teams from UGA, University of Florida, Auburn, University of Tennessee and Clemson will compete in exciting events like pole chop, pole climb, 2 man cross-cut saw, log chopping, log rolling, log birling in the pond, knife and axe throwing  
• Chainsaw carving competition with professional carvers 
• Archery lessons will be provided for the kids 
• Tree-top flights down the Cow-A-Bunga zip lines (this week and every Saturday in the fall)
• Select from thousands of pumpkins to find the perfect one in the pumpkin patch or in The Rock Ranch produce stand, every Saturday in October

• Cowboy stunt performers will rob the Tiny Town Bank, hold up the train, and engage in gun fights throughout the day
• Quick-draw demonstrations, a real chuck wagon preparing chili and beans, old cowboy western movies, and live country music from the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame
• Watch an action packed authentic wild-west show with shooting and knife throwing
• Cowboy poetry and singing cowboys
• Famous cowboy look-a-likes Hop-a-long Cassidy, The Lone Ranger and his friend Tonto 
• Cowboy/girl costume contests for all ages, with prizes

October 19 - The Rock Ranch Hot Air Balloon Rally

• Hot air balloons will participate in competition flights and after dark begins the the Ferrell Gas “balloon glow” (wind and weather permitting)
• For an additional fee ($5 child, $10 adult) individual balloon pilots will offer tethered rides, as weather permits

• At 6:00 p.m., families can trick-or-treat for candy at ranch stations including Tiny Town, a 14-building children’s playhouse village
• Experience the corn maze with no lights - flashlights only in the maze 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.  
• Pumpkin carving and painting, a costume parade, and a costume contest (pets can dress up, too).  This is the only date that pets are allowed at The Rock Ranch. 
• A professional DJ will play music and emcee games and contests  
• Tommy Johns, a professional magician, will provide shows and balloon twisting 
• World Champion Frisbee Dog Shows 

• A signature event allowing guests to destroy pumpkins in nearly every way imaginable: 
• Smash unsold pumpkins from The Rock Ranch 
• Bring their own to recycle through fun methods such as: the pumpkin cannon, pumpkin bowling, the hammer smash and the 40 ft. lift crane pumpkin drop
• Pumpkin-bombing airplanes, monster trucks crushing pumpkins (and crushing cars), plus a pumpkin pie eating contest, pumpkin archery, reverse pumpkin darts and more  
• Rides in a professional monster truck will be available for $5 per person

 

• Meet members of the animal kingdom up close and personal
• Insect education lab, an observational bee hive, a Georgia wildlife station, Birds-of-prey programs, and awesome reptile shows by Jason Clark of Animal Planet
• Canoe races, archery, a photo scavenger hunt and a laser-shoot hunting simulator   

• A farm heritage themed day that will feature demonstrations about farming and agriculture and old fashioned skills such as blacksmithing, pottery, candle making, sheep to shawl spinning, cow milking and performances of traditional southern gospel music
• Unique rural family competitions and relays…..farm themed obstacles and challenges
• Guest photos with Veggie Tales characters Bob and Larry
• Veggie 500 Race teams will build and race cars made of vegetables  
• Bring blankets and, after dark, enjoy a Veggie Tales movie on the big screen 

The Rock Ranch was initially intended to be a working cattle ranch dedicated to purebred Brangus cattle operations. It opened its doors in 1994 for school and church groups, as well as for corporate events and private parties.  In much the same way as Truett Cathy has made it his personal mission to teach young people and provide them with good, quality role models, The Rock Ranch seeks to use its rural setting and natural resources to engage and reinforce values and principles that are vital to the development of character in children.  The purpose of The Rock Ranch is “Uniting families with the land and each other” and “Growing Healthy Families”