Buford sits at the top of Gwinnett where Lake Lanier begins: the lake's south shore runs off Buford Drive, Lanier Islands fills the fall weekends, and the corn maze season anchors the farm side of the city. It is the fall guide to the lake county, and the lake is the whole point.
The lake in fall
Lake Lanier spreads across close to 39,000 acres with more than 690 miles of shoreline behind the Buford Dam, completed in 1956 on the Chattahoochee. The dam and the lake road give the color drive its reason: shoreline hardwoods turning gold in October, with the marinas and their docks slowing the pace.
Lanier Islands in the fall
The Lanier Islands Resort on the Buford side runs a full fall calendar: hot air balloon weekends with the balloon glow at dusk, family fall weekends at the lake through the early weeks of November, and the Magical Nights of Lights drive-through opening in mid-November to carry the season into the holidays. Dates move, so the resort's own events page is the source.
The farm and the town
- Buford Corn Maze on Bennett Road runs through mid-November with the maze, hayrides, farm animals, and the haunted add-ons on the fall nights.
- The Mall of Georgia's Village Amphitheatre stages a free fall festival in late October with games, costumes, and the movie night.
- Main Street's restaurants hold the dinner end, with the Lake Lanier shoreline continuing north from Buford into the Hall County parks.
The planning notes
Book the lake weekends ahead when race week and the balloon dates collide, check the lake level signs before boat plans, and give the dam and the lake road their own slow hour before dark. The events page carries the dated list for the season.
Related: the Gwinnett fall festivals roundup and the Braselton race week guide
Written by
Rob Dietrich