Buford is a small historic town in Georgia State with a big city vibe. The lively Main Street is filled with diverse artwork of Tannery Row Artist Colony resident artists. Upstreet is a wide selection of décor shops and fine dining restaurants nestled in turn-of-the-century buildings. The city hosts the Buford Community Center, home of the Buford History Museum and Town Park and Theater, which sponsors free outdoor concerts and movies. Wedding receptions and private events are held in the iconic Bona Allen Mansion located at the end of Main Street. Mall of Georgia, the largest shopping mall in the southeast, offers 225 stores and various dining options. Hotels and Airbnb vacation rentals are available as well. And if you’re looking to extend the getaway somewhere nearby, the townhomes for rent in Lawrenceville, just 29 minutes away from Burford proper, are terrific options as well. Situated 35 miles (56.32km) to Atlanta’s northeast and overlapping two counties, Buford offers several outdoor activities near the Lake Lanier shores. Continue reading to explore the top things to do in Buford, Georgia.
1. Catch a live performance or event at the Buford Community Center Town Park & Theatre
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
Rocking the night away on Saturday with The Mad Hatters!! Thanks to Studio 30518 for the awesome pics! #studio30518...
Posted by Buford Community Center, Town Park & Theatre on Monday, August 28, 2023
The Buford Community Center and Theatre stands as a multifaceted venue, accommodating an impressive array of events, from captivating live performances to wedding celebrations. It’s also a hub for business folks with a meeting space of over 5,700 square feet (529.55 square meters).
Additionally, the facility features a 282-seater theater and an astounding 1,800-seat outdoor amphitheater, perfect for open-air concerts and special events. This remarkable establishment unites artistic expression and community engagement, so make sure you catch a performance during your visit to Buford!
Buford Community Center Town Park & Theatre
Address: 2200 Buford Hwy NE, Buford, GA 30518, United States
2. Learn about the city's history at the Museum of Buford
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
This is a piece of Buford history that you will see in the premier showing of Leather City: Buford, Georgia and the Bona...
Posted by The Museum of Buford on Thursday, September 26, 2019
The Museum of Buford, a testament to the city’s rich heritage and leather industry, is dedicated to Handsel Grady Morgan, Buford’s beloved historian. This invaluable cultural institution houses a fascinating permanent collection that includes workbenches, complete with a leather press and an array of tools that embody the craftsmanship of the olden days.
This attraction in Buford, Georgia, also features engaging special exhibitions, offering visitors unique insights into Buford’s past. Among these exhibits is “Buford Disasters,” a sobering exploration of the challenges the community has faced over the years, and the history of Buford schools, which provides a nostalgic look back at the evolution of education in the area.
Museum of Buford
Address: 2200 Buford Hwy NE, Buford, GA 30518, United States
Website: Museum of Buford
Opening hours: Thu - Sat: 11am - 5pm (closed on Sun - Wed)
Price: Free
3. Practise target shooting at Georgia Gun Club
It was another great night with 20 plus women at out Lead & Lace Ladies shooting group. Two women joined us who have...
Posted by Georgia Gun Club on Tuesday, 26 November 2019
One of the famous and fashionable sports to engage in Buford is target shooting. It’s also a unique way to relieve stress. Georgia Gun Club, the best shooting range in Georgia and the southeast, features a 100-yard (91.4 meters) indoor firing range that is climate controlled, fully air-conditioned and provides high-class firearms for advanced training and recreational practice. It also features a retail store which is an 8,000 square feet (743.22 square meter) space selling high-quality firearms, accessories, and ammunition which comes with a free teaching session for first-time gun owners provided by a full-time gunsmith.
Georgia Gun Club
Address: 1951 Braselton Hwy, Buford, GA 30519, United States
Website: Georgia Gun Club
Opening hours: Sat: 10am – 8pm; Sun: 12pm – 6pm; Mon – Fri: 11am – 8pm
Price: 10 USD onward
You might be interested in these Airbnbs!
4. Don't panic at Paranoia Quest Escape
One of the trendiest games to play today is an escape room game. Paranoia Quest Escape provides the venue where you and your teammates can select from several theme rooms where you are all locked in. You are given 60 minutes to escape or to finish a quest by finding and utilizing the clues found in the room. Paranoia Quest offers one virtual reality room and six regular escape rooms. You can book the rooms for a unique private party, corporate events, team building, an exciting date night, family bonding, and others. It’s a fun way to socialize and exercise your brain cells!
Paranoia Quest Escape the Room
Address: Mall of Georgia 3333 Buford Drive Buford GA 30519
Website: Paranoia Quest Escape the Room
Price: 5 USD onward
5. Have fun at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands
Posted by Lanier Islands on Friday, 5 April 2019
This lakefront entertainment complex is Buford’s best. It has a wide selection of fun activities for summer or winter and suitable for people of all ages. Called the inland beach of Georgia, its set along the lovely Lake Lanier’s white sandy beach with access to water sports and boating, exciting water slides, and water play area for toddlers. The tiki bars and restaurants offer fine food and beverages enjoyed with live entertainment. During winter, participate in the annual Magical Night of Lights, a traditional Atlanta holiday event being organized for the last 26 years. The months of November to February are the best times to join the License to Chill Snow Island festivities.
Margaritaville at Lanier Islands
Address: 7650 Lanier Islands Pkwy, Buford, GA 30518, United States
Website: Margaritaville at Lanier Islands
Opening hours: Sat – Sun: 11am – 11pm; Mon – Fri: 5pm – 11pm
6. Enter the challenging Buford Corn Maze
Posted by Buford Corn Maze on Friday, 6 November 2015
For more than a decade, Bufford Corn Maze has been providing an exciting escape with their challenging seasonal activities suitable for the whole family. This 5-acre (2 hectares) corn maze is open during the weekends of September to November. It also features the Haunted Forest. The price of the tickets starts from 15 USD per person. Buy the 25 USD combo tickets for unlimited fun. Kids get in for free.
Buford Corn Maze
Address: 4470 Bennett Rd, Buford, GA 30519, United States
Website: Buford Corn Maze
Opening hours:Sat - Sun: 10am – 10pm; Fri: 6pm – 10pm (closed from Mon - Thu)
Price: 15 USD onward
7. Meet the artists of Tannery Row Artist Colony
Get fascinated in the world of art by visiting Tannery Row Artist Colony. It’s located in Buford’s historic Tannery Row Complex, the former shoe factory owned by Bona Allen Company in 1919. The company was famous for its high quality and the large volume of shoes it produced from this factory. This earned Buford the reputation as the “Leather City”. Today, the factory functions as a campus with 21 individual studios that host various artists, painters, glass-blowers, sculptors, jewelers, woodcarvers, and photographers.
Tannery Row Artist Colony
Address: 554 W Main St, Buford, GA 30518, United States
Website: Tannery Row Artist Colony
Opening hours: Tue – Sat: 12pm – 4pm (closed on Sun & Mon)
8. Check out Bogan Park Community Recreation and Aquatic Center
Do you want to go swimming without getting sunburned? Then visit Bogan Park Community Recreation and Aquatic Center where you’ll find the cleanest and largest indoor pool in Buford with a giant waterslide and water play structures. The huge sports complex also has a good-sized gym where you can work out; a dance studio where you can learn dance moves; and an indoor badminton and basketball court. Outdoors is a basketball court, a children’s playground, a football field, 7 softball/baseball complex, sand volleyball courts, grill area, and trails 2-mi (3.22 km) long.
Bogan Park Community Recreation and Aquatic Center
Address: 2723 N Bogan Rd NE, Buford, GA 30519, United States
Website: Bogan Park Community Recreation and Aquatic Center
Opening hours: Tue – Sat: 9am – 5pm (closed on Sun & Mon)
Price: 7 USD onward
9. Visit the exceptional Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center
The center is a multi-use facility used for environmental, heritage, cultural, and historical purposes. It’s the product of the unique collaboration of its foundation and Gwinnett County’s Board of Commissioners, Board of Education, and University of Georgia. It’s built close to the Mall of Georgia and is the first Gwinnett County’s LEED-certified green building featuring the largest inclined vegetated roofs of the nation. The center has set the standard for ground-breaking green building techniques. Visitors should expect to see interactive exhibits, greenways and walking trails that are open from dawn to dusk, a gift shop, and exceptional rental spaces. The exhibits are geared on educating children of school-age in the fields of culture, science, and the environment.
Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center
Address: 2020 Clean Water Dr, Buford, GA 30519, United States
Website: Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center
Opening hours: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat: 9am - 4pm; Tue & Thu: 9am - 8pm (closed on Sun)
Price: Free
10. Enjoy fishing and the beach at Buford Dam Park
Buford Dam Park is part of the Lake Sidney Lanier’s Buford Dam. The lake, popular for its pristine blue waters and jaw-dropping landscape, is named after Sidney Lanier, a poet. Around 11.8 million visitors come every year drawn to Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains woody foothills which provides a gorgeous backdrop to a designated beach for swimming, boating, kayaking, wakeboarding, fishing, and picnicking. It also has access to Laurel Ridge Hiking Trail 3.5-mi (5.6km) a loop, accessible from several parks and locations and offers spectacular views of Chattahoochee River and the lake.
Buford Dam Park
Address: 1200 Saddle Dike #3, Buford, GA 30518, United States
Website: Buford Dam Park
Opening hours: 7am – 10pm (daily)
Price: 45 USD
11. Release your wild side at Treetop Quest Gwinnett
Skip the Black Friday traffic, and #getoutside to explore our ropes course obstacle in the trees. Open today from 11 am to 3 pm.
Posted by Treetop Quest Gwinnett on Friday, 29 November 2019
Feel like Tarzan as you go from tree to tree using zip-lines and overcoming obstacle courses. This massive aerial adventure park is two minutes away from the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center and Mall of Georgia. Treetop Quest Gwinnett offers fun and challenges with activities that are safe and suitable for both kids and adults. Before exploring the park, you’re provided with the gear and briefed on the proper use of equipment and safety procedures.
Treetop Quest Gwinnett
Address: 2020 Clean Water Dr, Buford, GA 30519, United States
Website: Treetop Quest Gwinnett
Price: 19 USD onward
12. Enjoy a day in Lanier Park Beach
Lake Sydney Lanier, one of America’s favorite lakes, is famous for its aquamarine waters, gorgeous landscape, and extraordinary leisure activities. Located at the foothills of Georgia Blue Mountains with a shoreline that stretches for 690 mi (1,110 km), the lake was one of the 464 lakes built by the US Army Corps of Engineers for multiple purposes like providing recreation, water supply, flood protection, and others. Lanier Park is near the dam on the southern side of the lake. The lush surroundings are ideal for having a picnic and barbecues with family and friends though pets are prohibited.
Lanier Park Beach
Address: Lanier Park Rd, Buford, GA 30518, United States
Website: Lanier Park Beach
Opening hours: 7am - 10pm (daily)
Price: 2 USD onward
13. Walk the full stretch of Ivy Creek Greenway
Stretching for 3.4 miles (5.47km), Ivy Creek Greenway was built as a multi-use trail spanning the Georgia cities of Suwanee, Georgia, and Buford. 1.3 mi (2 km) of the trail is paved and passes Woodward Mill Historic site while 1.4 mi (2.25 km) of gravel trail passes by Georgia Wildlife Federation Land and Mall of Georgia Blvd. Currently, under construction, 1.5 mi (2.41 km) will be added and it includes the 270-feet (0.46 meters) cable bridge spanning the creek, two boardwalks, and an overlook.
The trail opens in the morning to all pedestrians and pets on a leash who want to go for a leisurely bike ride or an adventurous nature-filled hike. Motorized vehicles, deadly weapons, and the use of alcohol are prohibited.
If you wish to have Suwanee as your jump-off point when exploring this creek, you can consider making one of the Airbnb vacation rentals in Suwanee your hideaway.
Ivy Creek Greenway
Address: Buford, GA 30519, United States
Opening hours: Mon: 10:30am – 7:30pm; Tue – Sun: 9:30am – 7:30pm
14. Park your boat at East Bank Park
Among the hundreds of boat ramps found on Lake Lanier, East Bank Park is the most useful at the lake’s south side. It is a USACE (US Army Corps of Engineers) facility that has the biggest parking lot in Buford Dam Road for trailers and trucks. It also features the most accessibly located boat ramp making it the most preferred of boaters who are residents of Atlanta and Lanier. It’s open all day for midnight boat landings and launchings and for those who go for night fishing. It is one of the 46 parks operated by the Corps surrounding the lake used for picnics, swimming, hiking, boat launching, and camping.
East Bank Park
Address: 1250 Buford Dam Rd, Buford, GA 30518, United States
Website: East Bank Park
Opening hours: open 24 hours daily
15. Have a date night at Aqua Terra Bistro
If you’re curious about what terrific things to do at night when in Buford, Georgia, with your partner, head over to Aqua Terra Bistro on Main Street. This restaurant in the historic downtown serves traditional American cuisine with an international twist. Though this fine dining restaurant serves lunch, dinner, and drinks in an elegant ambiance, it has rustic interiors of red brick walls and wooden flooring, which exude a relaxing casual ambiance. Enjoy an informal lunch or a passionate dinner date or throw a private party at the bistro!
Aqua Terra Bistro
Address: 55 E Main St NE, Buford, GA 30518, United States
Website: Aqua Terra Bistro
Opening hours: Sun: 11:30am - 2:30pm; Mon: 5pm - 9pm; Tue - Thu: 5pm - 9:30pm; Fri - Sat: 5pm - 10pm
16. Enjoy a night out at Twisted Tavern
For a memorable night out in the town, head over to Twisted Tavern where they have something fun to do every night. Indulge in 55-cent Chicken Wings every Monday while playing billiards for free from 7pm to 10pm. Tuesdays to Fridays are for Texas Hold’em Poker Games and with 100 USD you can join with a freeroll.
You will be entertained by the featured live band of the night while on other nights there is karaoke or a guest DJ throwing in groovy beats. The place is definitely a must-visit for those looking to enjoy amazing things to do in Buford, Georgia, for adults.
Twisted Tavern
Address: 4450 Nelson Brogdon Blvd, Buford, GA 30518, United States
Website: Twisted Tavern
Opening hours: Mon – Thu: 11am – 12am; Fri – Sat: 11am – 2am; Sun: 12pm – 10pm
17. Relax and beautify yourself at the Glow Beauty Lounge
Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account
A trip to the spa is one of the best ways to remove your stress and build up your self-confidence. Glow Beauty Lounge located at South Bogan Road offers both. They have a unique treatments for body and skincare customized for your specific needs. The lounge is complete with state-of-the-art facilities to provide you the best foot and body massages, a welcoming reception area, a retail area where you can buy their specialty products, and cozy fully equipped cabins. You have the undivided attention of their qualified beauty professionals and you are provided with refreshing drinks for free. Feel the glow from head to toe after every session!
Glow Beauty Lounge
Address: 3616 South Bogan Rd Suite 101 Buford, GA
Website: Glow Beauty Lounge
Opening hours: Mon – Sat: 10am – 8pm (closed on Sun)
18. Do your shopping therapy at Mall of Georgia
Welcome to the Peach State’s largest shopping facility with over 200 stores to choose from! It’s a three-floor indoor shopping center with a one-of-a-kind outdoor shopping village that resembles a traditional Georgian town center. This eye-popping shopping center is not just for shopaholics as it features retail stores of expensive brands and a wide selection of dining options and entertainment areas. The façade and interiors of the mall reflect the state’s heritage and history with its architecture. It also includes iconic murals and artifacts from the historical structures of Atlanta.
Mall of Georgia
Address: 3333 Buford Dr. Buford GA 30519
Website: Mall of Georgia
19. Rock n roll at 37 Main Buford
View More: http://loviblush.pass.us/37main
Posted by 37 Main - A Rock Cafe- on Tuesday, 22 January 2019
Bring out the rocker in you as you watch the nightly shows at 37 Main Buford. This all-American bar and restaurant offers traditional American cuisine with a southern twist and quirky rock and roll names. Enjoy their delicious dishes and drinks while being entertained by their live bands who pay homage to iconic 80s rock stars like Prince and INXS. 37 Main Buford is the community’s venue for mini rock concerts, live band performances, benefit shows, music festivals, and more. They also accept reservations for private events and celebrations like birthdays, bar mitzvahs, and wedding receptions.
37 Main Buford
Address: 37 E Main St NE, Buford, GA 30518, United States
Website: 37 Main Buford
Opening hours: Thu – Sat: 7pm -12am (closed from Sun – Wed)
Buford's the best!
With plenty of beautiful lush landscapes and exciting lakeside activities, Buford in Georgia is one of the top choices for an outdoorsy holiday in America. This little town has made it big in the tourist scene with its lovely historic edifices, unique parks, and exciting bars and restaurants. Visit Buford and see why this little town tops the list of places to see in Georgia!
Frequently asked questions about things to do in Buford
History
Get Trip101 in your inbox
Unsubscribe in one click. See our Privacy Policy for more information on how we use your data
Create an account to