Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center, Buford GA
LOCATION: 2020 Clean Water Drive Buford, GA GPS address: 1510 Plunketts Road, Buford, GA PH: 770-904-3500 LENGTH: 8 miles TYPE: Loops RANKING: Easy to Difficult ACCESS: Dawn to Dusk USAGE: Moderate FEES: Free parking and trails. Fee for museum and ziplining MAPS: at Kiosk SURFACE: Packed Soil, gravel and paved FEATURES: Restrooms available when center is open. COMMENTS: Great for running with your dog. Zip lining is seasonal - closed December thru February PET FRIENDLY: Yes
This center is used as a multi-use history, culture, heritage and environment facility. The campus is 700 acres with greenspace and trails. The building is a "green" building and has the largest sloped vegetative roof in the southeast.
The museum has historical displays and a colorful hands-on water learning lab filled with kid-friendly interactive exhibits. Hours are 9am to 4pm Monday thru Saturday with the exception of holidays.
There are several different trails with the longest being the Sweet Gum Trail. The more difficult trails are the Forest Ecology and Holly Trail. The trails connect to Ivy Creek Greenway and will soon connect with Suwanee Greenway.
There is also the seasonal zip lining by Treetop Quest open on weekends. There are 5 courses starting with the beginner to the advanced with heights of up to 55 feet. They will teach you how to operate your equipment and you are allowed to swing through the courses as many times as you want for 2.5 hours.
DIRECTIONS FROM ATLANTA:
Take I 85 N to Exit #115 (Buford Dr/GA-20W) toward Buford. Continue on Buford Drive/GA 20 to Plunketts Road. Turn left onto Plunketts Road and travel 1.5 miles Turn left at entrance to center on Clean Water Drive.