Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah and Kirk Watkins.
In the late 70’s, Floyd C. “Doc” Watkins a Professor of Southern Literature at Emory University purchased 34 picturesque acres on the North Oconee River in Lula, Georgia. Doc quickly became friends with his new neighbors, the Wilson’s, whose family owned the property over 100 years ago. In 2000, Doc’s son Kirk and his wife Leah purchased the 34 acres. Kirk and Leah Watkins had a vision for the Old Mill Farm property to become the nucleus of NORTH GEORGIA CANOPY TOURS™. The couple made improvements to the property and purchased additional adjacent land. In 2001, Kirk constructed an amateur 200 foot zip line which gathered mixed reviews from the family and from the cows Bethel Wilson was then keeping on the property.
In July 2007, Kirk, Leah, and Leah’s two children vacationed in Costa Rica and enjoyed a canopy tour through the rain forest. As Kirk and Leah were both afraid of heights, zipping at heights through the canopy in a rain forest was quite a challenge. This adventure gave impetus to the vision.
Kirk and Leah called on professionals to build the REAL Canopy Tour they desired for Old Mill Farm. Soon after their return home, Kirk and Leah purchased 66 adjacent acres. By October 2007, John Walker of Bonsai-Design visited the property and provided a preliminary course design for a Canopy Tour. The search for investors began.
The investor search did not yield immediate results. As a matter of fact, the subprime lending crisis discouraged lenders and they backed away from financing. Nevertheless, a business plan was developed and the investor search continued with a concerted effort early in 2009 to locate investors. A team of M.B.A. students at Kennesaw State University adopted the project for their graduate class and offered many ideas and suggestions. But, by late spring 2009 it appeared the Canopy Tour would be postponed for yet another year.
Then near the end of July 2009, Leah found Hocking Hills Canopy Tours in Ohio on the Internet. Hocking Hills was in its second season of operation and had been designed by John Walker of Bonsai-Design during the same month he visited Georgia in 2007. Seizing on this coincidence, Leah placed a call to Hocking Hills with a number of questions in hand.
She learned the names and phone numbers of most of the partners and was soon leaving messages with each of them. She quickly learned that Hocking Hills was quite a successful tour and then came the surprise, “Why don’t you and your husband come visit us and do our Tour? We can then sit down and talk because we might be interested in investing in your course!”
Yeah, right, that happens every day! Yet those were the words that put NORTH GEORGIA CANOPY TOURS™ on a fast track. On August 1, 2009 Kirk and Leah traveled to zip the Hocking Hills course, and met the owners. Within the next few weeks the Ohio group visited Lula, Georgia, and made the decision to invest. Who says it only happens like this in the movies! Thereafter, the race was on to obtain the balance of funding, engage Bonsai-Design for the final course design and construction, design facilities plans, purchase 25 more acres, and obtain all the necessary permits and approvals from local authorities, including rezoning the property from Agricultural to PCD. The race turned into a marathon with April 1, 2010, aggressively set for the opening date.
The residents and employees of Hall County embraced the Company’s plans. Many people supported the efforts of the new attraction, shared advice on permitting, and provided historical information and pictures of the property and surrounding community. Much excitement surrounding this new adventure spread by word of mouth.
Newspaper and radio coverage began. The expertise and assistance from the owners of Hocking Hills Canopy Tours, Bonsai-Design and from a construction team lead by R. P. Mason enabled the Company to achieve its goal of opening in April 2010.
Since opening in April 2010, North Georgia Canopy Tours has served over 86,000 visitors, become the first Canopy Tour in the world to achieve over 66,200 Facebook fans, added heated and air conditioned teepees, and installed a championship quality 18-hole disc golf course designed by Keith Johnson and John Ritger which has hosted several regional Disc Golf Tournaments.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We started our new business with assistance from our Ohio partners, who had a track record of experience in the same industry. Nevertheless, starting a new business was not an easy task. We spent long hours with little sleep on the design, installation, and maintaining excellent service. Kirk and I have learned it takes great energy and drive to make North Georgia Canopy Tours Georgia’s Ultimate Zip line Experience. One challenge for us have been finding the best advertising media for our market. What works in one market does not always work in another. Word of mouth has been our best friend. We are blessed with amazing managers, who act like owners and strive to provide the best customer experience possible. We have enjoyed excellent reviews on various sites, which provided a tremendous boost to our enterprise. Establishing relationships with the Georgia Department of Economic Development aided us immensely in spreading the word about our business, as has partnering with other small businesses in the area.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about North Georgia Canopy Tours – what should we know?
North Georgia Canopy Tours was named Hall County’s Small Business of the Year for 2015-2016. What sets us apart from other canopy tours is our excellent customer service, higher training requirements of guides, education and interpretation provided by our guides on a tree-based canopy tour where all clipping and unclipping are handled by your guides. Camping in our teepees are a huge hit.
Our Mission Statement:
North Georgia Canopy Tours is dedicated to enhancing the present by embracing the past and soaring into the future through:
Fostering and sustaining a higher level of consciousness and ecological responsibility
Teaching the rich history of the area, its culture, and canopy life
Creating a safely designed, exhilarating and unique perspective of nature. Our mission is:
North Georgia Canopy Tours offers two zipline courses:
The Adventure Tour – Allow 3 hours for this twelve zipline Tour with over one mile of cable. The Adventure Tour includes two sky bridges, three nature walks, the fastest zips on the course, zips over three ponds, two zips over the North Oconee River, and a rappel. Race a partner on the thrilling finale – a 695-foot dual zip over the Hilltop Pond in front of the Observation Deck.
The Sky Bridge Tour – Allow two hours for the nine zipline Sky Bridge Tour. The Tour includes two sky bridges, two nature walks, and the “Continental Divide” – the longest zip on the course. The Sky Bridge Tour concludes with a thrilling race on the 695-foot dual zip lines over the Hilltop Pond.
A GoPro can be rented to record your experience. The SD card is yours to keep.
Camping Experience:
North Georgia Canopy Tours offers “glamping” in a north Georgia Forest from the comfort of an authentic native-American teepee. You’ll be surprised to see how glamorous camping can be! Our teepees have the comforts of home, including heating and air conditioning, lighting, and electrical outlets.
Our campsites are named after the Seven Clans of the Cherokee Indians (Wolf Clan, Panther Clan, Wind Clan, Bear Clan, Buffalo Clan, Red (War) Paint Clan, and Bird Clan) – part of the rich history of north Georgia. Each teepee has been custom painted with authentic Cherokee symbols, themes, and patterns relating to the specific clan camping area in which it is located.
For those who want more of a glamping experience, we offer camping in our “cowboy cabin” named after the infamous train robber Bill Miner, “The Gentlemen’s Robber”, For those that actually enjoy “roughing it,” North Georgia Canopy Tours also offers 15 rustic camping sites.
All campers share the nearby Comfort Station with separate men and women facilities.
Disc Golf Experience:
North Georgia Canopy Tours™ is home to Hall County’s first professional 18 hole disc golf course. The 61 par course designed by Atlanta Disc Golf Organization’s Keith Johnson and John Ritger, features wooded and open fairways, multiple river crossings, and a signature chicken coop hole. Green fees are $5/person/day and registration at the Canopy Command Center is required before play. Monthly ($20), and annual individual ($60), annual couple ($100) and family ($150) memberships are available. Players can rent a single disc for $3 or a set of 3 for $7. Custom designed discs are available for purchase. Sponsorships of tees are available.
Other Activities:
North Georgia Canopy Tours offers Cornhole, Tetherball, and a five-stage Geocache outside and Foosball, board games, and cards in the Canopy Command Center at no cost. Guests may also enjoy feeding the Koi in the Hilltop Pond or the birds that gather around our bird feeders or grilling on our large propane grill (cooks 60 hamburgers at a time and rents for $10 for two hours) or on our iron grills in the camping area. For those that like to hike, but do not fancy themselves as disc golfers, walking the two mile course provides an opportunity to see the property and the signature 12th hole chicken shack 400 feet long and 40 feet wide. The hike takes adventurers over the North Oconee River (and back) and by the operational windmill at the Catfish Pond, finishing back at the Canopy Command Center and Hilltop Pond.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Persistence. Every day brings a new challenge and a new opportunity. However, the fruits of our labor require cultivation over time – each day builds on the one before it. It may take a large group months to decide on the exact date and scope of experience they want. Follow up (without being a pest) is crucial. This same characteristic applies whether you are applying for a zoning change to accommodate an addition, applying for funding, or seeking to eradicate invasive species on the property.
Pricing:
- Adventure Tour – $89
- Sky Bridge Tour – $69
- Teepee/Cabin/rustic camping – $99-199 depending on size of teepee and day of week
- Disc Golf – $5 green fee
Contact Info:
- Address: Phone: (404) 770-869-7272
Email: info@northgeorgiacanopytours.com
Website: www.northgeorgiacanopytours.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ziplula - Website: www.northgeorgiacanopytours.com
- Phone: 770-869-7272
- Email: info@northgeorgiacanopytours.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ziplula
Image Credit:
All credits for photos: North Georgia Canopy Tours.
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