A Top Attraction In Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains Is A Very Unique Adults-Only Amusement Park

For military-themed video game aficionados looking to make their experience just a bit more real — short of taking live fire, of course — a unique attraction in the Georgia mountains might offer just the ticket. How about getting behind the wheel of a real-life tank and finishing off a driving lesson by crushing an actual car?

Yup, it's a thing. At Tank Town USA in Blue Ridge, Georgia, visitors can drive a real, military-grade tank, and use it to crush a vehicle at the end of the drive. A new addition to the program at this unique, adults-only amusement park is now the option to add a real M-1919 machine gun to the experience. After crushing a car, visitors can fire off a few rounds in the safe confines of a shooting range. Taking in the experience behind the wheel of a tank could be a destination all its own, or part of a more "wholesome" visit to the area, where a family-friendly train ride could also find its way onto the vacation agenda.

Beyond the tank experience, visitors to Tank Town USA can also get behind the controls of a 40,000-pound construction excavator. According to the venue's website, trained instructors will trim the intimidation curve and have guests digging holes and filling them back in within just a few minutes of hopping in the excavator's cab. "Once you get a feel for the controls, these machines are a blast to operate," the website reads.

While Tank Town USA sounds like a very testosterone-driven place on-paper, men and women are encouraged to visit. Tank Town says the tank-driving and machine-gun shooting are great for bachelor and bachelorette parties, or even company retreats. All vehicle operators and shooters must be at least 15 years old and have at least a driver's learning permit. Tourists considering a visit to Tank Town USA should really make reservations before heading to Blue Ridge — the company claims that it operates at capacity when it's open on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays. The attraction is open from April through December, and on nice-weather days between January and March. If bad weather hits, never fear. The area between Blue Ridge and nearby Adairsville, Georgia, offers plenty of family-friendly escapes in the mountains.

A visit to Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains is more than just a full-on, testosterone-laced tank attack on a junked car. Visitors to the area can take in some of the Peach State's most dramatic mountain scenery, and it's also a camping and fishing destination. Morganton Point Recreation Area is great for families who like to kayak, fish, boat, waterski and camp. The area also boasts several maintained hiking trails, as well as 60 miles of shoreline on Blue Ridge Lake, where visitors can take in the views of the surrounding Appalachians. 

For more scenic appeal, Georgia's tallest waterfall, Amicalola Falls, is a short drive from Blue Ridge, and Gainesville, the state's "Queen City of the Mountains," is just down the road. Here, on the shores of gorgeous Lake Lanier, visitors can get a history lesson in Georgia's very own gold rush, and sample the whiskeys from a number of local distillers the area is known for. And, not to be outdone, the area's vintners are becoming another standout attraction in the region — visitors interested in touring area vineyards can hop on the Water to Wine Tour, and see a handful of more than a dozen vineyards in the region. North Georgia's mountains have lots of secrets to share, and adventurers have a host of choices when visiting the area.