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 the Wilson family who owned the property over 100 years ago and still lived in the area. When Doc’s son Kirk purchased the property from him in 2000, he and his wife Leah had a vision for the Old Mill Farm which is the nucleus of NORTH GEORGIA CANOPY TOURS™. The couple began making significant improvements to the property and purchasing additional tracts. They hired R.P. Mason to build a log home.  Kirk constructed a single amateur zipline in 2001 with mixed reviews. The cows then being raised on the property by Bethel Wilson took notice of the strange goings-on and could often be seen inspecting the zipline.

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, zooming through the canopy in a rain forest attached to a cable by a pulley was quite a leap of faith.  Having taken the plunge and survived, Kirk and Leah realized that they would need to call in the professionals if they were to have a REAL Canopy Tour at the Old Mill Farm. After returning to the U.S., Kirk and Leah purchased 66 adjacent acres in early fall.  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. Matter of fact, it was down right discouraging! Anticipated bank financing did not materialize in the face of the subprime lending crisis.   Nevertheless, a business plan was developed and the couple plugged along.  In early 2009, Kirk and Leah made a concerted effort 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.  Nevertheless in late spring 2009 postponement of the Canopy Tour for yet another year while the investor search continued appeared likely. 

Then at the end in July, Leah found Hocking Hills Canopy Tours on the internet. Hocking Hills was in its second season of operation and had been designed by John Walker of BONSAI-Design in the same month he visited Georgia in 2007. What a coincidence! Leah placed a call to seek information on whether the downturn in the economy had affected Hocking Hills’ business. She was provided with the names and phone numbers of most of the partners. Of course she called them! She soon learned that Hocking Hills was quite a successful tour.

“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, Kirk and Leah traveled to Hocking Hills, enjoyed the Tour, and met with the Ohio 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 additional property, and obtain all the necessary permits and approvals from local authorities, not to mention - rezone the property from Agricultural to PCD. The race has turned into a marathon, with everything going faster and faster as the finish line approached.

The residents and employees of Hall County embraced the Company and its plans.  So 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. The 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 set and hang on to the goal of opening in April 2010.  Kirk and Leah are still sleep-deprived and everyone is working hard, but the goal of opening in April is within reach.  Ya’ll come visit us!