Appleseed Vacation? Well what a great idea!

First I need to say that I know some great Instructors in Georgia so you don't have to travel far. Second, Rocket Man and Mutti are spot on with the instructors working with the kids. Most Instructors are parents themselves or were kids at one time and have experience teaching both of them the Safety Rules and Marksmanship. Third, no matter where you choose to take your kids for their first Project Appleseed event, the Instructors will be working hard to make it a safe, enjoyable and a memorable one for the whole family.
It never ceases to amaze me the number of families that attend Project Appleseed events with kids and as young as 7 or 8. It warms my heart to see so many families sharing such a great opportunity to learn some exciting history and that great American tradition of Marksmanship!
With that said, when I read Appleseed Vacation I thought...ROAD TRIP!!!!

If your plan is to take a weeks vacation and go somewhere, then I will have to shamelessly plug my favorite range:
Yeh I know Ramseur is a little over a 5 hour drive from Atlanta but
It is a road trip! I live over three hours away from the Home Range but that was where I had my first Appleseed experience. I enjoyed it so much, it is now where I volunteer most of my Appleseed weekends and bring my family. In the last year I have spent almost a month there, including a week at a Rifleman's Boot Camp. Did I mention that there is a 500 yard range there at the Ramseur range? Bring a center fire for full distance if you want. They also have primitive camping facilities there at the range with water. For the non-camping types there are hotels and restaurants not far away. Asheboro isn't far and has some neat stuff for kids to do.
The NC ZOO in Asheboro is only 30 minutes away. It is great with lots of space for the animals to roam. For the more adventurous there is Richland Creek Canopy Tours, which is a zipline facility. I have not been there yet but I plan on surprising my kids with it next time we go to the home range. I read the tours last about 2 hours. There is also an Aviation Museum in Asheboro that I have heard is impressive with lots of vintage planes. Last but not least, down in Fayetteville there is the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. (as an old paratrooper it's my favorite museum

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On the way back, there is also cool stuff to do that will break up the drive. No, you won't find the world's largest ball of twine on your route but there is lots of history and kid stuff to do. One place is Kings Mountain National Military Park in York SC outside of Charlotte. In Charlotte they have Discovery Place, which is a science place for kids. Another historical site is the Cowpens National Battlefield outside Spartanburg, SC.
Cowpens is where Daniel Morgan leading the American forces (about 800 including some Riflemen) whipped the British and I mean he gave them A Devil of a Whipping.. The British forces totaling about 1150 Redcoats and Loyalist known as the "Tory Legion" and were lead by Banastre Tarleton. Well the battle lasted about an hour and Morgan's army surrounded and captured 712 prisoners including 200 wounded and all the British supply wagons and slaves. Morgan's strategy was a double envelopment; it was the only time it was used successfully during the war. They say Tarleton rode away so fast it took two days for the rest of his forces that escaped to catch up with him...
Anyway it's a great piece of history and something to see. The movie "Patriot" was very loosely based on that battle and the battle at Guilford Court house. These history stops will be a lot more interesting after a Project Appleseed event where we will tell you the story of the beginning of the Revolutionary war. The Battle of Cowpens by the way was one of two deciding battles before the end of the Revolutionary War. I can almost guarantee your kids will be a more interested in learning history after an Appleseed weekend than before.
Enjoy your trip... Are we there yet?

Salty