In 2026, most of what north Gwinnett can do on a fall night happens at one address, 7650 Lanier Islands Parkway. The Buford Trail of Terror moved there. A songwriter festival makes its debut there in November. A night-lit golf course opened there this summer, and the holiday lights follow close behind. The headline events are spaced so that each one opens within a week of the last one closing, and the night golf course runs every week in between.
For years the resort's identity was summer and the water. This fall it has something going on almost every week from late September into the new year, and nearly all of it is new. Over on Bennett Road, the Buford Corn Maze is still open too, but its long-term future is less certain than it has been in years.
How the handoffs line up
The schedule works like a relay. These are the dates from the resort's events calendar and the event organizers:
- Now through Saturday, Nov. 7: Buford Trail of Terror, open on select nights at its new lakeside site.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Trail of Terror's Halloween night, plus the Spooktacular Six par-3 tournament on the resort's new night course.
- Nov. 13 to 15: The first Songwriters at the Lake festival, six days after the Trail's final night.
- Nov. 20, 2026 to Jan. 3, 2027: Magical Nights of Lights, five days after the festival wraps.
- Late November through New Year's Eve: Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 26, Santa's Magical Arrival and Holiday Market on Nov. 27, Holiday Crafts on Nov. 28, Breakfast with Santa on Nov. 29, and more holiday programming through Dec. 31.
September was full before all this started. The resort held its first Hot Air Balloon Festival, with tethered rides, a laser-light show, and some proceeds going to Georgia Mountain Food Bank, as the Gwinnett Daily Post reported. The summer Concerts for a Cause tribute series ended Sept. 6. According to the Daily Post's recap, its three shows raised $28,000, split evenly between Georgia Mountain Food Bank and the Lake Lanier Association, and the series is expected back in summer 2027.
The Trail of Terror has more room at the lake
The Buford Trail of Terror's return is the biggest single reason the resort's fall looks different. The Gwinnett Daily Post reported that the haunt came back after a two-year hiatus at a new location on the shores of Lake Lanier.
The move is about capacity. When the Trail opened in 2017 it drew about 50 people a night. It grew to sold-out crowds of well over 1,000 a night, and the new site was chosen to hold even more, according to Explore Gwinnett. Creator Matthew Miller, who owns Matthew's & Co. Salon in Flowery Branch, brings in his stylists, makeup artists, and local artisans to do hair, makeup, and costumes for the professional actors. The route has 13 scenes, and some of them involve walking on sand. The Daily Post reported that the new site also adds parking, food and drinks, restrooms, and live entertainment for guests waiting in line.
Because the haunt now sits inside the resort, the resort's gate affects the ticket price. Tickets bought online include the Lanier Islands Resort gate fee. If you buy at the door, you also pay $20 per vehicle.
| Ticket | Per person | Groups of 15 or more |
|---|---|---|
| Regular admission | $34.99 | $24.99 each |
| Fast pass | $64.99 | $49.99 each |
| Gate fee at the door | $20 per vehicle | $20 per vehicle |
Nine nights remain as of Oct. 12, and the hours change from night to night:
- Fridays, Oct. 16, 23 and 30: 8 p.m. to midnight
- Saturday, Oct. 17: 6 p.m. to midnight
- Saturday, Oct. 24: 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., with fireworks
- Sunday, Oct. 25: 8 p.m. to midnight
- Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., with fireworks. This is the only night costumes are allowed, and there is a prize for best costume.
- Sunday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 7: 7 to 11 p.m.
Miller recommends that guests be 16 or older unless they come with an adult. On select evenings, kids can take a behind-the-scenes tour and meet the monsters from 6 to 8 p.m. On "Glow Nights," the regular lights go off and blue lights come on.
A night course with clubs included
The Trail fills select weekends. The newest thing at the resort runs every week. This summer the resort opened the Mike Williams Golf Center, a renovation of the Legacy Golf clubhouse named for the resort's former CEO. It has an expanded pro shop, a bar and lounge, grab-and-go food, and outdoor seating, the Gwinnett Daily Post reported.
Next to the clubhouse is The Six, a night-lit par-3 course with six holes from 56 to 91 yards. The tees and greens are artificial turf, and the resort says the greens roll at a 10 on the Stimpmeter. It is open to the public Thursday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m., and the last tee time is usually around 9 p.m. You can walk on until 8 p.m. After that you need a reservation. Clubs are included.
Prices are low compared with the Trail ticket. Adults pay $25 on weekdays and $35 on Saturdays. Juniors 14 and under pay $15 on weekdays and $20 on Saturdays. From 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, play is unlimited. A Thursday unlimited round can make a regular weeknight outing, while the Trail's Friday and Saturday hours fill the weekend. The resort notes that special events and tournaments can change the course hours. One example is the Spooktacular Six on Halloween, which falls on the same night as the Trail's costume night and fireworks.
November's first-year festival
Six days after the Trail of Terror closes, the resort hosts its first Songwriters at the Lake festival, Nov. 13 to 15. The Gwinnett Daily Post announced Chuck Leavell as the headliner. Other announced artists include Randall Bramblett, Wet Willie frontman Jimmy Hall, and Joanna Cotten, with more than two dozen more expected.
Chuck Leavell & Friends play Peachtree Green on Saturday, Nov. 14. The festival page lists a $129 three-day pass that includes the Saturday show, with performances across several resort venues. The resort plans to post the full artist, stage, and performance schedule on Oct. 15, so the lineup will grow this week.
Five days after the festival ends, Magical Nights of Lights opens on Nov. 20 and runs through Jan. 3, 2027.
The local tradition now has a lease end date
The fall tradition that started in Buford and doesn't depend on the resort is on Bennett Road. This summer, after the landowner decided to sell the property, social media posts suggested the Buford Corn Maze might close. The operators answered directly, as the Gwinnett Daily Post reported. "We're not going anywhere this year," said Billy and Cindy Sachse, who have run the maze since 2024. Country Living Magazine has named it one of the top 35 corn mazes in the country.
According to the same report, the Sachses hold a lease on the Bennett Road property until January 2028. That guarantees at least two more full seasons of the maze, festivals, and events. The 2026 season opened Sept. 11. They told the paper they are considering options for after 2027, including moving the maze, but had no details to share.
This year shows two sides of Buford's fall. The resort has added a haunt, a festival, a golf course, a balloon weekend, and a concert series, and the concert series is already expected back in 2027. The Corn Maze has run for more than 15 years, and it now has a fixed number of guaranteed seasons on its current land. The maze's seasons on Bennett Road are confirmed for this fall and next. Nothing has been announced for the years after.
At The Kinnebrew Group, we follow changes like these across Gwinnett County, from a haunt moving to the lake to a corn maze's lease running out, because what people can do close to home is part of what a home is worth. If you're wondering how your own Buford or Sugar Hill address compares this season, we're happy to talk it through over a free home valuation.
