On Saturday, Nov. 7, between 1 and 4:30 p.m., the North Georgia Live Steamers will run miniature trains on the Conyers & Hightower Trail Railroad at the Georgia International Horse Park. It's the club's last public ride day of 2026. A ride costs $2 per person, the club takes no debit or credit cards, and riders must be at least 18 months old. The club had only four public run days this year: March 28, May 9, Oct. 3 and Nov. 7.
That $2 ticket is about the most you'll pay at the Horse Park for most of November. From the first Saturday of the month to the weekend before Thanksgiving, events take over parts of the 1,400-acre park at 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway, and most of them let spectators in free. Each event takes over a different section of the park, though, and that can close the trails, the nature center or the arboretum you came for.
Who Sets The Price At The Horse Park
The Horse Park rents its space to outside promoters, and the promoter sets the terms. The park's spectator FAQ explains it this way:
"Most horse shows offer free admission for spectators. Some equine events, clinics and rodeos charge an admission fee and/or parking fee."
Parking works the same way. For a specific event, that event decides where you park and what it costs. If you're coming for the trails, Big Haynes Creek Nature Center or the Arboretum, parking is free. The same FAQ adds that those areas sometimes close to the public because of events.
The trails are the main reason to come on an ordinary weekend. The park's mountain bike page describes the first Olympic mountain biking course ever built: more than 9 miles with 1,032 feet of elevation change, open for public riding every day, with no fee for recreational riding. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset. Closures are posted on the park calendar, but the page warns that some happen for safety or hazard reasons and may never appear online. The trails at Big Haynes Creek Nature Center keep the same sunrise-to-sunset hours and can also close during park events.
On each weekend below, what's open depends on what's booked that day.
Weekend By Weekend
Nov. 7–8: The Busiest Saturday Of The Month
- Atlanta Youth Dressage Challenge, Saturday, Arenas 8–10. Taramia Riding School lists Nov. 7 in its 2026 show series, and the Conyers CVB calendar lists free admission and parking for spectators.
- United States Mounted Games, Saturday and Sunday at The Glen. These are relay races built on cavalry skills: flag races, vaulting, and picking up rings with wooden swords. The Horse Park calendar runs it from 8 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday.
- Newton County Saddle Club Open Horse Show, Saturday and Sunday, also on the Horse Park calendar.
- North Georgia Live Steamers, Saturday from 1 to 4:30 p.m., $2 cash per ride. The CVB calendar lists the fare as $3, but the club's own page and the Horse Park FAQ both say $2.
- Steeplechase Stampede, Sunday. The Conyers CVB calendar lists this North American Canicross 5K and 10K trail race, run with dogs, in the Steeplechase field area from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday has three horse events, a train finale and possibly a trail race the next morning. That makes this the weekend most likely to close a section of trail, so check before you drive over with a bike.
Nov. 14–15: Finals Weekend And A First-Year Market
- GQHA Georgia Classic, Saturday and Sunday. The Georgia Quarter Horse Association confirms the Conyers dates. The CVB listing describes a full show judged by a single judge each day, with classes from Rookie to Open, starting at 8 a.m.
- Southern Series Finale, Saturday and Sunday. Southern Series Games holds its season finale at the Horse Park. The CVB calendar lists it as "Southern Series Games" at the Grand Prix Stadium.
- Athens Area Hunter/Jumper Association Finals, Saturday and Sunday, Arenas 5–7 and Barn 3. The City of Conyers calendar describes it as open to the public and not ticketed.
- Conyers Christmas Market, Saturday only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the market's first year. Lesa's Diamond Designs hosts it on Eventeny, where it's described as an indoor market with plenty of parking and comes with directions to parking at the Tack Room. The CVB calendar promises more than 50 vendors. The organizer hasn't posted tickets, so there's no admission price to quote.
Three horse shows and a market split between arenas, a stadium and an indoor hall make this the second weekend in a row with the park nearly fully booked. For holiday shopping on Nov. 14, the market is the main event.
Nov. 21–22: Finals And The Exhibition Center
- Gem Capitol Gun & Knife Show, Saturday and Sunday, in the Exhibition Center. The promoter's schedule lists the Conyers dates as Nov. 21–22, and the CVB calendar shows Nov. 20–22. The promoter lists adult admission at $12 to $15 at most of its shows and takes cash only.
- H.J. Fox Medal Finals, Nov. 20–22, as listed on the Conyers CVB calendar. It runs six rings of hunter/jumper competition and is open to spectators. Extras include a horse-and-rider costume contest, a Fox & Hound Derby for dogs, and "Trick or Treat" around the barns.
The gun and knife show is the one ticketed indoor event of the month, so the cash rule applies here just as it did for the trains.
The Same Saturdays, Off The Horse Park Grounds
The Horse Park's busy days fall on the same Saturdays as several county events, so you can plan a route instead of picking one stop.
On Nov. 7, Keep Conyers-Rockdale Beautiful holds its second Rivers Alive cleanup of the fall at Lake Rockaway, 2500 Lake Rockaway Road NW, from 9 a.m. to noon. Supplies and lunch are provided, volunteers under 18 need an adult with them, and registration is at KCRBClean.org. Rockdale County Parks and Recreation runs its Fall Fling Yard Sale at 1400 Parker Road from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Rockdale Veterans Parade starts at 2 p.m. and runs through Olde Town Conyers from Rockdale County High School to First Methodist Church. The parade overlaps the train rides, which begin at 1 p.m., and you can still catch the last ride at 4:30.
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the Walk of Heroes Veterans War Memorial at 3001 Black Shoals Road NE holds its free annual Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. The CVB calendar lists Captain D'Anthony Harris of the Air Force Reserve as keynote speaker. Rockdale County offices are closed that day.
On Nov. 14, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit at 2625 Highway 212 SW hosts a Highlights & Insights Tour from 9 a.m. to noon, $20 per person, organized by the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance. The tour shows parts of the monastery that aren't normally open to the public. It runs every second Saturday from March through November, so this is the last one of the season. That makes two of the month's events season finales: the Live Steamers on the 7th and the monastery tour on the 14th. The same morning, the Friends of the Conyers-Rockdale Library hold their second-Saturday used book sale at Nancy Guinn Memorial Library, 864 Green Street SW, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Before You Load The Bike Or The Dog
The Horse Park office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed on government holidays. Every busy Horse Park day in November falls on a weekend, so if you want to ask about a trail, you'll need to call before the weekend starts.
- Check the calendar first. The Horse Park calendar shows both events and trail closures.
- Call by Friday afternoon. The number is 770-860-4190. Some closures are never posted online, and on-site signs and barricades override anything you read beforehand.
- Bring cash. The Live Steamers and Gem Capitol both take cash only.
- Know the trail rules. Riders must wear helmets, the Red Trail runs in one direction only, and dogs stay on a leash with owners cleaning up after them.
- Check before bringing a dog to an event. The park is generally dog-friendly, but individual promoters can bar pets from the space they've rented.
- Plan for lunch. The Winners Circle Café and Grill, next to the Charles Walker Arena, is open to the public on most show days and serves burgers, deli sandwiches, salads and coffee.
From Nov. 7 to Nov. 22, that means three straight Saturdays when the trails stay free but may be partly closed, and most of the events are free to walk into.
I'm Mara Santos, and I keep track of where Conyers spends its weekends, from the Horse Park trails to Olde Town on parade day. If you'd like to talk about how close a home sits to places like these, Mara Santos is glad to walk through it with you. Schedule a Consultation.
