Moonshine Festival with kids: what’s there, and what isn’t published

Yes, you can bring kids, and Sunday is the day built most for them. The 59th Mountain Moonshine Festival & Car Show in Dawsonville, Georgia, runs October 23 to 25, 2026, and the organizer’s map shows a children’s bounce house, a Sunday-only Kids Market, First Aid and accessible restrooms. Leave the family dog at home: the rule is service dogs only.

Below is what Kare for Kids and the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame have published that matters to parents, and the things nobody has published yet. All 2026 times on this page are as published by Kare for Kids and subject to change. Confirm them at kareforkids.org the week you go.

What the 2026 map shows for kids

The organizer’s 2026 event map is a site drawing, not a brochure, but it answers the questions parents ask first. It marks:

• A children’s bounce house.
• A Kids Market, labeled “Sunday only.”
• First Aid, beside Food Lion.
• Handicap-accessible restrooms near a pavilion.
• KARE and handicap parking at the Community Building off Main Street.
• A stage and food courts beside the Hall of Fame.

The map does not give bounce-house hours, days or prices. The flyer promises “kids’ games” across the weekend without saying more. If the bounce house is the reason you are coming, ask Kare for Kids before you go.

The Kids Market is Sunday only

This is the one kid-specific event with a fixed day, and the day is Sunday, October 25. The organizer has not published its hours. The festival itself runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day, so arriving mid-morning gives you room either way. For a full comparison of the three days, see which day to go.

Kids on the stage

The festival’s performers are local volunteers, and the organizer’s entertainment page says that includes young performers. Kare for Kids does not pay them. Saturday’s stage opens with The Phoenix Dance Academy from 9 to 10 a.m. The marionette show in our header photo is from the 2006 festival. The 2026 lineup does not list one.

Main Street Park: playground and trails

Main Street Park sits behind City Hall at 304 Main Street. Destination Dawsonville lists more than 1.1 miles of paved trails, pavilions, and a playground with a wheelchair-accessible swing. Regular park hours are 7 a.m. to dusk.

During the festival, though, the park is the main vendor area. How much of the playground stays clear of booths has not been published, so treat it as a bonus, not the plan. The park also has a dog park on Memory Lane. That does not change the festival’s service-dogs-only rule.

The Hall of Fame, if you budget for it

The Georgia Racing Hall of Fame is one of the festival’s two main sites, and it has the best hands-on stop for kids in town. Per its museum tour page, children can do a mock tire change at an interactive pit crew truck and climb into the truck for a photo. The museum’s home page also advertises its Thunder Road Racing Simulators.

The museum is not free that weekend. Dawson County residents normally get in free with ID, but the museum charges everyone during special events. Its published prices:

That table comes straight from the museum’s visit page. It skips age 6 and ages 55 to 59, so ask at the desk if that is you. Visitors under 16 must be with an adult.

A few museum rules matter with children. No food or drink in the galleries, though bottled water in a sealable container is fine. No flash photography, selfie sticks, tripods or video recording. The main entrance faces Highway 53 and is step-free, the museum is all on one level, and wheelchairs can be checked out at guest services. Regular hours are Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., with doors locked at 4:30. The museum has not posted separate festival-weekend hours. More on the museum is on our Hall of Fame guide.

Leave the family dog home

The 2026 flyer says it plainly: service dogs only. Plan for a sitter or a kennel before the trip, not at the parking lot.

Getting little ones in and out

Every lot on the organizer’s parking page has handicap spaces, and shuttle buses run all day Saturday and Sunday between the lots and the festival area. The drop-off is at Main Street and Memory Lane, next to vendor check-in and a KARE booth. No Friday shuttle is published.

Whether strollers are allowed on the shuttles, or must be folded, has not been published. Neither the organizer nor the tourism office says. If your plan depends on a stroller, call Kare for Kids at 706-216-5273 or email kareforkidsoffice@gmail.com.

Two other rules affect families. Golf carts are not permitted, per Destination Dawsonville. And under the vendor terms, no vehicles other than emergency vehicles may drive through the festival area between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., so there is no pulling up to the gate to unload. Lot addresses are on our parking and shuttles page.

A short checklist for parents

• Pick Sunday if the Kids Market matters.
• Find First Aid on the map (beside Food Lion) when you arrive.
• Agree on a meeting point. The KARE booth at Main Street and Memory Lane is easy to describe to a child.
• Pack for weather. The festival runs rain or shine.
• Budget museum admission for everyone 7 and up.
• Line up care for the dog.
• Have a carrier as a backup until Kare for Kids confirms whether strollers ride the shuttles.

Where the money goes

This one is worth telling your kids. The festival is Kare for Kids’ largest fundraiser, and the organizer says all proceeds buy clothes, school supplies, medical needs and Christmas gifts for children in need in Dawson County. Raffle tickets and event shirts are sold at the KARE booth. Our Kare for Kids page explains the charity, and the food, music and vendors guide covers the rest of the grounds.

Questions people ask

Written by the Dawsonville Moonshine Festival Guide Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.