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Seriously mellow headliners Indigo Girls, Leon Redbone, Wailers and Playing for Change but it's really kid friendly.
Anybody going? Anybody been and have advice?
This is one of my good friend's favorites. She absolutely adores this festival and everything about it. I can ask her if she's got some advice.
She's not going to make it this year because her son will only be about a month old at fest time, but I think you'll love it. Her pictures always look so idyllic.
I have TONS of advice for going to LEAF for the first time. This is the longest time I've gone without going to one of the fests. I've gone to at least one (if not both) every year since 2006. I'm looking at going again possibly in May.
So here are my thoughts:
GO!!! I can't imagine a place more amazing than LEAF as an adult. LEAF for a child has got to be a smaller version of heaven. So much of the festival is geared directly to kids. They have a kids stage with kid themed performers all day every day. They even do bedtime stories at night. Frankly, I always make a point to go the kid stage at least once a day while there. The acts are normally a LOT of fun. They also usually have a tent slammed FULL of dress up clothes and costumes. It makes for some very great pictures. My favorite stop in the kid area is the musical instrument tent. They put out all sorts of instruments and let the kids try them out, and trust me some of them are anything but traditional. Oh! I almost forgot the kids market. They rope off areas of the ground for children to sell their wares. It ranges from pipecleaner art to really cool pieces of artwork. They make the stuff and they sell them. You can even haggle with them, which is surprisingly intimidating.
The best part of LEAF is that there is SO much to do. There are three schedules: healing arts, music and dance. These schedules run simultaneously throughout the entire day. No way to get bored! The people at LEAF are fantastic. Very peaceful and helpful. The camping areas are great! You're surrounded by beautiful mountains and all that lovely mountain air. Folks help each other out.
The fall fest is COLD!! I mean super cold. Of course that's coming from someone that lives in South GA who has seen snow three times in her life! LOL! But it's really important to pack appropriately, especially with children. I highly recommend bringing some sort of fire pit. It's amazing what a little fire can do for your spirits when you're wet and cold. I also recommend paying the extra $30 to camp next to your car. The "load in/load out" process is very tiring and trying to do that with kids could really get you off to a rough start (it depends on the kids of course). Bring your bathing suits in the Spring. It's never hot exactly but kids don't tend to care. There is a three person zipline that comes off of the mountain and into the lake. It's hard for me to watch it and not want to do it. The kids love it and it's normally really cheap. There are also kayaks and a HUGE water slide called the gullywasher. There's even a little beach and swimming area. Bring the frisbee, hula hoop (my personal fave) or just a ball to throw. There is plenty of open area for all of those things. The smartest thing I've seen parents do at Leaf is to leave the strollers at home. Most of them bring wagons and it is genius! The terrain would really give a regular stroller a beating.
A few other notes:
*Bring mud clothes. I highly recommend rain boots. When it rains it gets messy. * Bring Toilet Paper. Probably goes without saying, but it would suck to forget it. There are several actual bathrooms there that are pretty well maintained but late at night on Friday and Saturday they ALWAYS run out. They take very good care of the Porta Johns. I mean GREAT care. They are the nicest ones I've ever seen/smelled/used. *Bring hand sanitizer (for above reasons) *Bring snacks but don't miss out on all the hot food that's there. The vendors are normally really great. BBQ, Pizza, Crepes, Cajun, Pitas, Falafel, Sushi and a whole lot more. I've tried to do LEAF on a budget only eating peanut butter sandwiches and pop tarts and man, it is really hard to resist a hearty, warm meal. The Dining Hall does a fantastic job too. They serve up a bunch of different options for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it is sold by the pound. I've worked in their kitchen several times and believe me it's some of the healthiest food out there. Lots of veggie/vegan options too.
I could seriously write all day about the reasons I love this place. It will always be my favorite vacation. I look forward to taking my child there next year. Unfortunately I'm missing this falls festival since he will only be two months old at that point.
