Cool weather and colorful foliage make fall the perfect time of year to explore the North Georgia mountains. Georgia Wine Country, apple orchards, seasonal festivals, and historical points of interest are all within a two-hour drive from Atlanta. Towns such as Helen, Dahlonega, Ellijay, and Cartersville offer an array of activities for students who might be planning a day-trip with friends, or looking for unique places to take out-of-town visitors. Along the way, the road is dotted with flea markets and farm-stands that sell fresh, local produce alongside hand-made jams and honey.Helen, GA is host to the state’s largest Oktoberfest celebration, featuring German music, dancing, bratwurst, and beer specials through Oct. 28. Hiking and budget-friendly campsites and cabin rentals can be found at nearby Unicoi State Park. Other area attractions include a haunted house, Ana Ruby Falls, and the 7-acre North Georgia Corn Maze in neighboring Cleveland, GA.Virgina Livingstone of Decatur, GA has been attending Oktoberfest in Helen for the past ten years. She says, “Helen is like Disneyland to me. We come here all the time. It’s so close that when we get bored with Atlanta we just get in the car and go.”Many people do not know that Georgia’s Gilmer County is the “Apple Capital of the World” and Ellijay has ten apple houses and orchards, and several feature harvest festivals and allow visitors to pick their own fruit. Hillcrest Orchards Apple Pickin’ Jubilee offers pony rides, cow-milking, a baby animal petting farm, a Moonshine Museum, kids corn maze, musical acts, and more through Oct. 28. Just up the road from Hillcrest Orchards is Cartecay Vineyards, one of the state’s newest vineyards, established in 2007.
Georgia Wine Country boasts nearly 20 wineries and vineyards, 8 of which are located within miles of each other along what has been dubbed the Georgia Wine Trail. Customized wine tours can even be arranged with a driving service that picks guests up at designated locations around the metro area.
Tallulah Gorge State Park is home to one of the most spectacular canyons in the eastern U.S., measuring 2 miles long and 1,000 feet deep. Visitors can hike one of the rim trails to several overlook decks, obtain a permit to hike to the gorge floor, or register in advance to participate in a monthly Full Moon Hike. For those who are not interested in a strenuous hike, a free observation deck is located on the way into town at Indian Springs Trading Post, where several tightrope walkers have famously crossed the gorge. This stop is just a quick detour on the route to Helen.
Cartersville, GA boasts world-class museums and an important Native American historical site only 45 miles north of Atlanta. Tellus Science Museum features four main galleries and a 120-seat digital planetarium and an observatory with a state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope. The Booth Western Art Museum houses the largest permanent exhibition space in the country for Western American art. The 54-acre Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site, once home to several thousand Native Americans from 1000 A.D. to 1550 A.D., is the most intact Mississippian Culture site in the Southeast. Special events for fall include historical demonstrations, hayrides, and Native American storytelling.
Dahlonega was the site of the first U.S. gold rush in 1828. Guided underground tours are available at the former Consolidated Gold Mining Co. Visitors can experience the largest gold mining operation ever established east of the Mississpi River and pan for gold after the tour. This city in the heart of Georgia wine country has a historic downtown area and challenging bicycle terrain, as it is host to nearly 3,000 cyclists for the annual fall Six Gap Century Bike Ride.
More information about these destinations can be found at:
http://www.georgiaapplefestival.org
http://www.georgiawinecountry.com
http://www.helenga.org/oktoberfest