North Georgia Mountains: Wineries, Waterfalls, and Winding Roads

THE WINERIES

It would be easy to build an entire trip around winery visits. We spent a lazy afternoon tasting generous sample pours, enjoying our favorites on the deck at Sylvan Valley Lodge, and munching on various breads, cheeses, and olives picked up at Betty’s Country Store in nearby Helen. Others worth the drive include Wolf Mountain Winery, offering a “Napa style” tasting along with a cafe serving lunch and gourmet wine-pairing dinners; and the pet-friendly Three Sisters Vineyard (both located in Dahlonega). Habersham Winery and Vineyards is one of the oldest and largest wineries in the state, located near Helen in Nacoochee Village where you’ll also find river raft outfitters, a coffee roaster, antique shops, and other fun diversions.

THE WATERFALLS

Spilling over tall canyon walls or splashing across boulders in a stream, the waterfalls of north Georgia come in all sizes and can be accessed via easy walks to challenging hikes. Amicalola Falls is the most popular, and with good reason— the tallest falls in Georgia send water cascading more than 730 feet in multiple tiers. A steep but short trail takes you to the overlook where stairs start your descent in a two-mile loop. Several falls are kid and dog-friendly with short hikes, such as the thundering Minnehaha Falls, and Anna Ruby Falls, a beautiful twin cascade. Others to enjoy include Tallulah Falls, with six cascades and an 80-foot suspension bridge for viewing, and Toccoa Falls, a stunning freefalling waterfall less than a half-mile walk up from the campus of Toccoa Falls College.

THE WINDING ROADS

Within a year after the discovery of gold in 1828, some 15,000 miners rushed to Dahlonega, GA, to strike it rich. Learn their history at the Dahlonega Gold Museum. While most of the mines have long since been scooped dry, you still can tour a working mine or pan for your fortune in the area’s creeks. Today, Dahlonega is known more for its shopping, dining, and live music. Local gathering spot Crimson Moon is considered one of the Southeast’s best live music venues. Want to say you hiked the famed Appalachian Trail? The southern end is near Amicalola Falls State Park, but you can also park and take a walk into the woods at Hog Pen Gap, where the trail crosses Georgia Highway 348 north of Dahlonega.

THE ARTISANS

The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia was the highlight of our trip. Located in the tiny town of Sautee Nacoochee, the highly acclaimed museum features permanent and traveling exhibits highlighting the history one of the South’s premier folk art forms. Pick up a map there of Folk Potters’ Trail, and visit potters at various sites around northeast Georgia.