FREE WAY TRIBE

To stay away from the cold we spent the winter in Florida. At some point we went to visit some friends who told us about the small town of Helen, a small German-themed town in Georgia at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. We were told to definitely go and visit. On our way traveling to the North-East we stopped at an RV-park in South Carolina on the border to Georgia, so we decided to make a day-trip to Helen.

Helen is a small town in a beautiful part of Northern Georgia at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains adjacent to the Chattahoochie National Forest and Unicoi State Park. It started as a mining town and the forest of the mountains provided lots of timber for a sawmill. After the mines were closed in the 1920’s and the over-harvesting in the wood jobs went away and the town started to decline. In 1968 a group of local business men decided to give the town a Bavarian make over. Soon tourism picked up and visitors came in floods. Oktoberfest is a big occasion but German beer and food are available year round.

We stopped at Roper’s Clothing where the 88 year old Mrs. Roper spent a lot of time with us and told us about the history of the town. That alone was worth going into the shop but they also have high quality western wear and boots and other clothing.

We decided to go on a small hike first, while in the area and Anna Ruby Falls was very close to town. The road goes up the hills high along Unicoi Lake. The entrance fee was $5 per person above 16 years old. After a few miles we reached the parking lot and had a small picnic. With our stomach filled we set off on the half mile hike up to the waterfalls.

The short hike was beautiful. Although the scenery was constantly changing the view always was stunning. It was one of the prettiest hikes we have been on. The paved path along the beautiful mountain creek was pretty steep with lots of rocks and trees to climb for our children. They needed to burn some energy after a good hour in the car. There were plenty little lookouts along the winding river and lots of opportunities for a photo shoot.

Once you get closer to the falls you can already hear the gushing water and see them through the trees. They were magnificent and if you had not already taken a million pictures you sure would now. There are two falls of two creeks coming together.

One of the falls is is 5 feet high and the other cascades over 150 feet into the bolder filled basin at the bottom. The two creeks become Smith Creek which flows into the Chattahoochie River which flows through Atlanta.

After our hike we went to visit Helen. In Washington state we went to visit Leavenworth, another Bavarian town in the Cascade Mountains. There you have the impressive mountain back-drop while those hills in Helen are not as magnificent the river with several restaurants either side is a beautiful highlight. We spent a couple of hours walking through the small town and finally looked for some liquid nourishment and a snack.

We picked a restaurant by the river and had beer, cider and sausages. Normally I do not look for German beer in the US but the Dunkel was on tap, refreshing, delicious and hit the spot. Once refreshed and a couple beers later we headed back to the car for our one hour drive.

We had a great day in Helen and the hour drive was well worth it. The architecture looks authentic and could be out of Germany. But at the end of the day German people make a German town. If I was in the area I would definitely go back for the hikes, the country side and the brew. A lot of people come here from Atlanta and I can see why.