Two nights/three days in Helen, Georgia: One of the most popular destinations in the state of Georgia
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| Helen, Georgia |
Near where my wife and I lived, we used to visit a German inspired town called Stoutburg Village, about 60 miles west of Philadelphia. It is a cute village with German inspired homes, a town square, and several shops/restaurants scattered around it.
We always got a kick out of visiting that place, as it reminded us of our visit to Germany a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away. We loved seeing the 3 story Bavarian homes and the walkable streets with coffee shops, bakery, diner, and retail shops, which reminded us of Germany.
We must’ve visited the place several times during our time we lived in Pennsylvania. We took our family and friends there as one of our must visit places near our home. Everyone got a kick out of seeing a village seemingly right out of Germany right there in the middle of Pennsylvania.
We still have fond memories of the village, and always wondered if we can find another like it somewhere else in the country. Thanks to my research of places to visit in Georgia, I finally found one in the mountains of northeastern Georgia, in a small town called Helen, Georgia!
Located approximately 90 miles northeast of the city of Atlanta, Helen Georgia is in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a popular destination for locals and visitors alike for its exceptional outdoor recreational activities as well as the Bavarian inspired town full of shops/restaurants. We had to check it out!
We left our comfortable confines of our hotel, Embassy Suites Kennesaw Town Center, and left for Helen. The drive would take roughly 90 minutes. We knew we couldn’t check in before 3 p.m., so we decided to do a visit to a nearby top attraction, Anna Ruby Falls.
As we got closer to Helen, we noticed the topography starting to change. What had been flatlands, started to edge up ever so slightly. The beautiful and the tall mountains beckoned as we got closer…
As we smelled the crisp winter alpine air, we made it to the entrance to the Anna Ruby Falls. We paid a small entrance fee then followed the signs to the parking lot for the visitor center/waterfalls.
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| Visitor center |
We got out, stretched our legs, then went in to the visitor center for a quick pit stop before hiking up to the waterfalls. On a chilly afternoon, there were still a sizable number of visitors heading to the falls.
We started our hike, listening to the refreshing sounds of the Smith Creek, on our right. The trail was nicely paved, but it was no easy trail, as it ascended immediately right from the start of the trail. No problem. We were ready for some exercise!
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| Hiking up the trail |
At .4 miles to the falls, we took roughly 15 minutes to get to it. It was a perfect hike: short, sweet, and very scenic at the end.
The double waterfalls were awesome! We took our time enjoying it, listening to the roaring sound of the waterfalls from right underneath it. We loved the observation deck that took us really close to the falls.
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| Beautiful observation deck, right underneath the falls |
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| Anna Ruby Falls |
We had been the only visitors when we got to the falls, but within few minutes the place got busy all of a sudden. We made our descent back to the parking lot so we can make room for newly arriving visitors.
Once we got to our car, we slowly looked for what other places we can explore at the Anna Ruby Falls. We found it nearby, a nice lake. We decided to check it out.
The lake was serene and eerily quiet, except for the sound of occasional birds flapping their wings. We got out of our car to take in the scenery for a minute before going into the town of Helen. The hotel check in time was fast approaching.
The distance to our hotel (Hampton Inn Helen, GA) was approximately 5 miles and the drive would take around 15 minutes. We approached downtown Helen and was happy to see German architecture, signage, and shops/restaurants. We decided to rest up the rest of the day, and to explore the town the next day.
We arrived at our hotel which looked just like any hotel you would find in a small town in Germany. It was strangely familiar, as we walked upstairs to check in.
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| Hampton Inn, Helen, GA |
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| Front view of the hotel |
We got keys to our king bed/sofabed room with a balcony. The room was old, but with Helen being so popular even during the winter months, we paid a premium for the room at around $140 per night! It was fine for a 2 night stay…
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| Our room |
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| Back of the hotel |
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| View from the balcony, with a river view |
Due to its proximity to the mountains, the hotel room felt downright chilly. We kept the heater going the entire day and night. As the evening approached, the sun started its daily descent, bathing the world around us into golden, then orange glow. It was absolutely magnificent.
We must enjoy these beautiful moments every chance we get, as who knows how many more we’ll get to enjoy them. We certainly try to do more of these since our early retirement 4 years ago. After all, with the stress of working no longer a factor, we’re able to enjoy life more.
Taking the time to relax, to be in the moment more, is a great gift we have given ourselves thanks to early retirement…
We went to sleep that night tired from the short but intense hike, and from the drive around the mountains of Georgia. We got a good night’s rest, then got up, went downstairs for free buffet breakfast at our hotel.
It wasn’t fancy but it had the essentials: eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes, waffles, fruits, juice, and coffee! We stuffed ourselves as usual (well, me really), then got ready to explore the town of Helen.
By the time we stepped out of the hotel, it was already well past 1 in the afternoon. We woke up late, late as we possibly could without missing that free breakfast.
Anyway, by 1 o’clock, the temperatures had climbed into the 40’s, which was just right for walking around. We got on main thoroughfare, N Main St/Unicoi Turnpike, then walked around the area.
We found a park right in the heart of the downtown, Unicoi Hill Park, that was nicely decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments. We walked the small park’s entire length (only took 10 minutes), then sat at a convenient gazebo to take in the sights of this unique place.
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Streets were empty except for the hardiest visitors like us, who braved the cold temperatures to see this place. Well, we didn’t mind. We don’t like really busy places anyway…We got up to do more of the walking tour of the town.
Throughout the town, Bavarian themed homes and buildings were everywhere. It felt great seeing them again in America!
The Swiss German Plaza, a shopping mall across from the Unicoi Hill Park, seemed to be at the heart of the town. There were so many cute shops/restaurants and a huge Christmas tree in the square!
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| Swiss German Plaza |
We got as far as the Chattahoochee River before turning around, as the town center seemed to end past the river. We did enjoy watching the river meandering down its set path.
We thought about grabbing some hot coffee or drinks at any number of coffee shops/restaurants, but decided against it. We could get free coffee at the hotel after all. Saving money when we can, is a habit we can all use more of, especially in this age of Instagram and Facebook where spending like there’s no tomorrow is so prevalent.
In conclusion:
Helen, Georgia turned out to be more than just a Germany themed town. Set against a backdrop of majestic mountains of northeast Georgia, there are other things you can do besides visiting this cool town.
We loved hiking the Anna Ruby Falls, just 5 miles from downtown Helen. And the drive to the area is a destination unto itself! There are mountains, creeks, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. What’s not to like?
We certainly had a short but enjoyable 2 nights/3 days in Helen. We hope you check it out when planning your trip to Georgia.
Thank you for reading and happy trails!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
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