Looking to plan a family friendly vacation, then North Georgia in the summer is it. In a week, you’ll be able to have done and seen all the amazing things there are available to you in the North Georgia mountains. 

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Road Trip to Georgia From Florida - Tips

Packing the Car with these Road Trip Must Haves!

Road Trip Journal

Roman is in summer camp which means absolutely NO learning. Now while that is fun for him, for me as a parent I don’t want him regressing on all the progress he has made this past school year. So, I found this great free download that not only helped keep him learning and practicing, but is also a great keepsake and memory of this family road trip. 

Road Trip Packing List Blog Post Coming Soon!

Camping Toilet

Michael was not wholly convinced about me buying a camping toilet for the sole purpose of the car, because let’s face it, I’m not actually camping. But let me tell you I’m glad I had it. While we didn’t have to use it, thank God, it is definitely needed for a vacation in the mountains of North Georgia in the summer. Many of the places we went are on mountain roads. Tight, narrow, with no shoulder, steep drop offs, winding up and up or down and down. And anywhere you look there are no gas stations, grocery stores, or much of anything for miles and miles. If you ever had to use the bathroom, there is literally nowhere to go! Even though we didn’t use it, I’m so glad that we had it. It gave me peace of mind being so far away from any of these modern conveniences. 

All of my other packing recommendations can be found on my free printable packing list post. I used that as my checklist and tailored it to the type of trip we were on. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for a pdf copy to be sent straight to your email.

Mountain Driving in Georgia in the Summer

Coming from Florida, we have tons of flat driving. It’s the rare hill now and again, you’ll find in very small areas within the state. So, if that is what you are used to then Georgia will be a major change. Whether you fly to Georgia in the summer or you drive, once you get to North Georgia, you will need a car. If you are renting a car, then here’s a link to Hertz. The main thing is to have a car with a good braking system. Mountain driving is slow, with sharp turns, steep uphill and downward climbs, edges with nothing but air to keep you from plummeting to the bottom of mountains. There are no shoulders, stop offs, or extra lanes. Be safe! Keep both hands on the wheel, keep your attention on the road, drive slowly, cautiously and carefully when necessary.

Best Place to Stay in North Georgia in the Summer

The twin cottages are two identical houses, the Pine and the Oak located on the same property in Clarkesville, Georgia. They can be booked individually (which is what we did, we booked the Pine) or they can be booked together (depending on your accommodation needs). Our place was just a short drive to nearby Helen, Georgia, and a great jumping off point to all the other locations we visited during our travels throughout North Georgia in the summer. The house was well stocked with all that we needed, brand new (just started taking bookings in March 2023), and to our delight extremely clean. Definitely the best place to stay in North Georgia in the summer. I would go back again, and recommend it to family, friends, and you. 

Accommodation Tips

• There are bears, so please keep a lookout! Make sure the trash is secure, so they aren’t trying to come and eat.
• There are fireflies at night, which we used to call lightning bugs. We don’t really get them here in Florida, but we were used to seeing them all the time when we lived up north (me in New York and Michael in New Jersey). Our kids absolutely loved finding and trying to catch them. A perk of being in this area.
• There will be bugs. We are typically used to this in Florida, because let’s face it even with bug control we still get them. It's just part of living in certain areas of the country. Clarkesville, Georgia is in the mountains, so we have to be prepared for those mountain residents to be present too.
• Clarkesville, Georgia isn’t a tourist destination itself, but more of a main town (hub) for the locals living in the smaller surrounding areas. For my allergy friendly folks, make a stop at the local Ingles Market!! They have tons of great gluten free, dairy free, and allergy friendly foods. I would say this is one of the perks and reasons I prefer staying at a Airbnb (or the like) type of accommodation (versus hotel) because you are able to buy and make food. It’s really the most important for those of us with food allergies. You can read about this great place I stayed in Montreal, which also allowed me to cook and store my food. 

Helen, Georgia in the Summer

Helen, Georgia is renowned for being a little German town hidden away in North Georgia. While they offer different festivals year round, they are most known for their Octoberfest celebrations and their Christmas markets. Unfortunately, coming during those times of the year (fall and winter) means that you don’t get to experience some of the fun things at your disposal in Helen, Georgia in the summer. This is the reason we chose to come in the summer.

Cool River Tubing

• Cost: $14 per person (3 years old and up): Monday thru Friday: $18 per person: Saturday and Sunday. Kids under 3 years old are not allowed to tube.
  • Included in the price is: your tube, bus ride, life jacket, and tie straps.
  • Additional Costs: $3 for locker rental (only available at the Chattahoochee Outpost location). Although they will hold your keys for free with photo ID, if you want to lock the rest of your stuff in your car. $5 per push stick 
• Hours: 9 am till 6 pm

If I had to pick a favorite out of all the cool things we did in a week here in Georgia in the summer, it would be tubing the Chattahoochee River. It was the very first thing we did and if the weather allowed, we would have gone back on our final day to do it again. At first, I was a little hesitant to do this, because I was nervous about the speed of the water flow with Eden, who is our 4 year old. My memories of doing this sort of thing were white water rafting the Nantahala River in North Carolina, which was a bit rough. But the water speed for the Chattahoochee River was very mild and I felt safe taking my daughter (4) and my son (6) on this tubing adventure. They are definitely not proficient swimmers yet, so they had life vests on and those were included in the price. We also used the tubes with no hole in the middle, so they were able to sit safely inside. 

Cool River Tubing has 3 locations: Main Street booth (which is mainly just for information and buying tubing tickets), Headwaters Outpost which is where the aerial park is (which you’ll read more about below) and where the 2-hour tubing excursion starts, and the Chattahoochee Outpost which is where all the excursions end. We started at the Chattahoochee Outpost which is right in the heart of Helen, Georgia. Both outposts have parking, restrooms, changing rooms, a gift shop, and some food items for sale. They also have a bus that runs every 15 minutes or so to take you amongst all the outposts as well as the drop off point for the 1-hour excursion. 

The cost of the ticket is one price, but you can do either the 2-hour or 1-hour tubing adventure. Cool River Tubing is actually the only tubing company in Helen, Georgia that offers this all the others are a minimum of 2 hours. If you have littles, then the 1-hour tubing adventure may be just enough. With the weather, water temperature, and timing of when we got there we decided to do the 1-hour excursion, and it was just enough.

Tubing Tips

• Definitely the earlier the better as far as when to go, since it’s less busy in the town of Helen and as such less busy on the Chattahoochee River with tubes and people.
• If you are doing this tubing adventure with kids, definitely get the tube straps. It’s very hard to just hold onto each other's tubes going down the river. They won’t let you tie more than two tubes together, which makes sense, because you likely will get stuck on the rocks if you do.
• It’s extra money, but definitely rent the sticks. There are times when you will float into the banks of the river or the low brush or be floating backwards or get stuck on a rock, and you’ll need that stick to help push you out of those scenarios. 
• Definitely, buy a waterproof case for your phone. You may not think you’ll get wet, since you are sitting inside a tube with no hole in the middle, but you definitely will. And once that water gets inside the tube since there is no hole, there is no drainage, so you are in that water till the end of the ride. Luckily, I found these awesome cases for our phones on Amazon before we left. They were the absolute best!! They are waterproof, but you can still use the touch screen, and best of all they float. So, if it ever fell out, it would pop right back up to the top. I saw many of the waterproof cases don’t actually float, so this case was like a unicorn among them. While you don’t need a waterproof bag (since they have lockers to rent and they’ll hold your keys for free), you can get one if there are things you want to keep on your person during your tubing adventure. 
• Wear water shoes! Michael and I both have water shoes that look like sneakers and aren’t so obviously water shoes. They are really comfortable. You will need this because you likely will at one point or another get stuck on a rock and may have to step or push off to get free. The kids have these water shoes. 

Georgia Mountain Coaster

• Cost: Adults $17: Children 7-12 $14: Children 3-6 $10. Second rides are half off!
• Hours: Open 7 days a week: Monday through Thursday and Sunday: 10am to 7pm, Friday and Saturday: 10am to 8pm
• Note: Check out the website for details on height requirements as well as age requirements and limitations. The Mountain Coaster cart can hold up to 2 people. 

Another fun activity that ranks up there as a favorite from our vacation to Georgia in the summer, would be the Georgia Mountain Coaster. Built into the mountainside of Helen, Georgia, this mountain coaster is reminiscent of ones you’d find in Europe. This coaster ride will take you down the mountain through twists, turns, and bumps at speeds of up to 30ish mph. Although here you get to control how fast or slow you go.  

Coaster Tips

• Go Early!! The earlier the better. We went about noon and were fine. But after that we walked around the town of Helen and did some shopping. We went past the coaster later and the line was crazy long. Keep in mind that you have to keep a large distance between you and the cart in front of you. Everyone has control over their own speed, so waiting in these lines can be quite long depending on how people are riding the coaster.
• Be hair ready. They will make you pull your hair back. I had my hair down, and even though it’s short, they still gave me a hair tie to use. They did take it directly from a new pack, so it wasn’t pre-warn, but just an FYI.

Other Helen, Georgia Attractions

Cool River Adventures

Cool River Adventures is affiliated with Cool River Tubing. Now while we didn’t get to do this part personally ourselves, you know we love fun and adventurous things to do. We went on something similar ziplining in Massanutten, Virginia, and even did an aerial adventure rope course and ziplining at the Brevard Zoo in Florida (blog post on that coming soon). Here at Cool River Adventure, there are ziplines, aerial adventure courses with ziplines, and even a rock climbing wall.

Helen Waterpark

Helen Waterpark is affiliated with the other tubing company offered here in Helen, Georgia. This waterpark is located next door to the Chattahoochee Outpost of Cool River Tubing. We are spoiled living in Central Florida, because we have our pick of crazy big waterparks like Sea World’s Aquatica, Universal’s Volcano Bay, Disney’s Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, and more. But if you are in Helen, Georgia in the summer, then Helen waterpark is a great way to keep cool.

Nacoochee Adventures: which features a giant swing, ropes course, ziplining, or bike rentals.

Miniature Golf: Alpine Mini Golf and Bavarian Mountain Miniature Golf

Outpost Gold and Gem Panning

Although keep reading for the most interesting and fun gold panning you can do in this area at Consolidated Underground Gold Mine in Dahlonega, Georgia.

Escape Rooms

Alpine Fun Factory: which has go karting, laser tag, arcade, and more.

Ax Throwing

Playgrounds 

• City of Helen Riverside Park: great playground for the kids overlooking the Chattahoochee River
• Unicoi Hill Park

Alana Falls 

Horse Drawn Carriage Ride through Helen

We love horse drawn carriage rides. You can read about some like the one in Charleston, South Carolina, Jekyll Island, Disney’s Fort Wilderness, or even the conestoga type one I went on in Alaska.

Kiddie Train Ride: sometimes set up just across the street from Alana Falls  

Shopping

Gluten Free Helen, Ga

Aside from all that there is to do in Helen, Georgia in the summer, as I mentioned above, there is also dining. The town of Helen is full of little restaurants, snack shops, and the like to keep you busy and well fed all day. Unfortunately, that is not the case for my gluten free and dairy free folks. I try to do my research on restaurants in the area I’m traveling to ahead of time. Because let’s face it, nothing gives you anxiety quite like being someplace you’ve never been before, hangry, and with no safe place to eat. That was the case for Helen, Georgia. I typically use the Find Me Gluten Free app to help me. Except for me that’s only half my allergy, the other half is dairy. So I typically have to look through the menus to see which of the gluten free items can be made dairy free. I didn’t find too much to offer. 

Spice 55 Thai and Sushi Restaurant

Although one day while we were exploring Helen, Georgia in the summer, we found a great restaurant that could accommodate both my gluten and dairy allergy. On the menu at Spice 55 Thai, there are markers of what items could be accommodated to be gluten free. You can then from there decide which ones are also dairy free or if there is another allergy that you have to look out for. The food was great. But the real test is to make sure I didn’t feel the effects a few days later, if it indeed wasn’t as allergy friendly as I expected. I’m happy to say, I didn’t get sick afterwards, so an A+ option in my book. 

Dahlonega, Georgia in the Summer

Consolidated Gold Mine

• Cost: Adults (13 and up) $21.95, Children (3-12) $14.95, Free for Kids 2 and under
  • Included is the 40 minute underground tour and gold panning for each paid admission
• Hours: 10am to 5pm daily
  • Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Open Christmas Eve from 10am to 1pm
  • Tours leave every 20-35 minutes throughout the day.

In the summer, I am always looking for ways to beat the heat and this activity is a great one. Consolidated Underground Gold Mine is not only super interesting and loads of fun, but it’s also a nice and steady 60 degrees year round (dress accordingly) 200 feet underground. While there are plenty of places to pan for gold, this mine is more than just that, it’s an experience of learning and fascination. Our kids were front row learning about the history of the miners, the early days of the gold rush, and about the process of gold mining itself. It was interesting for them and for us adults and kept our attention the entire time. 

Afterwards, we came up from out of the ground and got to pan for gold. We ended up with a few flakes each with gold estimated to be ~24 karats. While the mine is no longer in use, the dirt containing gold flakes is still being obtained locally from Dahlonega, Georgia. So, the gold rush is still here. Once you are finished panning for gold, you can try your hand at gem mining (which is an additional cost) or head into the gift shop for gold products, gem products, and other fun kid toys. 

Gold Mine Tip

• Although the website says it’s super busy the earlier you come, we found the opposite to be true. In the summer, there are tons of kids camps that get bused in to enjoy this place as well. We made it on the underground tour just before 3 buses arrived. By the time we left there were 9 buses on the property. This was on a weekday in the summer, so keep that in mind.
  

Red Oak Lavender Field

• Hours: Open only from mid February to mid December; Wednesday to Friday 11am to 3pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, and Sunday 1pm to 4pm. 
• Cost: During June and July only there is an entrance fee of $5 per car of 4 people. Children under 12 are free. All other times of the year it’s free to visit the farm and shop. U-pick tickets are sold separately.

Another great local find was Red Oak Lavender Field. While their u-pick lavender time was over, when we arrived, the place was still beautiful and the smell from the lavender was intoxicating! Depending on the time of year you visit, be sure to see if they are doing any u-pick and buy those tickets in advance. It’s definitely worth it.  They have a small gift shop inside, but it was stocked with homemade lavender everything. From lotions, bath bombs, desserts, books, baking flours, and even on occasion lavender ice cream made in partnership with local creameries. Although that last one is not for us dairy free folks to partake in. They do have bee hives on the property, but we stayed away from them. There were bumble bees all near the lavender plants, but they didn’t seem fazed by us. We left them alone and they left us alone. 

Scattered throughout the property were gazebos to take beautiful photos. Just not professional photography. Cell phones only.

Lavender Farm Tips

• Although this is a farm, it’s someone's home and land first and foremost, so the restrooms are just an outhouse for the public.
• Bring quarters: In order to feed the chickens in the coop on the property, there is an old school candy dispenser that they transformed with corn. So, you’ll need quarters to buy the corn. Our kids loved feeding the chickens! It was lots of fun.

Blue Ridge, Georgia in the Summer

As we were waiting in line to board the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, two older ladies were standing in line behind me and very casually asked me, “Have you ever been on a train ride before?” So as nonchalantly as I could and trying not to be boastful, named off all the train rides I’ve been on in my life. Most of which I’ve already written blog posts about like the Alaska Railroad, the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway, the Polar Express train, the Amtrak Auto train, Amtrak Cascades (blog post on that soon),  and the Amtrak Silver Service. They just had no idea that we are train obsessed.

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway

• Hours: Runs all year long with different excursions for every season. In the summer, the train runs mainly Thursday through Monday starting from either 10am or 11am. Timing of train departure also depends on which excursion you choose. Check their website to confirm the dates and times of these excursions and to book your reservations in advance.
• Cost 
  • For the 2 hour excursion: Adults (13-65) $42.99, Seniors (65+), Military, First Responder, and Teachers $39.99, Children (2-12) $30.99
  • For the 4 hour excursion: Adults (13-65) $56.99, Seniors (65+), Military, First Responder, and Teachers $51.99, Children (2-12) $37.99

The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway runs slowly along the Toccoa River from Blue Ridge, Georgia till just over the Tennessee border into Copperhill, Tennessee. It takes about an hour to get to Copperhill, Tennessee and an hour to get back to Blue Ridge, Georgia. The 2 hour excursion brings you just over the border into Copperhill, Tennessee, but you do not disembark. The 4 hour excursion is the same experience as the 2 hour excursion, with the main difference being you disembark at Copperhill, Tennessee and will remain there for 2 hours until you wait for the train to return again. We took the 2 hour excursion and it was perfect for kids. Copperhill, Tennessee is a very small town and with not much to do other than eating at restaurants and shopping. Unfortunately, that is not entirely kid friendly. 

As far as the train goes, on one side of the train is the mountain view and so there is not much to see other than trees. But the other side of the train is the river view, and that is a much more interesting view. If you have an opportunity to choose then pick the river view side first, since during the first leg of the trip is when your train crew member is reviewing all the history and meaning behind the scenery. They don’t repeat it on the way back. Thankfully though at the end of the first half, they do make everyone switch sides, so that it’s fair and you don’t miss out on either side during your trip.

Train Tips

• The parking is basically wherever you can find a spot along the streets. The easiest way to park is the parking garage located at the corner of First Street and Depot Street. You do have to pay for every hour, but it’s a quick and short walk to the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway depot.
• It is recommended that you arrive one hour prior to departure and boarding starts 30 minutes before departure. You will need to start lining up almost as soon as you arrive given that you have assigned cars or sections based on your ticket choice, but not assigned seats. The seats are first come, first serve.
• If you intend on staying in your seat for the majority if not entirety of the train ride, then be sure to choose the section most appropriate for you. Otherwise, we got up and walked around and switched seats a couple of different times as other people that walked around did the same. We originally purchased seating in a closed car, because it was set to rain, but when it didn’t we headed to an open car to check out the scenery.
• Onboard there are restrooms on every car, as well as a gift shop and concession stand. There is also a gift shop at the train depot as well as small food truck stands for concession before departure.

Gluten Free Blue Ridge, Georgia

At the center of the town of Blue Ridge, Georgia right where the Scenic Railway is located, there are tons of shops and restaurants lining the street. Unfortunately, as with most of North Georgia there weren't many gluten free and dairy free options. There are gluten free options, but limited in what I could get being dairy free as well. I did find one place that I was very excited to try and had great reviews and that was Rum Cake Lady Cuban Food. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time our train ride ended, so make sure to check out the hours if you really want to try this.

Cucinella’s Pizzeria

Cucinella’s Pizzeria is located right next to the parking garage which is where we parked for the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. They were able to accommodate both my gluten free and dairy free intolerances with both a gluten free and vegan pizza crust and vegan cheese. Like I mentioned earlier, the best way to know how they did is in how I felt a few days later. Thankfully, I was fine. The pizza was good. I like Blaze Pizza better, but given my limited options, this was still a great choice. 

North Georgia Waterfalls and Overlooks

Anna Ruby Falls

• Hours: 9am to 5pm, all week long March through December. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays from January through February. Also closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day. No admission after 4pm.
• Cost: $5 per adult (16 years and older): Free for ages 15 and under

While I love an adventure and I’m rarely one to sit still on vacation since I always like to be go-go-go, I’m not what you would call outdoorsy per se. So when I was looking for waterfalls to see (and there are plenty of them to see in North Georgia in the summer) I wanted to make sure it was something doable with my limited outdoor skill. I used the Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide which has tons of information about all of these different waterfalls. In the end, we picked Anna Ruby Falls and it was a great one too.

Once you arrive, you’ll park at the visitor’s center. Here you’ll find restrooms, a water fountain, and a gift shop which contains some snacks and drinks (although I didn’t see much that was gluten free or dairy free friendly). And if you want to pack a lunch or snack, there are picnic benches available to use.  

Although there are a few trails here, the main trail, Anna Ruby Falls trail which takes you to the falls, is completely paved. It was less than a half a mile long, so not very far and not super strenuous, although you are going upwards to the falls so there is some incline. In parts of the trail, there are wooden rails and benches to rest. Along the way, there are informational signs, but nothing can beat the sounds of the water flow as you make your way to the double waterfall at the top. Once you get to Anna Ruby Falls there are two areas for photos, the first is a lower deck which also has a bridge over the water running off the falls, then if you go up a flight of stairs there is another larger deck with seating and two additional areas for photos. No matter how many photos or videos I take, nothing beats the real thing and being there in person to see and hear this splendid sight. 

Tallulah Gorge State Park

• Hours: 8am till sunset
• Cost: $5 per vehicle
• Word of warning, fear of heights will be activated! Lol.

While there are actually quite a lot of outdoor activities available to you here at Tallulah Gorge State Park like rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, and so forth, I’m not the girl to help you with those. But if you have littles like me or just want to be awestruck by the wonders of waterfalls, then keep reading. You’ll start off at the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center. Outside there are picnic tables available if you want to pack a lunch or snacks. Here there are also restrooms, water fountains, and a gift shop with all that you need. There is also an informational center with maps and so forth. On the top floor is an exhibit area, which features items, videos, and informational reading about what life was like in this small town in the mid-1800s and beyond. 

As you walk down the ramp to the bottom floor, you will see more informational slides about life in this area as well as the wildlife that call this home. Most of the wildlife displays are just that, although tucked in the corner are real snakes to see too. At the bottom of the ramp, you’ll find a small theater which runs a short movie (about 15 minutes) every half hour and hour. There is also an entrance/exit to the path to the overlooks.

The main path to the overlooks is lined with rubber similar to that of a kid’s playground and has signage pointing you in the right direction. There are multiple trails here and multiple overlooks as well as lots and lots of stairs, it all depends on what you want to see and do, your skill level, fear level, and amount of time you have to spend. We went to overlook 2 and 3 which were the easiest to get to. The views are incredible. You are basically looking at the waterfalls from a very high aerial view, which is why my fear of heights was activated. 

There is also a suspension bridge, which was a little more than my nerves can handle, and more steps than we were willing to take on. But that is also available. From the overlook, it’s about 310 stairs downward to the suspension bridge and if you want to go all the way down to the base of the waterfall and gorge, it’s another 221 stairs. Keep in mind though if you do that, you will need to climb those 531 stairs again all the way up to the visitor center. 

Brasstown Bald Visitor's Center

• Hours: 10am to 5pm daily with shuttle service from parking lot up to visitor’s center regularly except from 12:30pm to 1:10pm and ending at 4:30pm
• Cost: $8 per adult (16 years and older): Free for ages 15 and under
  

Once you arrive, you will be at the parking lot, which has picnic areas, restrooms, water fountains, and a gift shop. It’s also the location of the shuttle which will take you up to the visitor’s center, or you can walk the trail. 

The trail is a little over a half a mile, completely paved, but very steep. On average, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to walk it up and about 15 minutes coming down. We took the trail down in the rain, and it was steep. The next day the tops of my legs from my thighs down were sore. Haha. As you are in the forest on the top of the mountain, there is wildlife. Although everyone we asked at Brasstown Bald said that the bears don’t usually come up this high, because there isn’t enough food for them, it is still a possibility. There are also signs of rattlesnake warnings (“Why did it have to be snakes?”), although they also said because of the rain, they likely wouldn’t come out of their dens. Thankfully, we didn’t see any wildlife, but on a clearer day, I don’t know what you will find. 

At the Brasstown Bald Visitor’s Center, there is a short movie (15 minutes) that runs about every hour throughout the day teaching you all about Brasstown Bald, its weather, seasons, animals, flora, and history. If you make your way into the visitor’s center, you will find exhibits running all the way around this round building with information about everything pertaining to Brasstown Bald. If you have small children, be sure to stop at the information booth at the entrance and pick up the scavenger hunt. There are questions to answer or just animals to find in the exhibit. At the end, show your answers to get a small prize (coloring book and crayons). 

The showstopper is on the top of Brasstown Bald and that is the view. Brasstown Bald is the highest peak in all of Georgia at an elevation of 4,784 feet. From this round overlook, you can see 4 states, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Unfortunately, it rained most of our trip, so it was raining during our time here. On our map, it said that there would be a period of time that the rain would stop. We didn’t know until we went through the exhibit and saw the movie that the weather on Brasstown Bald isn’t like anywhere else in Georgia, so the weather information doesn’t apply the same. If you do come to North Georgia in the summer, definitely save Brasstown Bald for a day when the weather is clear, so you don’t miss out on the view. 

Chenocetah Tower

Chenocetah Tower wasn’t really on my original itinerary. It was more found by, let’s just look at the map and see what is close by for us to see or do. Even so, it was a gem of a find. The tower is just a pit stop and not an excursion, but the view from the tower was stunning. 

Originally built in the early 1900s as a watchtower for fires, it was decommissioned in the 80’s, and is the only stone fire tower in Georgia. The tower is closed for visitors, except for one day a year, during the city of Cornelia’s Big Red Apple Festival. 

Hogpen Gap

Hogpen Gap is another unplanned stop, which you may want to make room for on your North Georgia in the summer itinerary. We were headed to our railway adventure, when we kept seeing beautiful turn offs along Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway. I guess they call it a scenic highway for a reason. Here you can stop and take beautiful photos with the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains as your backdrop. 

Photo Tips

If you are stopping to take pictures, there may or may not be others around to help you so be sure to bring a tripod along with you. You definitely don’t want to miss these views and photo opportunities. 

Attractions that didn’t make the cut...and why

Minnehaha Falls

There is no telling how much time I spent looking up waterfalls in North Georgia, the difficulty level, the hiking mileage, as well as waterfalls in which you could actually go in the water. After all that, I finally found Minnehaha Falls. Unfortunately, it wasn’t made clear that the drive to where you would take the hike to the falls was a single lane (one for both incoming and outgoing traffic) on a rocky dirt unpaved road for almost 2 miles. During our drive up to North Georgia, we bought a new car (we kept having trouble with our old one and it wasn’t worth the repairs). Once we got to this road, we didn’t really want to mess up our new car and the road was very long, super slow going, and full of rocks. We decided to turn around and never made it to the falls after all. Such a bummer.

• If you have a car that can handle the road and are prepared for a pretty slow pace to reach it, then the pictures look amazing. Leave me a comment to let me know.

Lakemont, Georgia

After the Minnehaha Falls fiasco, we found Hillside Orchard Farms nearby and decided to take a chance. The driving from where Minnehaha Falls was through Lakemont, Georgia to the farm was super scary. Not only was there a steep drop on one side which goes straight into the lake, but despite there being a bunch of million dollar houses each with their own separate two story lakeside house complete with water garage, there was absolutely NO cell phone reception. It said, SOS only. I’m not a fan of that when the roads are so tight and dangerous.

• With it being Georgia in the summer, everyone was on the lake. And true to its name Lakemont, Georgia has some lakeside water activity rental places available if you wanted to partake. It was a beautiful place and the houses on the lake were incredible to see.

Hillside Orchard Farms

Once we got to Hillside Orchard Farms which opened late afternoon that day, we learned that their u-pick blackberry farm was not open yet. We thought that some of the other farm activities would be available like the playground, petting zoo, gem mining, and farm train, but they were not. The playground was open, but it looked like there were a lot of bees and a bit in disrepair. The area which was supposed to have a farm show was also in disrepair. The petting zoo was merely looking at the animals, but no opportunity to pet or feed them. And the walk back to where the animals were, passed some previously used bee hives which had some swarms. 

• On the pro side, the country store was massive and had tons of local homemade products including products sourced from the farm itself. Although gem mining was available, we decided not to stay. They had a bunch of different options for gem mining too with different price points and different types of finds. It looked like their u-pick fields were promising and could be fun when the fruit is ripe. They also offer hayrides during their u-pick which looked like it would be fun too.

Maybe I’m just spoiled in Florida, we are full of agriculture and have so many farms at our disposal for u-picks. I’ve written a bunch of blog posts about all different ones around the state like pumpkin picking, blueberry picking, vegetable picking, strawberry picking, blackberry picking, fall festival, and even a Christmas Tree Farm. 

Horseback Riding

On my original itinerary, we were supposed to go on a tandem horseback ride on our last day. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize I needed a reservation and by the time I called (that morning), they were already booked for the day. Although by calling, I also found out that they don’t do tandem horseback riding despite their website saying they did. While many of these stables offer pony rides to small children (5 years old and under), they’ve already had the opportunity to do them at places like Disney’s Fort Wilderness. But we wanted them to experience regular trail type horseback rides like the ones we’ve been on in places like Charleston, South Carolina or in Alaska. Because of their ages, the only way young children (like Eden's age 4) can ride is on tandem rides. 

• After calling a few places, we found Sunburst Stables located just north between Helen and Clarkesville, Georgia. They offer tandem rides, so if you are looking to do horseback riding and you have young kids that can’t ride on their own, then check them out. We unfortunately decided to skip the horseback riding due to cost. It is a pricey venture and would have cost our family of 4 about $250 total (likely more with tip). Although looking back, I regret not spending the money and just doing it.

Georgia in the Summer - Our itinerary of all we did in a week!

Now that we went through all the things to do in North Georgia in the summer and all the things not to do, let’s put it all together. Here’s our itinerary of all we did in a week to help you plan your travels out. 

• Day 1: Tubing the Chattahoochee River, then a visit to Chenocetah Tower
• Day 2: Consolidated Underground Gold Mine, then a visit to Red Oak Lavender Field
• Day 3: Lots of mountain driving there and back to Brasstown Bald Visitor's Center
• Day 4: Helen Mountain Coaster, Anna Ruby Falls, then back to walk around Downtown Helen
• Day 5: Drive out to Blue Ridge, Georgia for a ride on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway (which crossed the Tennessee border) with stops on the drive back at Hogpen Gap for beautiful mountain views.
• Day 6: Lakemont, Georgia and a visit to the Tallulah Gorge State Park
• Day 7: We headed home.

Normally, I’m go-go-go, which I still was on this trip. But I’m thankful that after a full day's activity, we found time to just enjoy each other as a family. We had puzzle nights, movie nights, and catching firefly nights, all of which were just as fun as the rest of the trip. Let me know about your past roadtrips with the family in the comments below.

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