 Northern exposure
Scenic trips into the heart of the North Georgia mountains BY REN DAVIS Take a detour from interstate highways and follow back roads into a land of discovery. From Rabun Bald to Lookout Mountain, Georgia’s mountain country is a delight for the senses. Eyes dance along panoramic vistas, ears resonate with the symphony of a waterfall, mouths  water to aromas of pan-fried trout or simmering boiled peanuts, and hearts pound with exhilaration during hikes along trails winding deep into the Chattahoochee National Forest. Beyond the landscape, museums and historic sites reveal powerful human stories. Learn “mountain ways” in Clayton’s Foxfire Museum, trace the “Trail of Tears” at Dahlonega’s Gold Museum or at New Echota near Calhoun, and hear fading echoes of the Civil War at historic sites from Chickamauga to Barnsley Gardens. Whether you visit to escape summer’s heat or to savor autumn’s colors, memories of your journey along Georgia’s “rooftop” will long linger. Southern highlands scenic ramble Feel the mountains’ pull as you travel old U.S. Highway 441 from Clarkesville to Tallulah Gorge State Park in Tallulah Falls. Discover the geological and human story of this natural wonder through visitor center exhibits; then stroll rim trails or plunge the depths to a swinging bridge above the Tallulah River. Visit the nearby Georgia Heritage Center for the Arts (www.georgiaartists.org) also in Tallulah Falls before continuing deeper into the mountains.  Clayton and Dillard are hubs for outdoor activities. Hikers explore the Bartram Trail (named for naturalist William Bartram who traveled the region in the 1770s) while golfers enjoy a different kind of stroll along Sky Valley and Kingswood links. Waterborne adventurers join outfitters for wild raft rides down the Chattooga River through rapids with names like “Seven-foot Falls” and “Corkscrew,” or enjoy angling or boating on Lakes Rabun and Burton.
The Richard Russell Highway (U.S. Highway 76) and Georgia Highway 197 are punctuated with shops and galleries featuring works by artisans like furniture craftsman Dwayne Thompson (Timpson Creek Gallery in Clayton), potter Cindy Angliss (Hickory Flat Pottery in Clarkesville), Jay and Janis Buceck (Mark of the Potter also in Clarkesville), and others awaiting your personal discovery. Explore this heritage at the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia (www.folkpotterymuseum.com) located in the Sautee-Nacoochee Center near Helen. The former schoolhouse features galleries, studios and a performing arts center (www.sauteenacoochee.org).  Next, take a breathtaking journey on the Russell-Brasstown National Scenic Byway (www.byways.org). This 41-mile loop along Georgia highways 348, 180 and 17 leads past waterfalls (Raven Cliffs, Dukes Creek and Anna Ruby), ancient petroglyphs, hiking paths (including sections of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail) and astonishing vistas from 4,484-foot Brasstown Bald—Georgia’s highest point. Meander south on U.S. Highway 19/129 past Vogel State Park (tour the Civilian Conservation Corps museum to learn the story of the park’s creation in the 1930s). Cross Neel’s Gap and pause at the foot of Blood Mountain before hiking to scenic DeSoto Falls.
Browse shops around Dahlonega’s square and tour the historic 1836 courthouse, now Georgia’s gold museum. Dahlonega also serves as hub for adventures along the Chestatee and Etowah rivers (www.appalachianoutfitters.com), and as a gateway to Georgia’s Wine Trail, a driving tour leading to a growing number of award-winning vineyards offering tours, tastings, winemaker dinners and special events (www.georgiawine.com). Lodging and dining • Glen Ella Springs Inn. This century-old hotel, lovingly restored by Barrie and Bobbie Aycock, offers rustic accommodations and world-class dining. Clarkesville. www.glenella.com. (877) 456-7527. • Brigadoon Lodge. Owner Rebekah Stewart converted her private retreat on the Soque River into an angler’s paradise ESPN calls “the Augusta National of Fly-Fishing.” Clarkesville. brigadoonlodge.com. (706) 754-1558.  • Beechwood Inn. Tucked into the hills above Clayton, owners Gayle and David Daraugh offer an exceptional lodging and dining experience in what has been called “Georgia’s premier wine country inn.” Clayton. www.beechwoodinn.ws. (866) 782-2485.
• Dillard House Inn and Restaurant. For generations of visitors, a stop at the Dillard House was a part of family vacations to the mountains. The tradition lives on in rustic accommodations and “family style” dining. Dillard. www.dillardhouse.com. (800) 541-0671. • Brasstown Valley Resort. Exceptional accommodations and amenities from golf and tennis, to hiking and horseback riding. Young Harris. www.brasstownvalley.com. (800) 201-3205. • The Lodge at Smithgall Woods. Business leader Charles Smithgall bequeathed his mountain retreat to Georgia’s state parks for elegant and secluded lodgings. The lodge is ideal for meetings, reunions, weddings, retreats and special gatherings. Helen. www.smithgallwoods.com. (800) 318-5248. • Worley Homestead. Built in 1845 and located across from the North Georgia College & State University campus, owners Bill and Frances Mauldin have made their cozy inn an ideal base for exploring Dahlonega and the surrounding mountains. Dahlonega. (800) 348-8094.  • Len Foote Hike Inn. Located in Amicalola Falls State Park and accessible only by foot along a five-mile trail, the environmentally “cutting edge” lodge pampers visitors with delicious meals and warm drinks by the fire. www.hike-inn.com. (800) 581-8032.
• Tallulah, Black Rock Mountain, Mocassin Creek, Unicoi, Vogel and Amicalola Falls state parks. Book a cabin, lodge room or campsite in one of Georgia’s renowned state parks. www.georgiastateparks.org. (800) 864-7275. Pathways to the past The scenic beauty of Northwestern Georgia’s high ridges and broad river valleys punctuates a region unsurpassed for its links to our nation’s history. Here, paleo-Indians erected enduring structures at the Etowah Mounds and atop Fort Mountain, while members of a faction within the Cherokee nation surrendered ancestral lands in the 1835 Treaty of New Echota. A few years later, Union and Confederate armies fought at Chickamauga, Resaca and other battlefields during the Atlanta Campaign. These paths intertwine along the popular Chieftains Trail (www.chieftainstrail.com) and Blue and Gray Trail (blueandgraytrail.com) driving tours.  Cartersville is an excellent starting point for your trek. Glimpse the ancient past on a tour of the 1,000-year-old Etowah Mounds, then tour galleries in the remarkable Booth Western Art Museum featuring one of the nation’s largest collections of early and contemporary Western art (www.boothmuseum.org).
Meander north to historic Barnsley Gardens to stroll restored gardens, tour ruins of the antebellum plantation home (it wasn’t burned by Yankees) and enjoy luxurious amenities of a world-class golf resort and spa. Follow “Old Dixie Highway” (U.S. Highway 41) through historic Adairsville to Calhoun and the last Cherokee capital at New Echota State Historic Site. Walk the historic grounds to learn about Sequoyah, the Cherokee alphabet and the removal of the Cherokee nation from Georgia. Native American history continues to come alive in the Chatsworth home of Cherokee Chief James Vann and at Fort Mountain State Park where origins of a 1,500-year-old stone wall along the summit remain a lingering mystery. Follow U.S. Highway 76 west to Dalton to discover the town’s Civil War heritage and its rise to prominence as America’s “Carpet Capital.” Stroll shops, dine in the 19th-century depot and take in a show at the restored Wink Theater. Continue on the Dixie Highway to Tunnel Hill for a tour of a railway tunnel that was an engineering marvel when it opened in 1850. A few miles beyond is Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, set aside in 1890 to preserve the sites of two of the Civil War’s most pivotal battles. Visitor center exhibits are just a prelude to the story that unfolds during a drive or hike of the battlefields (www.nps.gov/chch).  Near Chattanooga, Tenn., climb Ochs Highway (Tennessee Highway 58/Georgia Highway 57) to Lookout Mountain with its stunning views of the Tennessee River and surrounding landscape. Not surprisingly, children of all ages still thrill in exploring Rock City and Ruby Falls, just as their parents did. If you feel truly adventurous, take a tandem ride on a hang glider at the Lookout Mountain Flight Park (www.hangglide.com) before traveling south along the mountain’s spine to Cloudland Canyon State Park near Trenton with its spectacular waterfalls, challenging trails and stunning views.
Follow U.S. Highway 27 to Rome to browse Broad Street shops and stroll to historic Myrtle Hill Cemetery or the historic 19th-century Clock Tower. Nearby, learn Martha Berry’s inspiring story at Oak Hill and on the 27,000-acre scenic campus of Berry College (www.berry.edu); visit Chieftains Museum, once home to Cherokee Chief Major Ridge; and take in a Braves game—the minor league Rome Braves—at new State Mutual Stadium (www.romebraves.com). Lodging and dining • Barnsley Gardens Resort. This world-class resort and spa surrounds ruins of Godfrey Barnsley’s antebellum estate and gardens. Enjoy elegant dining and accommodations in an English-style village. Adairsville. www.barnsleyresort.com. (877) 773-2447. • 74 Ranch. Relax on the porch of a century-old farmhouse amid acres of pastures and a working cattle ranch. Jasper. seventyfourranch.com. (706) 692-0123. • Cohutta Lodge. Enjoy comfortable accommodations and mountain fare amid spectacular surroundings. Fort Mountain State Park and rugged Cohutta Wilderness are nearby. Chatsworth. www.cohuttalodge.com. (800) 394-9790. • Chanticleer Inn. In 2002, innkeepers Kirby and Judy Wahl converted an old tourist court into an exceptional inn atop Lookout Mountain. Popular attractions and Chattanooga are nearby. Lookout Mountain. www.stayatchanticleer.com. (706) 820-2002. • Zion Farms. Owners John and Rena Cooper have opened their expansive horse farm near Summerville to guests seeking a unique lodging and dining experience. The farm’s Highlander Restaurant is a local favorite for special occasions. Rome. www.zionfarms.com. (706) 235-8002. • Red Top Mountain, Fort Mountain, Cloudland Canyon and James H. “Sloppy” Floyd state parks. Parks offer campgrounds, cabins, a lodge (Red Top) and unlimited outdoor activities in spectacular settings. www.georgiastateparks.org. (800) 864-7275. —Ren Davis is a Georgia book author and freelance writer from Atlanta.
More things to see and do in the North Georgia mountains: • Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association, Blue Ridge. Galleries, workshops, events. www.brmaa.net. (706) 632-2144. • Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, Blue Ridge. Excursion train rides through the mountains. www.brscenic.com. (800) 934-1898. • Burt’s Farm, Dawsonville. Spectacular fall pumpkin displays and activities. www.burtsfarm.com. (706) 265-3701. • Cool River Tubing, Helen. www.coolrivertubing.com. (800) 896-4595. • Funk Heritage Center, Waleska. Native American and antique tool exhibits on Reinhardt College campus. www.reinhardt.edu. (770) 720-5600. • Rollins Planetarium, Young Harris College. www.yhc.edu. (800) 241-3754.  • Kangaroo Conservation Center, Dawsonville. Largest kangaroo collection outside Australia. www.kangaroocenter.com. (706) 265-6100.
• Misty Mountain Train Museum, Blairsville. Nation’s largest O gauge model train collection. www.mistymountaininn.com. (706) 745-4786. • Georgia tourism and travel information. www.georgia.org. More places to stay: • Captain’s Quarters Bed and Breakfast Inn, Fort Oglethorpe. Near Chickamauga Battlefield and 6th Cavalry Museum. www.cqinn.com. (800) 710-6816. • Claremont House Bed and Breakfast, Rome. Elegant Victorian accommodations. www.theclaremonthouse.net. (800) 254-4797. • Forrest Hills Resort, Dawsonville. www.forresthillsresort.com. (800) 654-6313. • Lily Creek Lodge, Dahlonega. Elegant inn amid a wildlife sanctuary. www.lilycreeklodge.com. (888) 844-2694. • Misty Mountain Inn, Blairsville. www.mistymountaininn.com. (888) 647-8966. • Mountain Laurel Creek Inn & Spa, Dahlonega. In the heart of wine country. www.mountainlaurelcreek.com. (706) 867-8134. • The Ridges Resort on Lake Chatuge, Hiawassee. Lodge, luxury villas, golf, tennis, marina. www.theridgesresort.com. (888) 834-4409. • Sautee Inn Bed and Breakfast. Circa 1892 inn close to Alpine Helen. www.sauteeinn.com. (706) 878-8217. • Sylvan Falls Mill Bed & Breakfast, Rabun Gap. Relax to the slow spin of a miller’s waterwheel. www.sylvanfallsmill.com. (706) 746-7138. Fairs and festivals • July 18-29: Georgia Mountain Fair, Hiawassee. www.georgiamountainfairgrounds.com. • Sept. 9-Oct. 28; Nov.1-4: Oktoberfest, Helen. www.helenga.org. • Sept. 15: Berry Ford Festival, Rome. www.berry.edu. • Sept. 15-16: Roselawn Arts Festival, Cartersville. www.notatlanta.org. • Oct. 1-31: Heritage Holidays, Rome. www.romegeorgia.org. • Oct. 1-31: Cowboys and Indians Days, Cartersville. www.notatlanta.org. • Oct. 5-7: Great Locomotive Chase Festival, Adairsville. www.notatlanta.org. • Oct. 13-14: Georgia Apple Festival, Ellijay. www.georgiaapplefestival.org. • Oct. 13-14: Prater’s Mill Country Fair, Dalton. www.pratersmill.org. • Oct. 13-29: Sorghum Festival, Blairsville. www.blairsville.com. • Oct. 20-21: Gold Rush Days, Dahlonega. www.dahlonega.org. | 
