Bavaria In Georgia

About 90 miles north east from Atlanta is the town of  Helen, Georgia.  Helen is a former logging town that has transformed itself into an Alpine Village tucked away in the most southern end of the Appalachian Mountains.  Helen sits on the southern boarder of Unicoi State Park.  

During the 1880s logging became the major industry in the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Click HERE for the U.S. Forest Service history of logging in the Southern Appalachians.  I find it fascinating that I for one having visited and hiked many trails in the Southern Appalachian Mountains really did not know the history of protected forests we take for granted today.

Click HERE for the history of the Great Smokey Mountain and Blue Ridge Parkway National Parks.  As the logging around Helen, Georgia started to decline, the town rejuvenated itself into the Alpine Village it is today.  In 1969 the town passed building codes that mandated the alpine design you see today in Helen.

Helen is a great location for visiting other areas of the norther part of Georgia.

With Unicoi State Park just minutes away, visitors have access to a great place to camp, hike, picnic and fish.  Click HERE for the Unicoi State Park Guide. Just 48 miles to the west is Springer Mountain, Georgia.  The southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.  Click HERE for the Georgia Appalachian Trail Guide.

As you walk the streets of Helen you will find many shops and restaurants catering to the many tourist that come to Helen each year.  October is a special time to visit Helen because it is Oktoberfest season when the music is loud and the beer flows. Many of the German restaurants in Helen have some of Germany's finest biers on tap.  If you do not fancy the sport of bier drinking, I am sure that the candy and bakery shops can satisfy your sweet tooth.

And if you are not accustomed to eating sauerbraten, then you can always get a hot dog.

So If you missed Oktoberfest this year in October, you can enjoy your own Oktoberfest year round in Helen, GA.

Click HERE for my video clips from my Helen, Georgia trip last month.

Until next time, be safe in the sun and have a great day in the great outdoors.