Vacationing in Helen, Georgia: Tips for Planning Your Vacation

I just got back from a long weekend in Helen, Georgia, a place where I have spent many extended weekends of my life. A vacation to the mountains of Helen, Georgia is a relaxing time for you and a blast for the kids. It is also a great place for couples to get away from the stresses of their daily lives. It is a small town in the northeast Georgia Mountains that offers a beautiful state park, cabins, camping and a great section of town called Alpine Helen.

Alpine Helen is a Bavarian town with great restaurants, shops, hotels, and Bed and Breakfasts and offers something for everyone. A huge attraction of Alpine Helen is the river that flows through the mountain town that you can take a ride down in a tube. River tubing is enjoyed by people of all ages. For the kids there are waterslides, miniature golf, amusement park rides, and you can watch the bakers at the sweet shops make the sweets, like fudge, on premises. There is also a mill on the outskirts of town where you can watch the grain being milled and buy fresh products that are made there.

There is a large selection of restaurants that meet every budget. There are several restaurants with authentic German fare, as well as steakhouses, barbecue, southern cuisine, and several beer gardens.

Just outside Alpine Helen, you find Unicoi State Park. Unicoi State Park features Anna Ruby Falls that is a beautiful waterfall. It is amazing. The entire park winds up the mountain with picnic sites alongside the winding mountain river. You can fish or splash around in the refreshingly cool waters. There are also several mountain hiking trails.

There are so many choices when it comes to where to stay. My personal favorite is to stay in a cabin just a few miles outside of Alpine Helen. There is a campground inside Unicoi State Park as well as private campgrounds. Inside Alpine Helen, you can rent riverside condominiums, stay in a riverside hotel, or relax at a Bed and Breakfast.

Once you decide which type of accommodation fits you best, use the internet and reserve your place. Helen gets very busy on the weekends, so planning at least a month in advance for a cabin and at least two weeks ahead for a riverside hotel. Most recently, I stayed at a cabin run by Blue Ridge Cabins. I had a great experience because these cabins provide the comforts of home. If you prefer a slightly more rustic experience, but still want to stay in a cabin, you should go with a state park cabin. State park cabins are comfortable and much more affordable than privately owned cabins.

If you want to take a little drive outside of Helen there are other places to see close by. There is Brasstown Bald, which is the highest point in the state of Georgia or for the kids; there is the Cabbage Patch Baby Land General where they can watch a Cabbage Patch Baby being born from the cabbage patch. It is beyond adorable. Baby Land General is in the next town over in Cleveland, Georgia.

Plan your activities as best you can ahead of time, but do not limit yourself to your pre-made plans. You may get inside Unicoi State Park and not want to leave or you may find Alpine Helen has more that appeals to you and you cannot get everything you want done in just one day. My most important advice, do not get so busy that you forget to soak in the beauty of the mountains around you.