Featured Image Courtesy: Explore Georgia
My wife and I made a quick day trip that was supposed to be just a quick shopping day in Dawsonville, Georgia at the North Georgia Premium Outlets. We made the usual favorite stops of Under Armour, Columbia, Loft and a few others. After we completed our shopping, we still had plenty of daylight left, so we decided to head over to Helen.
Our 1st Trip to Helen Together
We arrived in Helen close to 4:30. The sun was setting and giving us a spectacular view of the decorated Bavarian-style buildings of the town. We drove around the town looking for the best views. Helen City Hall was a good place to take pictures, along with Georgia Mountain Coaster. We also got a few pictures by the giant Christmas tree.
Food and Beverage
We had dinner at Big Daddy’s Restaurant and Tavern. My wife had filled up on a Snickers bar so she had a bowl of potato soup and a salad. I was pretty hungry so I started off with 5 Bigg Daddy Hot Jumbo Chicken Wings. This was the 2nd hottest of the options offered. It was plenty hot for me as I couldn’t possibly imagine what the Who’s Your Daddy wings heat could bring. I ordered the Salmon BLT, which was a rather large sandwich loaded with flavor, for my entrée. Also, Big Daddy’s provided a heaping portion of fries. My wife enjoyed a glass of house white zinfandel with her meal.
My 1st Time to Helen
The first time to Helen for me was to participate in a Bavarian Biathlon, an event that consisted of a 5k run and 25 mile bike ride, back in 1991. I was a 1st year teacher/coach and a colleague talked me into purchasing a bike so that we could train for this. I had no idea that Helen was in the mountains, which I should have known by the title of the event.
After running through the town of Helen, I made my way to the transition area where we were to get on our bikes. I was able to find my bike rather easily because I was the last runner to finish. It was a long lonely bike ride until I hit the 20-mile mark when I saw another rider in the distance. I had a renewed sense of energy as I passed 2 riders. I was not going to finish last!!! My ultimate goals were to finish and not finish last.
My Second Time to Helen
This was no doubt, the best trout fishing day I had ever had in 1993. I was on a trip with another coach and 2 of our baseball players. We had fished for several hours and hadn’t caught a thing. Then it seemed like someone flipped a switch for me. Every cast resulted in a catch for about 90 minutes. The others in our party were using the same Rapala that I was using. They weren’t catching anything. I believe that the final number that we caught and kept was close to 16. We ate well.
Things To Do in Helen
There are a lot of things to do around Helen. You have Unicoi State Park , which has a lake with campsites, and Smithgall Woods State Park. There are lots of trails for hiking which lead to some amazing waterfalls, such as Anna Ruby Falls and Raven Cliff Falls. There are numerous places for trout fishing. Check with Unicoi Outfitters for the best tackle and locations to fish. Lodging is not a problem with lots of hotels and cabins for rent.
Be Blessed and Safe Travels!!!
