One Day in Helen, GA

We didn't hit the road until a little before one, which was probably fortunate for us seeing as it was rainy and overcast the whole drive. Note for all those driving from Athens to Helen: don't even try following the directions given to you on Yahoo Maps or similar sites, just follow the signs. Hopefully you won't have to make an hour detour like we did! We reached Helen around 3 and decided to go straight to Anna Ruby Falls since the gates shut at 6pm. It's free to park in Unocoi, but if you're going to the Falls you'll need $2 for parking. The drive is really pretty, but winding and luckily my sister was driving or she probably would have gotten carsick. The first thing I saw once I got past the recreation center was a snake, so that was quite a shock! Apparently there are snakes all over the place, and if my sister had known this beforehand we probably wouldn't have gone. We didn't see any on the actual trail though, which was a relief. The hike to the Falls is very easy - it's uphill, but only about half a mile. Once you get to the Falls you have the option of continuing on to another trail that lasts for 10 miles roundtrip, so we decided to pass on that. It definitely doesn't have the majestic style of Niagara Falls, but I thought it was worth the $2 spent.

Our next stop was Helen. I thought it was nice, but I don't see how anyone could make this trip last more than a day. Our half day spent in the area was plenty of time. We had originally thought about going tubing on the Chattahoochee, which is very popular in Helen, but decided against it and it was very fortunate for us. The river is incredibly shallow and slow. It must take people hours to get down the river. We also saw people getting stuck, which didn't look like much fun. It was fun to be able to see people tubing while walking through the town, though. We stopped at various shops, some of which had Bavarian and Dutch items, some of which had Southern items. Hansel and Gretel's Candy Kitchen was awesome - they make chocolate into just about every shape, including dinosaurs which made me happy.

 We only had time for one meal, but fortunately we picked an amazing restaurant - Altstädter Weinstube & Biergarten. My parents lived in Germany so I grew up eating some German food, and this spot rivaled my moms' cooking. I had a Coca-Cola to drink and was given an ice-cold glass bottle to drink from, which produces the best tasting Coke so I was in heaven. The restaurant was out of the more American type foods, like pizza, so if you're dining with picky eaters then it might not be the best place to go. We ordered a cheese plate, Schnitzel sticks, and German potato salad which was absolutely delicious. It was also a very relaxing environment and not crowded, so we didn't feel rushed and were told we could stay as long as we wanted. This is definitely a place to try if you're in the area.

All in all, we didn't get around to doing much, but Helen is the kind of place where you don't really need a plan to do anything. All the hot spots are around each other and it's a very small area, so you'll have no problem getting around. I wouldn't recommend staying for too long though - you can probably knock everything out in one day.