Tom Dills

travel: our quest to visit all 50 states: georgia

  • The Old Sautee Store is one of a handful of pre-1900 retail establishments in northeast Georgia. When it was built in 1873 it was a true general store. Local residents would come to the store to purchase food, seed, or farm equipment. It served as a local post office for Sautee-Nachoochee until 1913 and as post office for Sautee until 1962. Through the Nachoochee Valley and directly in front of the store ran the old Unicoi Turnpike, a major thoroughfare from the navigable end of the Tugaloo River to the Unicoi Mountains in Tennessee. Unicoi State Park, which is located near the highway north of Helen, Georgia, takes its name from the road.A second major road connected the Nachoochee Valley with Rabun County. Appearing on maps as early as 1837, portions of this highway are now part of Georgia Highways 197 and 255, and U. S. Highway 76. It used the Stovall Covered Bridge over Chickamauga Creek (for the Civil War buffs, there are two Chickamauga Creeks in Georgia). At the time the store was complete it sat at what was the biggest intersection of roads in these parts.Over the years customers came and went. Loss of the mail contract in 1962 meant hard times for the owners, who sold the store in the early 1970's. Astrid Fried, a native of Norway purchased the store in 1974 and began to sell various items from her country in the store while preserving the post office area as a museum of sorts.Deep, rich, golden brown hues of aged wood are everywhere in this beautiful store. In the front many one-of-a-kind items are on display. Towards the back many just as unique gifts and food are for sale. When we visited a plate of cheese and crackers welcomed us into the store section. By the time we left we had purchase not only some of the cheese and crackers, but a few knick-knacks as Christmas gifts for a couple of hard-to-buy-for friends.Sautee Store -- its well worth the visit.
  • Smith Creek, Chatahoochee National Forest, Georgia
  • Helen, Georgia nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Chattahoochee River, is a re-creation of an alpine village complete with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers. This Northeast Georgia village has a rich history linked to the Cherokee Indians and Indian burial mounds as well as early settlers who arrived to mine for gold and cut virgin timber for a thriving lumber industry in the early 1900ís. Now celebrating its thirty-fifth year as a mountain community with a touch of Bavaria, Helen boasts a wide array of attractions. The area has more than 200 specialty and import shops offer everything from candle making to cuckoo clocks. Restaurant options range from a German meal of schnitzel, sauerbraten, rouladen or wurst with an imported beer or wine to a traditional southern country meal of grits, country ham, home made biscuits and gravy. There are also plenty of American style steaks, seafood, deli sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers as well as homemade fudge, candies and funnel cakes. Outdoor lovers can enjoy river tubing, horseback riding, golf, canoeing, fishing, mountain biking, hiking and more. Festivals and special events include a hot air balloon race, Winefest, Volksmarch, Oktoberfest and Christmas parades, Fourth of July fireworks, and Bavarian Nights of Summer. From mid-September through October, Helen hosts the longest Oktoberfest in the South. Alpenfest offers entertainment for visitors during the Holiday season from Thanksgiving through December. Visitors can hike the many trails to waterfalls in the area, or sit beside a cozy fire and enjoy the winter weather in the mountains.
  • Helen, Georgia nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Chattahoochee River, is a re-creation of an alpine village complete with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers. This Northeast Georgia village has a rich history linked to the Cherokee Indians and Indian burial mounds as well as early settlers who arrived to mine for gold and cut virgin timber for a thriving lumber industry in the early 1900ís. Now celebrating its thirty-fifth year as a mountain community with a touch of Bavaria, Helen boasts a wide array of attractions. The area has more than 200 specialty and import shops offer everything from candle making to cuckoo clocks. Restaurant options range from a German meal of schnitzel, sauerbraten, rouladen or wurst with an imported beer or wine to a traditional southern country meal of grits, country ham, home made biscuits and gravy. There are also plenty of American style steaks, seafood, deli sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers as well as homemade fudge, candies and funnel cakes. Outdoor lovers can enjoy river tubing, horseback riding, golf, canoeing, fishing, mountain biking, hiking and more. Festivals and special events include a hot air balloon race, Winefest, Volksmarch, Oktoberfest and Christmas parades, Fourth of July fireworks, and Bavarian Nights of Summer. From mid-September through October, Helen hosts the longest Oktoberfest in the South. Alpenfest offers entertainment for visitors during the Holiday season from Thanksgiving through December. Visitors can hike the many trails to waterfalls in the area, or sit beside a cozy fire and enjoy the winter weather in the mountains.
  • Fred's Famous Peanuts roadside stand in Robertstown, GA near Helen, GA
  • The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia showcases the handcraft skills of one of the South’s premier grassroots art forms, and explores the historical importance and changing role of folk pottery in southern life.Northeast Georgia’s pottery tradition is nationally known. The Meaders family of White County was featured in Allen Eaton’s 1937 book, Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands, and was honored with a special event at the Library of Congress in 1978, when the Smithsonian Institution’s documentary film on the Meaders Pottery was released.Lanier Meaders face jugIn the year 2000, northeast Georgia received a Library of Congress {quote}Local Legacies{quote} designation for its pottery heritage. The tradition also has been featured in magazines, books, videos, exhibits, and festivals such as the Southern Crossroads Marketplace at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.Until now there’s been no institution devoted to Northeast Georgia folk pottery, not even in its home area. Dean and Kay Swanson, former owners of the Standard Telephone Company, have committed to erect this museum as their way of giving back to the people of the area. Collector and folk potter Michael Crocker helped them assemble the core collection on which this exhibition is based.
  • A quick visit to Tybee Island, Georgia
  • Glynn County Courthouse, Brunswick, Georgia
  • Glynn County Courthouse, Brunswick, Georgia
  • Train station in downtown Waycross, Georgia
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