5 Reasons to Explore North Georgia
Pretty fall decorations on the Clayton Cafe & Market store front
AUTHOR: ARTSY CHOW ROAMER
Explore North Georgia
5 OF THE BEST REASONS WHY
Travel writers have had a hard row to hoe these days. We have had to get creative on how to safely traverse this changed world until we get a vaccine. While the options narrow every day you may decide to stay in altogether but you can use the tips and info in this post down the road when you feel it is safe to break out again. In this post I’m giving you five good reasons to explore North Georgia when you’re ready.
REASON 1-CLAYTON
I have already posted some other blogs on a recent staycation in this artsy little community. The streets have the feel of living in Mayberry and I love several of the small B&B’s around like the White Birch Inn. Located on E. Savannah Street it is easy to access the shops, galleries and restaurants by walking.
Screened in porches and outdoor patios offer places to escape and feel socially distanced but the small number of rooms make it likely you won’t run into that many people at once anyway. The place is comfy, cozy and well designed. Amenities are good and I like that they serve wine and cheese at 4 in the lounge.
This town is not without it’s options for some great dining either. Fortify Kitchen & Bar on Main Street are serving up some fabulous farm to table food. They are serious about their sourcing and are changing their menus seasonally to support that effort. They make a pretty mean signature cocktail too.
You can also find their second restaurant right next door called Fortify Pi. It’s all about the pizza and you can choose one of theirs or put your own together from a great list of fresh ingredients. If the weathers nice you can snag an outdoor table or sit by the large open windows indoors.
Universal Joint is just a couple of blocks away and they have a large outdoor patio for distanced dining. It’s got a great neighborhood feel; the kind of place you want to go for a juicy burger or catch the big game with nachos and a cold beer. It’s kid and dog friendly too!
Shopping is a lot of fun when you have shops like Madison’s on Main, Dogwoods Home and The Barn. Some offer art, furniture and home goods while others have gift items, clothing and jewelry. I purchased several items to bring home myself.
Gallery hopping is a good thing. The community likes to think of itself as “artsy” and you have several choices like Main Street Gallery focusing on self-taught and folk artists. Crawford Art Gallery features a husband and wife team producing their own beautiful nature photography and paintings.
Timpson Creek Gallery has a large fantastic showroom with unique one-of-a-kind furniture, jewelry and artwork. You can spend hours wondering around and maybe get a chance to meet Dwayne Thompson who makes the furniture or chat with the latest artist in residence like Libby Mathews.
One of our favorite places to hang is the Clayton Cafe & Market. This place has something for everyone anytime of the day or night. Want a delicious muffin or bun for breakfast with coffee? They got it. Want a little sandwich and a salad at lunch? Sit down on the comfy benches and enjoy.
The little wine bar offers seating for an afternoon or evening glass with a nice view of the fireplace. They do music on Saturday nights and this would be my pick for where to be when that happens. It’s also a shop so there are great gifts and home goods and you can pick up a bottle of your new favorite wine you just tried too.
REASON 2-LAKEMONT
It’s such a tiny little blip on the radar after leaving Clayton heading towards Lake Rabun that you might miss it if you blinked. I thought their small park decorated for fall was so cute I decided to pull over and take a few photos.
A collection of renovated buildings house some interesting small businesses like a gallery, spa, shops, cafe and hotel. Someone was working away cleaning and painting a beautiful orange door on a new shop getting ready to open.
Lakemont Gallery was closed the day we visited but I peered into the windows to see what they were showing at the time. Turns out the owner, Ginny McClure paints lovely soft, quiet landscapes. She also has some pottery artists and some one-of-a-kind furniture pieces.
Mind and Body Haven is a super cute spa and fitness business with a rustic approach to it’s design. Services include yoga, fitness training, massage, physiotherapy, indoor cycling and different kinds of massage. They even make house calls.
The best stop was at The Open Door at Alley’s ol’ Store where you can eat, shoppe and stay as the sign said. A pretty green storefront opened into a small friendly cafe with counter seating and a few tables. Rooms for rent were located above and a small gift shop was at the back.
I chatted with the owners after looking around the gift shop and bought ice cream cones that were terrific; hit the spot and turned into our lunch stop for the day. People were coming and going to pick up sandwiches, grab a bite at the counter or just chat.
The Open Door at Alley’s ol’ Store in Lakemont
REASON 3-LAKE RABUN
Lake Rabun sports some of the most stunning views and best homes on any lake in Georgia. It’s old fashioned allure has remained over the years with quiet coves and simple beauty. It is one of the very reasons I have been planning a staycation at the Lake Rabun Hotel & Restaurant when we can finally break out and travel again soon.
A lovely quiet cove on Lake Rabun Photo: Michael Hanson for Garden & Gun
Photos: Courtesy of Lake Rabun Hotel
This nature inspired boutique hotel is located right across from the lake where swimming, fishing and boating offer the best opportunities for rest and relaxation in lush surroundings. Operating since 1922, it suggests romance and falling in love with a place in it’s marketing making it a good destination spot for a wedding.
I’m loving the look of the cozy rooms (some with fireplaces), fantastic dining & brunch options and the nice bar with craft cocktails. I can’t wait to visit them in 2021!
REASON 4-CLARKESVILLE
When we left Lake Rabun and headed back towards home we decided to stop in Clarkesville to check out what the town had to offer. We drove around the main streets to get the lay of the land and pulled over to park.
The weather was really nice and made for easy walking around the shops, checking out the menus of different restaurants and doing a little antique browsing.
I took a cruise around in several antique shops and popped into the Tudor Rose craft shop to buy some pre-cut squares to make holiday scarves for my little travel dog. I told the owner how excited I was to find small squares of fun cloth as most were gone everywhere because of making masks.
I then popped over to The Market across the way. I loved this store and spent an hour wandering around and snapping pictures; great gifts, super kids corner and lovely home goods too. The owner’s name is Jen and she runs a pretty cute shop and just happens to be a dog lover too!
Looking for a great little B&B to stay should you want to? I’m thinking Glen-Ella Springs Inn just might be the right spot. Also on my radar for a coming staycation I have been doing some research on this great little spot. Ed & Luci Kevitt would be your inn keeping hosts along with their two boys Edward and Andrew.
Nestled in the foothills, this former stagecoach inn offers coziness and natural splendor in it’s surroundings. Two night packages are available on their Queen, King and Suites with discounts on massages, champagne or a hiking deal that gives you a packed lunch, map and water bottles.
A super cute restaurant with fireplace is romantic and offers award winning dishes like pecan crusted rainbow trout, beef tenderloin and rack of lamb. Top it off with a good wine and a serving of molten chocolate cake….what’s not to love?
REASON 5-HELEN
Last but not least is Helen; our little Alpine-style village nestled in the middle of North Georgia. I’m not sure who decided German is what Helen should be all about but there you go. Having spent a lot of time in Gatlinburg, TN growing up I can see why people might want to spend a day feeling like they were in another country especially during a pandemic.
Great shot of the Alpine-style village of downtown Helen, GA Photo: Explore Georgia
Having said that, it is sort of the Disney version. If you have lived in Europe and traveled a lot through Germany this will only vaguely remind you of the real thing but since we were wanting to break out ourselves we decided a little German food might be the cure.
The weather was perfect the day we picked to do a walk about. The streets were lined with planters in pretty fall colors and the outdoor pubs were full of patrons getting their German on with music and beer. The smell of cooking sausages was everywhere.
After a quick check in at the hotel we grabbed our dog and headed out to the Bodensee Restaurant. Outdoor dining was available in a tent out front but we chose the more private picnic tables by the door. The servers were masked and they were careful to socially distance diners wanting indoor tables.
We ordered vodka on the rocks with olives and looked over the menu while sanitizing our hands continuously. I went for the Sauerbraten and my husband got the Wiener Schnitzel. This place is said to have the best German food in town and we were looking forward to seeing just how good it might be.
The plates arrived fairly quickly and all looked like you would expect to get in Germany. We dug into the schnitzel first. While tasty, it was not as tender as it should be and the crispness on the breading was lacking. I suspect a fryer may need to have the oil changed as well. The potato salad was spot on and was a favorite of my husbands.
My sauerbraten was tasty too but again the meat lacked the tenderness it should have and was sliced too thickly. The sauce was good but a tad heavy with the allspice. The red cabbage was super. The sides and salads seem to be the stars here while the meats may need a little more cooking time to be the best.
We finished up and took a lovely stroll around town for some picture opportunities and walked back to our hotel for a movie and a good nights sleep feeling just a little like we had visited another country for the day.
CONCLUSION
You now see why there are five good reasons to explore North Georgia. All five of these towns have a lot to offer with good shops, great restaurants and some fabulous little places to stay. As soon as you feel good about getting out again you should go visit all of them.
If you enjoyed what you read, you might like other posts under Explore the World. Hey, don’t be a stranger! You know I like hearing what you thought of the post or if you have anything special you think I should add from your own explorations of North Georgia. Be on the look out for more posts about my own backyard walkabouts. Until then…
Cheers!
ArtsyChowRoamer
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