Twelve Days of a Dixie Christmas #8

A Countdown to our Favorite Christmas Destination The Christmas season is taken pretty seriously in the southeastern US, and the Richardson Tribe has a dozen suggested destinations to make your holidays more adventurous. Over the next 12 days, we will reveal each of our favorite RV camping and recreation spots until we reach our #1 Christmas Holiday Destination. Come back each day to see the places this southern family has grown to love. #8 - Helen, Alpine Village - Helen, Georgia Ok, I admit it's a bit crowded and touristy, but Helen has to be one of our favorite Dixie Christmas holiday destinations. The "ginger bread" architecture of the simu-German alpine village lends itself to the Christmas season. Enjoy Christmas music and bratwurst as you browse through dozens of nic-nac shops offering-up all sorts of candy, fudge, t-shirts, knives, and otherwise, pretty cool stuff. The Chattahoochee River flows through Helen, barely a creek at this point. In the summer season, visitors can "shoot the Hooch" in inner tubes and kayaks. Tubers can pull over and enjoy a brew and sandwich before proceeding downstream. The water is a little too cool this time of year for such activity, but you will still enjoy sitting by the river enjoying a hot beverage as the sun sets. Then the light show really begins. Everything in the village is outlined with lights, even the horse-drawn carriages. It's an awesome experience. On one particular visit to Helen last winter, the kids found a phone booth. They had never seen a phone booth, but soon discovered the cold hard fact about public phones, they seldom work. While visiting Helen, we like to camp, pan for gold, and collect rocks at Gold n Gem Grubbin' in Cleveland, Georgia. Helen is also very near Unicoi State Park, Vogel State Park, Blairsville, Dahlonega, and Brasstown Bald, the highest point in the great state of Georgia. So, there you have it. Our #8 Christmas destination is Helen, Georgia. Check- in tomorrow to see what our #7 favorite Christmas destination is.

Vogel State Park - Blairsville, Georgia

One of Georgia's Oldest and Most Popular State Parks
Vogel State Park is located near Blairsville in the north Georgia mountains. As one of the first state parks in Georgia, Vogel was constructed primarily by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. Vogel is also one of the most popular state parks in Georgia, so reserving a campsite there is sometimes difficult. The park features a beautiful lake with a sandy beach and pedal boats, two playgrounds, miniature golf, a CCC museum (call the park for museum hours), and a very nice camp store and gift shop. Regarding the park's campground, Vogel upholds Georgia's high standards by providing large RV sites with water and electric hookups (sorry, no sewer).

The park has plenty of hiking, biking, and other outdoor recreation opportunities. A small creek runs through the campground providing a nice soundtrack for family adventure. If you take bikes, be aware that the ride from the campground is a breeze, but the ride back is all uphill. Vogel is in the Chattahoochee National Forest, so wildlife abounds. Be aware of black bears. They're very common.

Being just minutes from Blairsville is very convenient, especially considering the numerous events and festivals that take place in the small mountain town. Other local attractions include the Appalachian Trail, Brasstown bald (the highest point in Georgia), Helton Falls, Track Rock Gap, Helen (alpine village), Unicoi State Park, Cleveland (Gold and Gem Grubbing), Hiawassee, Blue Ridge, Franklin North Carolina (ruby mining), and much more.

For detailed Adventure journal entries and dozens of pictures of Vogel State Park, click here.

The Georgia Mountain Fall Festival

The Fairgrounds are Fantastic!

A shady lane passes the exhibits as it winds around
a hill overlooking Lake Chatuge. It's beautiful.

 We planned this entire trip to Hiawassee, Georgia around a single event: the Georgia Mountain Fall Festival. We'd heard a lot about the fairgrounds, but we had not yet attended an event here. The Fall festival, combined with the Autumn colors, gave us a great excuse to visit the park.

The first task in planning this trip was to identify a good campground as a home base for our adventure. The Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds feature two beautiful lakeside campgrounds, but we need full RV hookups for a four night stay, and the fairgrounds do not provide full RV hookups, After doing some research, I booked us a site at Enota Mountain Retreat, a place that qualifies as a PB&J Adventures destination in itself. We camped at Enota in the Winter of 2008 when it was very cold. We wanted to return when the weather was better.

If you are an artisan and craftsperson of rustic
mountain life items, this is the place to be.

We decided to visit the Georgia Mountain Fall Festival on Saturday. Admission was half price, and Ricky Skaggs was performing in the afternoon. We were a little worried about crowds when we first saw the parking lot. I really dislike crowds, especially when I'm trying to keep up with four kids. Much to our surprise, the fairgrounds didn't seem crowded at all. Because the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds are so large, crowds seem to dissipate soon after passing through the gate. Honestly, it's the first fairground I've visited in which I felt relaxed and wasn't anxious to leave. We were always surrounded by beautiful foliage and rustic architecture.

This awesome wooden waterwheel was operating
during our visit. Very cool!

Soon after arriving at the fairgrounds, we were faced with the difficult but enjoyable task of choosing our lunch. The job proved to be more difficult than we'd anticipated. I think we ended-up purchasing food from 3-4 different food vendors. Lee Thomas and I had some exceptional clam chowder, and the others had hotdogs and various other yummy delicacies. Like the fairground, the food selection here is exceptional.

After eating, we wandered through a large variety artisan displays and exhibits. Rebecca and each of the kids got new pocket knives from the DirecTV booth, and we sampled honey at the beekeeper's association exhibit. We passed through the farm-life museum where the kids and I admired the massive collection of die- cast cars, trucks, and tractors. Rebecca and I had to explain some of the vintage equipment, tools, and kitchen appliances to the kids. As we exited the rear of the museum building, we discovered a large, fully functional wooden waterwheel. It has a strong resemblance to the one at Berry College in Rome, Georgia.

From there, we continued to explore the exhibits. There are many old buildings on display at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds. Many have been moved from other locations and reassembled here. There are numerous cabins, farm buildings, and an old one-room schoolhouse. Demonstrations of mountain farm life were happening all around. The kids were engaged the entire time, and were never bored.

By the time we'd seen the main part of the fairground, the first half of the Ricky Skaggs concert was already past. We decided to head back to Enota for the remainder of the afternoon instead. On the way back, we stopped at Track Rock Gap to see some ancient Native American petroglyphs carved into rocks there. Very interesting. More on that later. For a detailed description of the fairgrounds including dozens of pictures, click here.

Labor Day Weekend 2011 - A Quest for Gold, Gems, Waterfalls, and Festivals

For this long Labor Day weekend holiday, we decided to re-visit Gold n Gem Grubbin' in Cleveland, Georgia for a rockhounding adventure. In addition to providing an awesome place to pan for gold, grub for gems, and generally rockhound, the campground provides a great home-base while exploring this part of Georgia. Some friends joined us on this trip, so the kids had friends to play with at the campground. And play they did. We were so happy they were getting exercise.

Our first full day was a Saturday, and we decided to spend it exploring the area. Blairsville was hosting a Mountain Heritage Festival, so that was our first destination. We had a hankerin' for some funnel cake, home-made ice cream, folk music, and farm animals. We swung into Vogel State Park on the way. We've stayed at Vogel just once, but we loved it. We're coming back Thanksgiving! The festival in Blairsville was a lot of fun, and we saw many works of art, and lots of folks working at it. All our expectations were filled before having a picnic lunch and heading for Helton Creek Falls to play in the water.

Eventually, we concluded our day back at the Gold n Gem Grubbin' campground by a nice fire. We knew tomorrow would be filled with treasure hunting and discovery, not to mention a little playing in the creek.

For the rest of the story, including dozens of pictures, details, and Adventure Journal entries about Gold n Gem Grubbin', click here.

Autumn in Dixie - Simply Magic

The Tribe's Favorite Fall Mountain Destinations
Oh, how I savor the quiet joy of crisp cool air seeping through an open window, touching my face, whetting my appetite for adventure. Cool Autumn mornings exhume an energy the suffocating heat of Summer stifles. Primitive instincts induce ritualistic behaviors such as fire building, hiking, and sleeping under the stars. Even the children are aware of the changes. Already they know, life is about to get a little better. Autumn is a time of rebirth and recreation. Autumn is magic, and Autumn in the mountains of the southeastern United States is magic beyond description.

The Appalachian mountains begin right here, in the southeastern US. Altogether, this massive prehistoric mountain range features brilliant Autumn colors, unique wildlife, and sensational experiences. The majestic ridges begin in Alabama and stretch across Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and beyond. The range provides a variety of mountain destinations for the Fall season, and we have visited most. If you are considering a seasonal trek to the southern Appalachians for Fall, please, allow us to provide some direction.

The first mountain destination that comes to mind is the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. No doubt, the Smokies are an experience of which everyone should partake at least once in their lifetime. The western side of the Smokies can be accessed from Townsend, Tennessee, one of our favorite places to stay while visiting the park. We typically stay at the Townsend KOA because many of the campsites overlook the trout filled Little River, and the great activities the campground staff provide for the kids. From Townsend, we can easily access the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, Gatlinburg, Cades Cove, and the ghost town of Elkmont.

The eastern side of the Smokies also offer a variety of Fall experiences. Cherokee, North Carolina is the home of the eastern band of the Cherokee nation, the last of the hold-outs from the notorious Tail of Tears. A must-see is the critically acclaimed outdoor theatrical production "Unto These Hills," the story of the Cherokee's forced exodus. When visiting this side of the Smokies, we like to stay at Stone Bridge RV Resort (now a NASCAR resort) in Maggie Valley. From Maggie Valley, it's a short drive to Asheville and the Biltmore House, an awesome Autumn destination. If rockhounding is of interest, the Old Pressley Sapphire Mine is also just a short drive. Within Maggie Valley, there are many great places to eat and entertain yourself, including an incredible motorcycle museum.

A bit south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the Chattahoochee National Forest. There are a numerous places to visit within the Chattahoochee national Forest, but we tend to prefer the state parks. Perhaps the most beloved park is Vogel, located deep within the mountains near Blairsville. One of our favorite destinations, Fort Mountain State Park, is also an awesome destination in the Autumn season.

To the west, Lookout Mountain dominates the horizon. Way up on Lookout Mountain, near Fort Payne, is a rugged Alabama destination by the name of Desoto State Park. The park has a wonderful campground (full hookups), cabins, a lodge, pool, tennis courts, and lots of great hiking. While staying at Desoto, we like to visit the Little River Canyon Center, Desoto Falls, Mentone, and Sequoyah Caverns.

Due North of Lookout Mountain in Tennessee is the Cumberland Plateau and Fall Creek Falls State Park. Fall Creek Falls is loaded with so many things to do, you could easily spend the entire season and never get bored. There are great paved bike paths, tennis courts, playgrounds, horseback riding, and a top ranked 18-hole golf course.

So, there you have it. There are many other southeastern Autumn destination well worth the visit, but I only have so much space. Here is the official list of southeastern Autumn mountain destinations.

  Great Smoky Mountain National Park
   - Townsend, Tennessee (Townsend KOA)
   - Maggie Valley, North Carolina  (Stonebridge RV Resort)

  Chattahoochee National Forest
   - Vogel State Park, Blairsville, Georgia
   - Fort Mountain State Park - Chatsworth, Georgia

  Lookout Mountain
   - Desoto State Park - Fort Payne, Alabama

  Cumberland Plateau
   - Fall Creek falls State Park -

For more destinations, visit the "Places to Go" page. There's a map!