Maybe a Mini-Pigeon Forge

Let me start with a preface.

I have a confession and probably an unpopular opinion: I'm not a fan of Pigeon Forge. Sorry, not sorry. First, I have the patience of a 3 year old. Probably, to be even more specific, I have the patience of a hungry, sleepy, 3 year old. So waiting in traffic is not something I do well and we all know that no matter when you visit the Pigeon Forge area, traffic is horrible. Then, once you finally do get settled in, everything is so expensive!! It's just not how I like to spend my time.

So when someone recommended we visit Helen, Georgia and then, unknowing of my opinion, described it as a "mini Pigeon Forge", I internally cringed. But thankfully this person kept giving us details about Helen and as if they could read my internal cringing on my face, he followed up with "...there's not as much traffic and the food is amazing" - and now cue my full, undivided attention. 


The first thing you will notice if you google Helen, GA are the beautiful pictures of bavarian-style buildings reminiscent of something you would see in Germany. For quick history lesson on Helen, basically, some businessmen wanted to revive the small town and came up with the plan to give the buildings a new facade. It was a "tourist trap" in the making and it was a success! Now over 50 years later, there's shops, lodging, restaurants, and a multitude of things to do. Would I describe it as a "mini Pigeon Forge"? Nope. Even though I see many resemblances, referencing Pigeon Forge in it's description seems to almost be an injustice because it is so much more and so much less.  



I'm sure it is no surprise that as a German town, one of Helen's major attractions is their yearly Oktoberfest. Since learning about this quaint little festival, we've been every and are already making plans to attend again. One word of advice is to make reservations early. Oktoberfest can be an expensive time to visit, but with the right travel agent *wink wink* it's definitely a memorable experience. Seeing everyone dressed up in dirndl (German attire) is just half the fun!





Also, many events are hosted in the Festhalle throughout the year and as far as I know, all of them are family-friendly. The latest event we attended was called "Fasching" which means carnival - think mini Mardi Gras. There's lots of outdoor family things to do including tubing, zip lining, a mountain coaster, and amazing hiking trails. We did the Ruby Falls trail and trust me when I say, pictures do not do it justice. 


 

Finally, as all of my blogs will probably mention… THE FOOD. I absolutely love it when we go somewhere and no matter which restaurant we choose, we never have a bad meal. There are so many great choices in Helen to choose from and none of them are chain restaurants. If you do a quick search for restaurants in Helen, you will notice that almost all of them have over a 4 out of 5 rating. Trust me. This is hard to find! I have at least narrowed it down to 2 of my favorites: Hofer's Bakery and Cafe for breakfast and Bodensee for dinner. Both offer amazing food and great hospitality.


The next time you're thinking about a weekend getaway or family vacation, Helen should definitely be on the list of considerations. From my hometown of Williamsburg, it is about 4 hours of beautiful countryside driving. But going back to my preface, I would much better be driving and enjoying the views rather than going 2 miles per hour sitting in a traffic jam and once you arrive, since the town is only 2.1 square miles, everything is within walking distance which adds up to a perfect getaway!

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