Your Outdoor Adventure Guide to Helen, GA
From adrenaline boosts like zip-lining to a calm float trip down the Chattahoochee River, Helen, GA has a lot to offer for just about any activity level! Image: Alpine Helen-White County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Tucked in the mountains of northeast Georgia, Helen has been a dreamy vacation spot since the late 1960s, when locals transformed the former logging town into a Bavarian-inspired wonderland. Its alpine-style main street feels like a trip through southeast Germany. Couples soak in the romance, kids flock to arcades and mini golf, and these days, outdoor recreation takes center stage.
Known as “Georgia’s Official Outdoor Adventure Destination,” Helen offers thrills like ziplining and mountain biking, plus slower-paced fun like tubing the Chattahoochee — plenty for every mood and energy level.
Unicoi State Park & Lodge is a convenient and affordable launching point for your adventures in Helen. The park offers a wide variety of lodging options, ranging from campsites and RV pads to luxury cabins. The sturdy main lodge has several buildings with various room accommodations, making it ideal for family reunions or meetings. Larger groups can gather around fire pits to roast marshmallows or enjoy the lodge’s restaurant and tavern.
The Barrel Cabins and luxury Safari Tents are especially memorable places to lay your head between adventures in Helen, and many activities are just a short drive or hike from the center of the park. A series of ziplines actually crosses the main parking lot of the lodge.
A good way to get acquainted with Helen is to take a mile-long stroll down the paved Helen to Hardman Heritage Trail. Plaques along the easy flat path share information about the history and ecology of the area as walkers travel parallel to the Chattahoochee River under a shady canopy of trees.
Whether you’re a beginner or an expert in archery or riflery, the ranges in Unicoi State Park are fun spots to sharpen your skills. The Park provides all the equipment, ammunition, and trained instructors to keep you safe as they teach the basics of air rifle shooting and bow and arrow fun.
Unicoi Lake is within the park’s domain, just a few minutes away from the lodge’s front gate. The 53-acre lake offers opportunities for all sorts of water sports, from fishing to paddle sports. Guests can rent paddle boats, kayaks, and paddle boards, and stand-up paddle board lessons are available to teach the basics of this popular outdoor activity.
Boat rentals are available for fishing or enjoying time on the water. You can also cast a line from one of the fishing piers, and a day-use beach area has soft, clean sand for soaking up some rays.
Anna Ruby Falls is named after the daughter of one of the town elders, and it’s quite an honor. The magnificent natural feature is a rare twin waterfall, meaning it’s not merely a creek that has split in two as it tumbles over the edge of a cliff. Instead, it is formed by the union of Curtis Creek and York Creek, which fall 150 feet and 50 feet to the forest floor below.
Anna Ruby Falls is in the Chattahoochee Natural Forest, but the entrance is just a few miles from the main lodge at Unicoi State Park. The walk from the parking lot to the base of the fall is about a half mile, mostly flat but with one fairly steep section that would make it difficult for anyone with a stroller or wheelchair.
Another fascinating aspect of Anna Ruby Farms is the presence of bioluminescent fungi that glow at night during certain times of the year. The organisms grow in decaying wood and warm, moist, shaded environments, so Anna Ruby offers the perfect conditions for the phenomenon. Known colloquially as “foxfire” or “fairy fire,” it has prompted park rangers to lead special nighttime hikes to experience it during May and June.
The creeks and streams of the Chattahoochee River offer plenty of fishing opportunities, and local outdoor outfitters can provide guides, gear, and advice to help you catch a big one. Betty’s Country Store is an old IGA grocery store, where you can still buy food, drinks, bait, and tackle. It also has its own bar!
Ziplining over the forest canopy is another popular outdoor activity in Helen, especially during the fall when the leaves are changing. Get your thrills gliding from platform to platform at Unicoi State Park & Lodge, Nacoochee Adventures, or Cool River Adventures.
Another way to get the wind flowing through your hair is a ride on the Georgia Mountain Coaster, a thrill ride right in the middle of downtown. Riders can control their speed with a brake (or not) as they weave around the track that descends through the forest from the top of the ridge to the main drag. Go slow and sightsee on the way down, or embrace your need for speed. And second rides on the same day are half price!
Helen’s most popular warm-weather activity is much more relaxing than ziplining or coastering. Each day, hundreds of visitors take to the Chattahoochee River in colorful inflatable tubes for a leisurely ride through the heart of Helen. Some outfitters offer poles or paddles to help keep riders off the rocks, but feel free to pinball your way through the trip. (You’re never moving fast enough to do any real damage anyway.)
Even more relaxing is just kicking back on the patio of the Hofbräuhaus, where you can enjoy live music, authentic German food, including some of the best wurst in town, and watch the floaters wend their way down the river behind the restaurant.
Other spots to enjoy Bavarian bites range from the three-story restaurant and music hall The Heidelberg to the more intimate Bodensee, a fine-dining option run by a Romanian family with a long career in cooking upscale German fare in Schwabenland and Helen.
A stop for breakfast at Hofer’s Bakery is pretty much mandatory. Lines can stretch out the front door within minutes of opening, with fans waiting to buy hearth oven-baked bread and pastries from the bakery’s packed display cases or to sit down for a Bauern Frühstück or “Farmer’s Breakfast” of two eggs served with your choice of either Kassler Rippchen (smoked pork chop) or Leberkäse (Bavarian Beef and Pork Loaf) and Roasted Potatoes.
For a sweet breakfast treat, order the Apfelküchle, a plate of fried apple fritters dusted with cinnamon sugar and whipped cream.
The town’s Bavarian magic is matched only by the mountain trails, rivers, and adventures waiting just outside your door.
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Chris Chamberlain
A rare Nashville native, Chris Chamberlain has been writing professionally for over 16 years. Chris loves to write about food, bourbon, and quirky history — especially in the South. Find more of Chris's work at the Nashville Scene, Resy, Fodor's, Tennessee Visitors Guide, Bourbon Plus, NFocus, Thrillist, and Eat This, Not That.