Top 10 Activities in Helen, GA

by The Backseat View

The colorful Bavarian village, a complete Hansel and Gretel fairytale, is Helen welcoming you to central Georgia’s heart of the Blue Ridge mountains.

It’s easy to imagine you are strolling a German alpine village as you explore Betty’s Country Store with massive peanut butter cookies, Hofer’s for German pastries, and the fudge at Hansel & Gretel’s. The Troll Tavern under the bridge is perfect for grabbing a giant pretzel while you soak in the peaceful river views.

Helen’s uniqueness makes it the third most-visited town in Georgia, behind Atlanta and Savannah. Road trip stops, weekends or summer vacations are fulfilling adventures in Helen. While summer draws crowds for river floating, and fall leaves host Oktoberfest, their Christmas spirit wins my heart.

Christmas Spirit

Stepping into Helen during Christmas is pure delight, from the twinkling lights lining every alpine roof to the sparkling, colorful Christmas trees filling the town. It’s Christmas MAGIC sprinkling on all who visit the Bavarian village.

Helen strongly believes in Santa, from the giant toy soldiers to the nutcrackers. German Christmas markets, a Christmas parade, and tree lighting kick off the Christmas season at the end of November. Dahlonega, a Hallmark movie town, is only 20 minutes away.

If you can’t visit at Christmas, the charming Bavarian architecture, bakeries, and restaurants provide a mountain escape all year. The crisp mountain air can be enjoyed through hiking, tubing, and ziplining.

Helen has mini golf, go-karts, an alpine coaster, and gold mining for family entertainment. I spend my day exploring outside of town and return for dinner.

Of the top ten activities in Helen, the mountains are my favorite, so let’s start with a hike.

1. Hiking

Anna Ruby Falls

• Anna Ruby Falls is my favorite short half-mile, paved hike. A pair of beautiful waterfalls tumble together at the end of the trail. The trail is kid, pet, and stroller-friendly, 17 minutes from Helen. This is one of the most popular hikes in Georgia, so expect crowds. There’s a $3 entrance fee.

• Lion’s Eye Trail is a handicapped 0.1-mile paved trail to double waterfalls.
• Dukes Creek Falls Trail is the less crowded 2-mile round trip hike through the forest to the dramatic 150-foot falls.

• Raven Cliff Falls is a 5- to 6-mile hike near Dukes Creek. The valley has several waterfalls before arriving at the towering falls at the end of the moderate hike.

• The Yonah Mountain hiking trail is the hardest but has the best mountain view. It’s a 1600-foot elevation gain in the 2.2 miles up the mountain.

• Unicoi State Park has a lovely lake with a swimming beach, a fishing pier, hiking, and camping. Unplug and relax with paddleboarding, boat rentals, zip lining, archery, or mountain biking. The 2.2-mile loop trail around the lake, Unicoi Lake trail, is the most popular.
• Desoto Falls, 4 miles roundtrip, is 30 minutes from Helen, with an upper and lower fall.

Amicalola Falls

• Located in Dawsonville is the tallest waterfall, 729 feet, east of the Mississippi.
• It’s $5 to enter the park, and there are 400 stairs to the viewing platform.
• You can hike from the main entrance or drive to the pools then hike to the falls.
• The lodge has a trail from the top down to the falls.
• Top, middle, or bottom access provides a beautiful nature hike to the falls.
• The best view is from the bridge at the middle base of the falls.
• The bridge is accessible from the steps along the falls or the ADA trail.
• To skip the workout, the 6/10-of-a-mile ADA trail is the most family-friendly option with parking in the West trail lot.

Smithgall Woods State Park

• Smithgall Woods State Park is a $5 entrance fee per car with 28 miles of hiking trails only 5 miles from Helen. Smithgall Woods is a 5,000-acre wilderness with 12 miles of trout fishing streams. The streams are a fishing paradise, requiring a reservation on allowed days. The park offers cottages and camping.
• The Ash Creek Trail has you crossing a creek at the trail’s end and is the most popular. Ash Creek is 0.6 miles from the Visitor Center and is a 3-mile round trip.
• Chunanee Falls Trail is one mile across a historic water ditch to the falls.
• Laurel Ridge Trail is a moderate 1.6-mile loop with views of Mount Yonah.

Tallulah Gorge State Park

• Tallulah Gorge State Park is 30 miles from Helen and has a spectacular two-mile canyon with a 1,000-foot vertical drop to the river.
• The park is over 2,000 acres with plenty of activities. Tallulah Falls is a series of six waterfalls plummeting to the canyon floor.
• Hurricane Falls Trail is the most popular 2.25-mile trail in the park, with a suspension bridge over the river.

2. Shoot the Hooch

• Cool River Tubing is the leading provider for tubing the Chattahoochee River during summer. Cool off, relax, and enjoy the outdoors on a leisurely float. It’s a rite of passage, and everyone visiting during summer floats the river, so it can be crowded. They have one-hour and two-hour floats for the same price, around $20. Rent the $5 big stick to quickly push yourself off the rocks in shallow water. All ages love this activity, but bring water due to the heat. If the water level is low, it’s not as much fun.

• Helen Waterpark is combined with tubing for most people. There’s a lazy river and a few slides. It’s small, but I never want to spend all day at a waterpark. This is great for a couple of hours and runs around $20- $25 for adults.

3. Mini-golf

• Alpine minigolf is the 18-hole course you see arriving in town. There’s a cute ice cream shop, Scoop de Scoop, for a snack after playing.

• Bavarian Mountain Mini Golf provides waterfalls and views over Helen. It offers two courses and an arcade area with a pool table and air hockey. It’s across the street from the Holiday Inn.
• Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf has a good atmosphere, theme, and design. It’s behind the Huddle House and doesn’t have parking. There’s free parking at Riverside Park. It’s downtown, so they expect you to walk. It’s my favorite course.

4. Rapid Rides

• Georgia Mountain Coaster is in downtown Helen and costs $17, with the second ride being half off. It’s a fun, crazy alpine sled ride through the mountains. You control the speed, so go as slow or fast as you want.

• Alpine Extreme Speed Go Karting is tucked away at the end of town with the Alpine Fun Factory. This is a chill, laid-back, older indoor track, and we love it. Laser tag, an arcade, a skating rink, a haunted house, and a bounce house are also there. I feel like it’s a well-kept town secret because it’s never busy.

5. Zip Lining

• Nacoochee Adventures is the thrill-seeking option we chose. It’s rated one of the best courses and the last zip line is the longest dual zip line in Georgia. Make reservations a few days out.

• Unicoi Zipline & Aerial Adventure Park has beautiful views and 4-star reviews. Ziplining toward and over the lake is the most popular option.
• Cool River Tubing & Adventures offers ziplining over the Chattahoochee River. There’s a Big adventure course, a climbing wall with four lanes, and ziplining. You get a $5 discount after the first attraction and can easily spend half a day here.

6. Gold Mining

• Outpost Gold and Gem Mining is on the main street in Helen. Grab a bucket and uncover those gems. Kids love it, and it’s educational to learn what they find. It’s a family-run business, and they offer every size bucket. Mining is part of the area’s history, so go and enjoy!
• Dukes Creek Gold and Ruby Mines are outside Helen. They have a fossil bucket that the kids love. It’s an excellent 50 year family business.

• The Consolidate Gold Mine is a 20-minute drive to Dahlonega to tour an underground gold mine. No reservations are needed, and tours leave every 30 minutes. The tour lasted 40 minutes. The mining after the tour is included in the $20 ticket. Our family loves this impressive mine. Hi, Ho, Hi Ho, off to work we go; I can’t help singing along with the Seven Dwarfs.

7. Animals

• The North Georgia Wildlife Park is always on our itinerary. It’s a 20-minute drive from Helen or Dahlonega to Cleveland. Animal encounters define the park. Sloth, kangaroo, wolf, fox, lemur, monkeys, camel, penguins, and deer all have hands-on encounter options available to purchase. They offer a nursery tour with the babies that sells out a day in advance.

The park is divided into two tickets: a drive-thru section where you feed animals from your car and a wildlife walk with a guide to the zoo section of the park. I’m doing both, but the wildlife walk is my favorite. We buy a big feed bucket and enjoy the buffalo, llamas, deer, and goat interactions.

The petting zoo area has everything from puppies and pigs to miniature horses. Happy animals provide the best couple of hours. This is a sanctuary, not a fancy zoo, so wear shoes that can handle dirt. The laughs and smiles are worth every dollar. It runs me around $45/person to do both parks and feed, usually more with an animal encounter added to the day.

• Chestatee Wildlife Preserve is small and affordable at $15 for adults and $10 for kids with $5 feed. The internet is unreliable, so bring cash. We spent 40 minutes walking around.

• The zebra came running to the fence and we spent 20 minutes petting zebra and feeding zebra, zonkies, donkey’s and horses. I love zebra interaction, so it was worth my $20. It’s a small wildlife preserve in Dahlonega with tigers, buffalo, camels, bears, sloths, and a kangaroo.

• Georgia Mountain Falconry tours require an appointment to meet the seven birds and last 1.5 hours.

8. Fishing

• The North Georgia mountains are home to the Chattahoochee River and trout fishing. Rainbow trout and brown trout are found in the river. The river fishing rules are few, no live minnow bait, but always review the laws.

• Creeks and rivers are better at different times of the year. Dukes Creek, Low Gap Creek, Jasus Creek, Smith Creek, and Panther Creek are popular options.
• Unicoi Outfitters, on the main street of Helen, provides guides, gear, and advice.

9. Unique Options

• Uhuburg is a white castle in Helen that just opened in 2023. It’s always fun to tour a medieval castle with mountain views for an hour. It will have rooms for rent, making it an interesting hotel option.

• Habersham Winery is half a mile before Helen in the farm-style white buildings. Nacoochee Antiques is next door, so stop in and explore the vintage toys.

• Every turn in the road has a winery, with eight wineries near Helen and over 30 wineries in North Georgia. Habersham holds a Wine Festival every May with all the local wineries. I travel with teenagers, so I can’t help you with wineries.
• Hardman Farm is a step back to life in an 1870 mansion. Horse-drawn carriages, antique furniture, and an educational experience. The farm hosts a Victorian Christmas with traditional reenactors on December weekends. The Creekstone Winery is nearby, with views of the surrounding mountains.

• The Old Sautee Store, founded in 1872, has farm-fresh food for lunch. Only four miles from Helen, don’t blink and drive by, missing this treasure.

• BabyLand General Hospital is 8 miles outside Helen, filled with nostalgia Cabbage Patch Kids. It’s free, so stop in, see the mother tree, and walk through history. Yes, I have taken my boys, and they didn’t complain because the place is fascinating.

10. Outlet Shopping

• North Georgia Premium Outlets are in Dawsonville, 30 minutes from Helen. Most people drive past the outlets on their way into Helen. THE OUTLETS are worth a weekend trip to shop. Everything from Nike and Adidas to Gucci, Pottery Barn, Tory Burch, and Lululemon draw crowds of shoppers.
• Tip: Dawsonville, 30 minutes to Dahlonega, has affordable hotels and restaurants.

Restaurants

Hofer’s of Helen

You can’t visit Helen without a visit to Hofer’s. Hofer’s is an authentic Bavarian Bakery and Cafe filled with European cakes, bread, and pastries. The pretzels are my favorite, so I’m not leaving town until I have one.

My favorite breakfast dish is the fried apples sprinkled with powdered sugar and Cool Whip. Everyone seems pleased, from biscuits and gravy to meat and croissant platters, so the line is always long.

• We pick up our additional snacks and plate-sized cookies at Betty’s Country Store.
• Hansel and Gretel Candy Kitchen for fudge, chocolate-covered apples, and strawberries.

• Big Daddy’s for American food and live music.
• Cowboys & Angels Restaurant is the leading steakhouse.
• Bodensee or The Troll Tavern for the best German food. The Troll Tavern is under the bridge with a view of the river.
• King Ludwig’s Biergarten’s pretzels are good with cheese sauces for dipping.

• The Heidelberg is the most Instagrammed place in Helen, next to King Ludwig’s Biergarten. The bold blue and white building with the steep red roof makes it impossible to miss. It reminds me of Heid’s version of Cinderella’s castle. It’s good German food with an atmosphere.
• The Nacoochee Tavern is where we go for a great pizza with atmosphere.
• Giant Pretzel recap: King Biergarten, The Troll Tavern or Hofer’s.

Hotels

• If you are coming for Oktoberfest, September and October, book your hotel a few months out. Thousands flock to Helen for yearly traditions, and it’s the busiest time. Any other time, I can find lodging a few weeks out.
• Helen is OLD, and most website pictures are outdated.
• We come for short weekend trips, so I prefer to walk the town to avoid parking issues. If you plan to stay longer, rent a cabin or a condo.
• The Hampton Inn has a perfect location on the river and is a block from town. It is a pet-friendly older hotel, but I would not pay $300 to stay here.
• The Country Inn and Suites and Sure Stay by Best Western are much older than any photos on the website, but they are ideally located. The Country Inn was running at $135 a night, but the hallway noise was loud. I would stay again for a quick weekend. Riverside Park runs behind the hotel for playground fun.
• The Holiday Inn is farther from town but still within walking distance. It is newer than the other hotels, so it is probably worth the walk.

• The Helendorf River Inn is old and room sound insulation is non-existent. We could hear every sound from next door. I would NOT stay again.
• Alpine River Suites are condos on the river near town for rent on VRBO.
• Valhalla Resort Hotel has a spa, golf club, and three dining options. It’s adult-only and expensive.
• The Heidi Motel & Windmill Suite is a unique option to stay in a windmill downtown and soak in a heart-shaped jacuzzi after hikes.
• The best camping is at Unicoi State Park.

Parking

• When driving into Helen, park immediately and walk.
• Near the Holiday Inn, turn right to find the city parking near Country Inn & Suites.
• The Riverside Park has parking.
• Big Daddy’s has a city parking lot beside it.
• The traffic becomes a standstill as you go over the bridge into town.

Town comparisons

• Helen and Dahlonega are a better Christmas weekend trip than fighting the crowds in Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg’s crowds from the week before Christmas to New Year’s are insanity.

• Helen has more activities, restaurants, and lodging, so I stay in Helen over Dahlonega. Dahlonega entertains for three hours by shopping in the square, dinner at Shenanigans, and seeing the town lights. Most of the cabins for rent in Dahlonega are 15-20 minutes from town, so I chose Helen for the same distance.

• I prefer Blue Ridge over Helen for a date weekend due to the more upscale shopping and restaurants. The fall apple orchards in Blue Ridge are better than the Oktoberfest in Helen for families.
• All three towns are safe for solo female traveling. I have strolled the towns at night and always felt safe.

Last thoughts

Helen is charming but old, so adjust your expectations for vintage fun. While Helen is only two hours from home, I would drive 4 to 5 hours for a few days in North Georgia. Helen is touristy, so spend your day in nature and return to Helen for dinner.

The North Georgia mountains provide a fabulous and affordable family vacation any time of year. While Oktoberfest and Christmas are well-known events, the Helen to Atlantic Balloon Race Festival is the first weekend in June. For 50 years, over 30 hot air balloons have raced across the state. Helen has endless options for family memories, so grab you Helen Travel Guide and visit! Thanks for reading my Top Ten Reasons to Visit Helen, GA.

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