Dahlonega, GA

My wife and I have been to Dahlonega many times.
When we first went there over 20 years ago, most of the shops were crafts, hand made.
Is a little more commercialized now, but still a nice place to visit.
Must go the the General store for a cup of coffee, and peanuts, and the jams and jellies they sell are wonderful. I personally like the peach preserves.
The closest campground I am aware of is Amicalola Falls State Park, and is a small campground, and a very steep mountain grade of 30%. First time we hauled a rented popup there, behind a Dodge Caravan, burned out the main seal bearings. But we were not experienced with pulling campers then, had been tent camping with our kids for more than 15 years. Lots of places to rent cabins etc around there also.
Beautiful area.

http://www.gastateparks.org/AmicalolaFalls/

Me again.
There are not many of the campgrounds in Georgia, North Carolina, that we have not been to.
Plus some in Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and 1 or 2 in South Carolina.
Post to me anytime. I love talking camping...

Our kids live in the adjoining county south (Dawson). If you like Nascar, Dawson County has a museum and things to see on Hwy 53. The Outlet Mall is right at the intersection of GA400 & 53.

There are a couple of Private CGs, although we've never driven near either in Dahlonega (Lumpkin Co). There are a few more up a little farther in Cleveland (White Co).

Haven't been to Dahlonega since we spent a day @Gold Rush Days quite a few years ago. There are some nice shops and Gold Panning sites all up through north GA.

We also like Helen and went to one of son's weddings in 2005. It's just past Cleveland and has even more things to do, especially during Oktoberfest. Our kids like to go tubing up in Helen.

We bought an RV Lot a little farther north in Blairsville last year. That's where we plan to stay some extended time once we semi-retire. Not sure if we can winter there, because it gets more snow than metro Atlanta. But it's the perfect spot for the other 3-Seasons.

We always head for the camp sites inside the Smoky Mtns Natl Park - ELKMONT is great but has no hookups. Just outside the park is TOWNSENDS TN that has several good camping spots right close to the entrance of the SMOKY MTN NATL park...

North GA a pretty good drive to get to the SMOKY MTN NATL PARK if that is what you mean by staying near the SMOKY MTNS......

Roy Ken

Dahlonega is a nice little mountain town, not phony like Helen and much more convenient for a prolonged stay. It is very near Georgia-400, the four-lane mostly limited access freeway that leads straight into Atlanta. It is also near Gainesville which has outstanding medical facilities. The Dawsonville exit off GA 400 has a huge outlet mall and all kinds of box stores (Home Depot, etc.)It is practically inside the Chattahoochee National Forest with lots of opportunities for hiking, waterfalls, and sightseeing. The backroads in that area are very beautiful, especially in the fall. Snowfall is generally light and only lasts a day or two. We live further north, closer to GMNP, but lived in Gainesville for years. I think you would enjoy it there. lizzie

I have worked in the area and Dahlonega is a nice small quaint college
town.

Plenty of shops easy walking around town. Lots of hiking in the nearby Natl. Forests. Fishing is good also.

SmithGall Woods is close as is Helen. Which has an Octoberfest every year.

One thing you mentioned, close to the Smoky Mountains it is not, relatively speaking. It's about a three plus hour drive from there. Depends how well you drive mountain roads.

One of the U.S. branch mints was located in Dahlonega where gold coins were minted. Years ago I wrote an article for Coin World on the different varieties of 1845 Dahlonega Half Eagle (yea I know...boring) so my only knowledge about Dahlonega is related to the Mint and mint records.

We stay in Helen, Unicoi State Park very nice place.

Dahlonega is home to the first US gold rush... prior to the 49'ers in CA.. There are gold mines you can tour that will teach you to pan for gold and gems.. Our GA capital dome is covered with Dahlonega GA gold!!

Besides gold mining, there is a big kayaking store there with a wave pool that they can teach you to kayak in... many folks in the area love spending time in the water, kayaking, canoeing, and stand up paddle boarding in the local lakes..

Not sure if you have kids or not, but if you have young girls... you must take them to Babyland General in Cleveland.. birthplace of Cabbage Patch kids.. tour to see the "babies born" is free, except for the fact that it ends in the gift shop, and it is almost impossible to get out without "adopting a baby" or two.

Helen is more commercial that Dahlonega but is an interesting place to visit.. spring time is trout season and you can fish in many of the rivers in the area, even in the middle of Helen. You can also tube the river right through town if the weather is warm enough to hit the water.

I agree that it is easy to access with hwy 400 solving the majority of the mountain road driving... and to get to Smokies from Dahlonega you will have to drive mountains..

If you are a Coast to Coast member, I would suggest R Ranch in the Mountains, just north of Dahlonega. Campground was clean, spacious and very quiet. We stayed there last summer. Not sure if you can get in without a C2C membership, but you can ask.