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The Appalachian Mountains come alive with the changing of the seasons from winter to spring and bloom with new growth appear. After so many months indoors, people flock outdoors to enjoy nature and the beauty of the mountains. Whether you’ve come for a weekend or want to stay longer, everyone is greeted with small-town friendliness in the Enchanted Valley. With the natural beauty surrounding the towns of Hiawassee and Young Harris, locals are always ready to share their knowledge of the best hiking, fishing, and magnificent views from the highest mountain tops. For many years, Hiawassee is known to be the home of the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds that host numerous events throughout the year with Live Concerts, Shows at Anderson Music Hall, Pioneer Village & Local Craft Events. The nearby Hamilton Rhododendron Gardens are also open year-round with more than 3,000 plants in bloom. Today, during the summer the city of Hiawassee holds events on the Square including First Friday Markets with live music, food, & games held the first weekend of the month May - October.  Saturdays also offer Music on the Square for visitors to bring a lawn chair and listen to a variety of country, bluegrass, and easy listening for your enjoyment Memorial Day - Labor Day Weekend. Also known by many is that Towns County has many outdoor recreational areas since the Chattahoochee National Forest covers over 50,000 acres in Towns County and another 7,000 is owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which built Lake Chatuge in 1941. Lake Chatuge’s many activities range from fishing, boating, swimming, sailing, tubing, water skiing, wakeboarding, jet skiing, and canoeing. Towns County has many public parks, picnic areas, and beaches for outdoor enjoyment including  Bell Mountain Park which offers 360-degree views of Hiawassee & Lake Chatuge with an observation platform.  Although Georgia’s highest mountain is Brasstown Bald at 4,784 ft., it has views of 4 states on a clear day.  The Brasstown Bald Visitors center, with the museum, is Located on Hwy. 180 and has a paved trail to the top or a shuttle available. For hikers, the famous Appalachian Trail crosses Unicoi Mountain at Hwy. 17 /76 west of town. This trail draws hikers nationwide to see nature at its finest. Many accommodations can guide visitors to spend time at one of the many golf courses, horseback riding stables, white water rafting adventures, and surrounding hiking, biking trails & waterfalls in our surrounding National Forest Land. You can plan your rafting trips as early as now. Star Gazers will appreciate Rollins Planetarium which is located in the Maxwell Center building at Young Harris College and during the season public shows are offered in this 100-seat planetarium under a 40-foot-diameter dome.  The college also has an observatory, located on Georgia state property near the Brasstown Valley Resort, only a short distance from campus. The entire region surrounding Lake Chatuge is famous for year-round trout fishing in numerous streams and rivers.  Another great way to have fun exploring Lake [...]

Nestled in the heart of the Chattahoochee National Forest, Vogel State Park is one of Georgia's favorite destinations. Established in 1931, Vogel, is the second oldest state park in Georgia and rises 2,500 feet above sea level. The entire area around Vogel was once linked to the Native Americans and the State Park sits at the base of Blood Mountain, the highest summit on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. Driving from the south, visitors pass through Neel Gap, a beautiful mountain pass near Brasstown Bald, which is the highest point in Georgia. The history of the “Vogel” name starts in the 20th century when Augustus Vogel and Fred Vogel Jr. began a lumber mill in Union County. The mill employed many of the men in the county to cut and process lumber from the 65,000 acres of land owned by the Pfister Vogel Leather Company. They were the second generation of Vogels to run a leather company in Milwaukee with Charles Frederick Pfister, and the lumber in the North Georgia mountains was an excellent source for tannin (or tannic acid), an important raw material in the tanning process. Oak trees are a major source tannic acid, although most trees have at least some tannin in them. Since this required harvesting a large number of oak, the Vogels also set up a lumber mill on the site of present-day Vogel State Park. Unfortunately, the state of Georgia entered an economic downturn in the mid-1920's and the lumber mill was no longer economically feasible. In 1929 the Vogels donated nearly 259 acres to the state, much of it still encompassed within the 233-acres within Vogel State Park. This park shares a timeless connection with its Civilian Conservation Corps builders that dammed Wolf Creek to form Lake Trahlyta and built housing around the lake for the CCC boys. The 22-acre Lake Trahlyta is named for the Cherokee maiden whose grave sits at the center of Stonepile Gap. Georgia's poet laureate, Bryon Herbert Reece, was born in a cabin on the land where Lake Trahlyta now sits. The rest of the land donated by the Vogels is under the Chattahoochee National Forest and includes the stone building now known as Mountain Crossings at Walasi-yi and Nottla or Nottely Falls, east of the Byron Herbert Reese Trail parking lot. Originally, Walasi-yi was a restaurant run by the state. Directly by Vogel is the Byron Herbert Reece Farm and Heritage Center that celebrates the life of this famous poet who received numerous awards for his writing. The center has wonderful displays, restoration of the Reece writing studio, authentic farm buildings and equipment, plus self-guided tours. Vogel State Park offers a variety of hiking, swimming, fishing and enjoying family time in a diverse mountain landscape. An easy 1.0 mile hiking trail circles the lake, allowing access to fishing docks and the boathouse. A 0.1 miles side trail takes hikers down to Trahlyta Falls, also know as Spillway Falls. A spur trail off the Trahlyta Lake Loop will [...]

Many people know the Chattahoochee River as one of the most important U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundments in the nation.  This river's basin is the smallest in the nation and serves as a source of drinking water for metro Atlanta, and continues along the Georgia ”“ Alabama border, and into Florida.   This important source not only provides drinking water supply to more than half of all Georgian residents, but also provides hydroelectric power, commercial navigation, flood control, and recreation in three states to over 25 million Americans. It begins as a spring; “Chattahoochee Gap,” just a little more than a trickle of water where Jack's Knob Trail dead-ends into the Appalachian Trail at about 3,600 ft. and lies 200 ft. south.  Several streams flow from Habersham, Lumpkin, Rabun, Towns, Union and White counties to broaden its shoulders. Origin of the name “Chattahoochee” is believed to be derived from ”˜Chatto,' a stone, and ”˜hoche,' marked or flowered; there being rocks of that description in the river above Hoithletigua  - an old town that historians place near the present town of Franklin, Ga. in Heard County.  The river, “Chota,” was named by the Cherokee Indians at the headwaters and when the river flowed into Creek territory, it became the “Chattahoochee.” and was used by the tribes as a border between their Nations, then between themselves and early settlers. Excavations suggest that Spanish searched for gold in the valley as early as the sixteenth century. The first American gold rush began in 1828 through streambeds of the Chattahoochee headwaters, and the first dam was built to power a grist and lumber mill in 1876. The present Nora Mill still operates a water-powered mill and grinds cornmeal, grits, wheat, rye, and flours. The Chattahoochee River and Wildlife Management Area are located within the 750,000-acre Chattahoochee National Forest with lush forests.  More than 500 species of birds, mammals, fish, and reptiles live in this protected headwaters portion, as it provides wildlife access to drinking water, sites for nests and dens, and berry-producing shrubs along its banks as a source of food. Helen is a perfect start, as this river runs through this Alpine Village town of themed German- festivals and businesses.  Then the Chattahoochee picks up flow from creeks such as Smith, Low Gap, Henson, Dukes, and Sautee.  Two beautiful waterfalls that merge into these creeks are the twin falls of Anna Ruby and Horse Trough Falls, just north of Helen. From Helen, the river flows east through Sautee Nacoochee Valley, which pass agricultural-residential areas throughout White and Habersham Counties.  The river then flows into Buck Shoals State Park, a wildlife preserve not yet opened to the public and Mossy Creek State Park just north of Clermont.  The river flows through the newly planned State Park (Don Carter) on the northern tip of Lake Lanier. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy recreation such as fishing, tubing, canoeing, boating, hiking and camping on the Chattahoochee River banks, shores, and it's watershed to make [...]

Have you ever wanted to feel on Top of the World? Just head to Hiawassee and Bell Mountain Park Historical Site. Originally Bell Mountain was very prominent rising 3,424 foot of elevation from the “Enchanted Valley” of Hiawassee. Then in the early 1960's Bell Mountain's land was purchased to mine for its minerals, and the top was left with a wide gap at the knob. After the mining, Mr. Hal Herrin partner of the Hiawassee Land Company, then later Mountain Realty purchased it in an effort to preserve it from future mining. Bell Mountain primarily became a home for sunset hikes and later on, a place for Jeeps, Hang gliders and other off-road enthusiasts. The mountain also became vandalized at the top with spray paint graffiti from kids and people who took advantage of the remote location that was not monitored. The Hal Herrin Estate graciously donated the 18 acre Bell Mountain Summit to Towns County. in 2016. Today, it has paved the road, established parking area, and in addition to the Hal Herrin Scenic Overlook erected a 2nd platform that offers 360 degree views of the surrounding lake and mountains. From Highway 76 ”“ Turn on Shake Rag Rd. and go slow (Speed limit is five MPH.) Hours are 8 AM - 8 PM, and is Closed during inclement weather.