The Helen Chamber of Commerce is proud to present the 37th Annual Helen Trout Tournament on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Fish the famous Chattahoochee River in Helen, Georgia for your chance to catch tagged fish worth up to $1000! (Subject to change). The Helen Chamber of Commerce will stock the Chattahoochee River with over 400 pounds of trophy trout! In addition, Georgia DNR will be stocking the river with trout during the tournament as well. The Trout Tournament will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Saturday, Apr 11, 2026 10 AM to 11:30 AM - Smithgall Woods State Park - Helen, GA - Enjoy a guided hike of the Laurel Ridge Trail with Smithgall's Volunteers. The Laurel Ridge Trail is an approximately 1.6-mile moderate hike featuring mountain coves, high elevation species like chestnut and blackjack oaks, and a wonderful photo opportunity with a view of Mt. Yonah. All ages welcome. Please wear good hiking shoes and bring water.

Join our fellow watercolorists of all ages and skill levels, as we learn to paint some of the beautiful landscapes found in Smithgall Woods. This class will focus on painting water and stones. Our teacher, Sheron Sherman, is a self taught artist living here in the area and is a member of the Sautee Nacoochee Watercolorists. Sheron also volunteers for Friends of Smithgall and has donated her work for its Cabin Fever campaign to raise money for a historic education cabin to be built at the park. Her work has been shown in several juried shows, both here and in Ft Myers, FL. There will be a step by step demo for those of you who are beginners and we will reserve 30 minutes time at the end of class for everyone to get feedback on their piece. This is through Reservation only, and there are limited openings. Please call the visitor's center at 706-878-3087 to reserve your spot. This class has a $15/person fee plus $5 parking pass.