My post of July 15 last year titled On The Mountaintop, discussed a trip we made in May to Young Harris, Georgia, where we reconnected with several Florida couples for a wonderful getaway. During that visit, our friends JuDi and Kurt purchased a newly-constructed investment property further south in Dahlonega, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Several months later, we accepted their kind invitation to join them at this new property for several days in mid December. The beautifully furnished three-bedroom, two-bath home is in a quiet, wooded setting yet close to all the area’s top attractions. While it’s always nice to spend quality time with good friends, the trip also gave us an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of this small city, learn about its storied history and discover a number of area restaurants and nearby wineries.
It’s nearly 380 miles from Raleigh to Dahlonega and a roughly six-hour trip. Unfortunately for us, it rained nearly the entire way down there on Sunday, but we arrived unscathed in the late afternoon to find our hosts eager to welcome us as we toured their lovely new home and caught up on recent news. We later drove into town and were overwhelmed by stunning Christmas lights and decorations. In fact, Dahlonega is the "Best Christmas Town in Georgia," according to HGTV. Making the list of best small town in each state for the holiday spirit, Dahlonega showcased the season with carriage rides, lighting of the downtown square, Santa Claus appearances, food truck vendors and plenty of photo opportunities. HGTV also mentioned that the "Christmas market, holiday concerts, tree decorating, live Nativity scene, parade and caroling," made Dahlonega a great town to visit during the Christmas season. The north Georgia town also made the list compiled by Southern Living of the best destinations for a "Classic Southern Christmas." Movie-makers have keyed in on the charm of the town as well, with Dahlonega being the backdrop for no less than three Hallmark movies, including Christmas in the Smokies, Christmas in Homestead and A Taste of Christmas.
After a quick walk around the center of town to admire the seasonal spectacle, we headed into Shenanigan’s Irish Pub for dinner, located in the historic 1882 Strickland House. Renovated in the 1980s, Shenanigan’s opened on the lower level in 2007. This family-friendly Irish pub with walls covered in customer-autographed dollar bills, claims to have the largest beer selection in town, including local microbrews like Murphys and, of course, Guinness. They also provide a variety of affordable wines and spirits, all served by enthusiastic bartenders. Shenanigan’s offers traditional Irish dishes, along with pub fare, and the star attraction—Guinness Tempura Battered Cod with homemade Coleslaw and Tartar Sauce. We had a fun time here and it proved to be an excellent way to put a lid on our first night in this historic place.
The allure of downtown Dahlonega was strong and so we went back on Monday in order to better see this quaint locale in the daylight hours. We first entered the Dahlonega General Store and it was akin to stepping back in time, the kind of place where a cup of coffee is still only a nickel and payment is on the honor system. This good sized, multi-level retail outlet has just about everything you can think of, including books, old-fashioned candy, clothing, coins, gem stones, hats, knives, postcards, soft drinks, food, gag gifts and a whole lot more. Each aisle in this country store carried merchandise from a bygone era and held surprising discoveries. Lunchtime found us at the Bourbon Street Grille in the historic Hall House Building on the Square. The restaurant offers Cajun-Creole inspired fare like Jambalaya or Gumbo, along with a variety of seafood options and burgers, craft beers, wines and specialty cocktails. Our group chose to eat downstairs in the festive pub-like atmosphere and had a tasty and reasonably-priced meal with excellent service.
Twenty years before the 1849 gold rush in California, thousands of prospectors from all over the world flocked to the Cherokee Nation in North Georgia, marking the true beginning of the country's first gold rush. Dahlonega thrived and a US Branch Mint opened here in 1838, coining more than $6 million in gold before closing in 1861. What was once the Lumpkin County Courthouse is now the Dahlonega Gold Museum. The building was restored by the state of Georgia as a State Historic Site and adapted for use as the Gold Museum and is one of the most visited Historic Sites in the state.The Dahlonega Courthouse Gold Museum offered us a look at the mining history of the area starting with a 23-minute film describing the mining techniques and lifestyles of the prospectors through interviews with members of long time mining families of the area.
JuDi’s brother Randy and his girlfriend Lisa joined us at the Museum and the six of us later drove to the Montaluce Winery & Restaurant for some afternoon sampling and conversation. This winery lies in a picturesque setting and is also home to four privately-owned Tuscan style villas available for rent. Montaluce offers deluxe private tastings and a chef’s table experience which consists of five courses of farm-to-table style dishes prepared in front of guests by their chef, Clint Johnson. They also conduct wine hikes on weekends, during which time a trained outdoor staff member conducts a 1.8-mile intermediate-level hike along nature trails, through the headwaters of the Etowah River and the vineyard, finishing with a five-pour wine tasting. Not to be outdone by the competition, Montaluce even offers full and half day guided fly fishing adventures, welcoming guests of every skill level with all equipment provided! On our return to the house, it was again family reunion time for JuDi when her second brother Gary and his wife Gloria stopped by for a visit. With hunger pains soon stirring, all four couples went for dinner at The Station, a full service bar and restaurant with an eclectic menu, 32 draft beers, and outside space with cornhole and a fire pit, all located in the heart of the city.
We were in for another treat on our final day in Dahlonega when our friends Bruce and Donna drove down from Young Harris for a visit. While it’s only a 38-mile journey, the drive takes about an hour as motorists have to traverse Blood Mountain, the highest peak on the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail and the sixth-highest mountain in the state with an elevation of 4,458 feet above sea level. After getting reacquainted, our group visited the active town center to browse the shops selling everything from Appalachian art, antiques and locally-made gifts to trendy clothing, all from some 65 different retail stores. Lunchtime found us at GrapeVine’s Casual Italian Restaurant which serves traditional Italian food in a rustic atmosphere with the friendly service for which the town is well known. Later in the day, JuDi and I made a quick trip over to the nearby Cavender Creek Vineyard & Winery to pick up several gifts. This winery was planned around an old family farm, including a hand-hewn log cabin from 1820, which was disassembled and moved from Tennessee, and now serves as guest accommodations. The winery is next door and is styled after an old-fashioned barn with a covered deck in which we happily sat to enjoy a glass while taking in the vineyard views along with the surrounding farm scene.
Another culinary experience awaited us that evening when we had dinner at Trattoria Di Montaluce, along with Donna Powell, JuDi and Kurt’s Georgia realtor, and Matt Stephenson, their property manager, and his wife Lauren. This Italian eatery is located in the same winery we visited one day earlier and appeared to evoke its inspiration from authentic Italian cuisine, offering house-made pastas, cheeses, brick-oven pizzas, which exemplified their farm-to-table culinary approach. The open-concept dining room was designed around the kitchen's brick ovens, which provided a fun and relaxing dining adventure, despite the lively Tuesday Night Trivia Contest that began soon after our arrival.
Sadly, our sojourn with friends was over by Wednesday and our whirlwind three-day visit to Dahlonega came to a close as we headed home to Raleigh with long-lasting memories of time well spent. Hopefully, we’ll have an opportunity to visit this vibrant and remarkable community once again in the not too distant future.
Until next time…safe travels.
Comments