Archive for the ‘North Georgia Mountains’ Category

How to enjoy Hiawassee 

Boundary Waters Resort, here on Lake Chatuge, is a perfect base to explore and enjoy Hiawassee, whilst staying in beautiful surrounds overlooking the lake. Whether you’re here looking for an active break on the water, a quiet romantic getaway, a luxurious splurge or a budget break, you will find Boundary Waters Resort, our own Lake Chatuge, and nearby Hiawassee, have all you need for your vacation.

A taste of Hiawassee

Our town of Hiawassee offers a wide range of eating options, from familiar chain brands to family run and unique local choices. For lunch try a local bakery – Sweet Tooth Bakery explain that their dining room with working fireplace and covered summer decking make for a perfect setting all year round for a relaxed lunch treat. For a special evening, try award winning restaurant ‘The Copper Door’, who have been described as ‘a gourmet gem’ by guests, and offer a wide-ranging menu as well as special events such as wine pairing dinners.

Hiawassee Hiking

As the recently launched website, ‘explore Georgia’ explains, Hiawassee is an Appalachian Trail community, and the southern high roads section of the trail, which is ‘said to be the ‘most famous trail in the world‘, runs nearby. This gives a wide range of hiking options for the committed explorer, as well as gentle day treks for the less experienced. The trail, first conceived of in 1921 and opened to the public as a continual path in 1937’ covers over 2000 miles and allows those hiking it to enjoy the best of our national wilderness system, and the glorious ecosystems it protects. The trail here in Georgia features rugged wilderness hiking, and steep ups and downs best tackled in the summer months.

Hamilton Gardens 

The nearby Hamilton gardens is a unique garden in our area, as well excellent value for money, with a nominal $3 entrance donation all that is asked to visit this extensive complex with over 1100  Rhododendron, a glass house facility, and seasonal highlights such as the spring bulb trail highlighting the best of native bulbs. A private collection dating from the 1950s, Fred Hamilton donated the plants that founded this public garden in 1982, and now dogwoods, tulip magnolias, native azaleas, wild flowers and trillium grow alongside the famous Rhododendron, and can be enjoyed by visitors daily. If you are not staying with us at Boundary Waters Resort but have green fingers, you can get an even stay in the gardens by working in there as a volunteer for 20 hours a week, which gets you in return free camping and even a RV hook up if needed.

Romantic Hiawassee

There are a wide range of options for romance in Hiawassee, say ‘Mountain Top GA’ site, including visits to spas, such as Body Sense Spa, which offers who describe their ‘superlative spa treatments’ as well as stocking products to take home to keep the romance alive. If you’re looking for a little of the finer things in life for your romantic break, our local winery Hightower Creek Vineyard  offer tasting events with music and food on a regular basis, so you and your loved one can enjoy a relaxing evening while enjoying some of the best wine in the region.

Whenever you’re in town it is also worth checking out Hiawassee’s Georgia Mountain Fairground which hosts events running from fireworks and concerns, to jazz festivals all year round, and could give you something really special to include in your vacation planning.

Getting here

Georgia attracts visitors from all around the world, and for guests traveling from overseas there is no need to waste money on essentials that you can shop around for. Aside from the outlay on tickets, the main culprit for unnecessary overspending is exchanging cash, which can prove costly if done at the last minute at the airport. Travel money can be bought from a range of reputable online providers which often represent great value for money if exchanging currency. Booking flights through a comparison site can bring down the costs, particularly for those who can be flexible on dates, and essentials such as insurance can be found in advance with multi-trip deals often the best value for those more regular travelers.

Stay with us!

Staying with us is a great value way to get the best out of your vacation enjoying the many facets of Hiawassee as well as the peace of Lake Chatuge. Once here, Boundary Waters Resort offers a range of accommodation options, many of which provide guests with access to a kitchen for those preferring to self-cater, and all of which give an unrivalled view of our wonderful part of the lake.

And finally, while you are in Hiawassee, why not go along to what is described as Northeast Georgia’s biggest Antiques Mall, to pick up a unique souvenir of your stay. You could find primitive and fine furnishings, collectibles and quirky reminders of your trip to suit your style and budget – as unique as your stay with us will be!

Thanks again to contributor Susie Laurel for this article!

Discovering All Georgia Has to Offer on a Vacation

Georgia is a state that is as diverse as it is beautiful. It quickly becomes apparent as soon as you step into this state that there really is something to accommodate the needs of the whole family. Not only that but with breathtaking views, cultural tours and metropolitan, soulful cities being the order of the day, Georgia is an area that most certainly should be on everyone’s bucket list.

Natural Beauty

Georgia is completely brimming with outstanding sites of natural beauty that it’s hard to know where to start. Hiawassee is right in the heart of all this untamed splendor, so this is a great place to make a base and take advantage of all the local sites. Chattahoochee National Forest is the perfect area to begin exploring and it will most certainly give you a great sense of the raw openness that this place has on offer. According to USDA this national forest covers 867,000 acres across 26 counties, with thousands of miles of clear-running streams and rivers, and is home to a vast array of different animals from black bears to wild turkey and deer. It is a great area for relaxing and getting back to nature here, so pack the fishing gear, the picnic and you bucket and spade; because this is a place that really focuses on bringing things to level that is back to basics””completely refreshing in this day and age. There are swimming beaches, mountain pools and waterfalls all lying in wait to be discovered in this area of natural beauty. All of this adds up to being a quintessential start to any vacation. Kelly Tours suggests that hopping onboard a coach trip is the best way to see all Georgia has to offer, as it takes the hassle out of planning itineraries and also provides the opportunity to share your experience with new, like-minded people. In an area that is so laid-back and friendly, it’s great to meet such people along your journey. Nantahala National Forest is also just a small jump over the border and is teeming with wildlife, hiking trails, white-water rafting, and mountainous scenery.

Peaceful Waterways

Lakes, rivers, waterfalls and estuaries, Georgia really does have an abundance of beautiful and peaceful waterways up and down this incredible state. A wonderful way to experience all this region has to offer in a relaxed, leisurely nature is via a cruise. Planet Cruise argues that the USA’s spectacular sandy beaches, mansions, vineyards and marinas, alongside such beautiful historical sites, makes it the perfect location for travelling around on a cruise, and getting to experience first-hand all that there is to get to know about this incredibly diverse country both on and off land. Lake Chatuge is one of epic beauty, straddling the North Carolina-Georgia state line, and offers great accessibility for all kinds of water sport adventure, making this lake and the surrounding area ideal for kids and grown-ups, couples and families alike.

Capital City

Atlanta is most certainly the capital of the south, and it’s not hard to see why when you consider that this is a commercial, financial and industrial area of great success, which has become an extremely popular tourist destination in recent years. According to the Virtual Press Office, Delta applauds President Obama€™s efforts to increase travel and tourism in the United States, which shows great signs that tourism is set to rise for the foreseeable future. Atlanta€™s roaring success with tourists and locals alike is no doubt partly as a result of its variety of culture, fabulous dining and fascinating history. As Delta Airlines puts it, Atlanta is a city that combines down-home charm and refined elegance with a fresh breeze of the modern. Top sites to see, which you will not be able to experience anywhere else, include The World of Coca-Cola, providing mesmerizing insight into the whole history of the company, the inventor and the iconic products of today. Another must on any trip to Atlanta is a visit to Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. As the King Center explains The Dream is now more important than ever, and the concentration and focus on this is unequivocally moving.

Georgia is, therefore, a state that is full of everything you could possibly want from a vacation. The diversity of this area, which is well known for its beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, diverse cities and kind, laid-back locals makes this the ideal base no matter what it is that you are looking for from a holiday.

Thanks to contributor Susie Laurel for the article.  Visit our boat rental or lodging page to plan your North Georgia vacation today!