A Day Trip to Dahlonega Georgia

A few weeks ago I went with my friend Lorie for a day trip to Dahlonega Georgia for  Gold Rush Days.  I hadn’t been in a couple of years so I was really excited to go.  Gold Rush Days are always held the third weekend in October.  It is a time that thousands of people come into the area to see the fall colors peaking and celebrate Dahlonega’s 1828 discovery of Gold.  There are over 300 art and craft exhibitors and food vendors gathered around the Public Square and Historic District.

We took off early on Sunday morning around 7:00 AM. Dahlonega is about a two and a half hour drive from where we are. I was waiting at the door with my bag and coffee.  A day trip and girl time with Lorie what more could I ask for?

The drive to Dahlonega is beautiful.  We went through several small towns and down by the Ocoee River.

Before getting into Dahlonega we made a stop at the Amicalola Falls State Park.  I had never been so I was really eager to check it out. Lorie used to live in Dahlonega and she knows all of the best places to see.  She was a great tour guide.

       The falls were running slow because of the lack of rain we had had in the area at the time.  See that bridge at the top? We drove up there the next pics are from the top of the bridge. 

         We drove to the top of the falls.  There is a small bridge over the falls and just look at this view. 

This is where the Appalachian Trail starts.  I thought it was kind of understated.  If I were starting my journey of the Appalachian Trail I would want family and balloons and quite a send off.  Oh well maybe when people start their trek they do have all of those things.

The lodge at Amicalola Falls State Park is beautiful with some beautiful views.  I think this would be a great place to stay for a few days.  You can hike, zip line and lots of other things there.  I think it would be a perfect place for a getaway.  Sister Trip maybe?  I really can’t see the sisters Zip lining. HA HA.

    Zip liners getting ready to zip.

Just look at this crowd.  We got into Dahlonega just before noon and met up with a couple of Lorie’s sisters. There was a small fee to park.   We heard that the crowd on Saturday was down because of the rain. Sunday turned out to a great day for the festival.

These ceramic leaves are actually made from real leaves.  They were gorgeous.  This was the first booth we came to.  I meant to go back and get one before we left but I didn’t make it back to that booth.  Next time for sure.

This was a very interesting hands on craft.  This trough is full of an oily liquid, I can’t remember what all it had in it but I will find out for you, you drop blobs of paint into the liquid and use a wooden stick to make the paint into any design that you want.  When you have the design and colors you like a plain silk scarf is put on top of the design.  A flat piece of wood is used to flatten the pattern onto the scarf.  You pick the scarf up and the pattern has attached to the silk. It takes a little bit to dry but it makes a very unique scarf.  There are no two alike.  You actually had to sign up for this. I didn’t do it.  It was a little costly and I had spent most of my budget on a couple of other booths and an antique shop on the town square.

Lots of great ideas for Christmas If you are really ahead of your Christmas shopping. That is not me.

Uhhhh yeah that’s me trying to get moonshine out of this cool looking moonshine still. There were some for sale.  I did not buy one of them.

Lorie and I had a nice drive back home and stopped at a couple of places to check out the scenery.  What a fun day, but this girl was tired.

I got home in time to take Scruffy out for a small walk and as we walked down by the lake I noticed how much the leaves had finally changed.  I got this shot of the reflection of the trees on the lake.

I did have to sneak this last picture in.  This is an urn I bought at the antique store on the town square in Dahlonega.  It is quite large and you may think ugly.  For some reason I really liked this big piece.  I kept walking back to it and picking it up, it was quite heavy, and putting it down.  When I do this I usually have to buy it or have regrets.  So I bought it.  I put it on my entryway table in front of this mirror.  I love it.

Until next time.  Alway remember
Love your day your way!!