Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [44]
Thirty miles down Hwy 52 you’ll hit the town of Dahlonega, Georgia. In the 1820s, the Dahlonega area was the site of the country’s first gold rush. The gold that plates the dome of Georgia’s state capitol in Atlanta is from Dahlonega. Today, the story of the gold rush is told inside the oldest courthouse in Georgia, built in 1836, and home of the Dahlonega Courthouse Gold Museum.
Bunk down for the night in Dahlonega at Smith House Inn, an 1895 home too close to downtown for the first owner’s liking. When Captain Hall was excavating the land to build, he found a rich vein of gold ore. However, city fathers felt a mine one block from the public square was a bad idea, so the house still stands on that vein of Dahlonega gold. Its Smith House Restaurant serves up boarding-style meals of fried chicken, baked ham, fresh vegetables and corn muffins.
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“The Appalachian Trail is maintained by volunteers: more than 6000 people work to protect it each year. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Trail Crews are a way to give back, as volunteers come to base camp ready for adventure and the ATC provides the food, tools, safety equipment and leadership necessary for crews to get the job done. Want to meet some great folks, live on the AT for a week and paint a blaze? Join the Konnarock, Rocky Top or Mid-Atlantic crews and bust some trail! Check it out at www.appalachiantrail.org/crews.”
Andrew Downs, Appalachian Trail Conservancy
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Go a little wild at your next stop, the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), where the Appalachian Trail and Nantahala River meet. Nestled in a steep gorge, the Nantahala River lends truth to the meaning of its name – Land of the Noonday Sun. The river offers 8 miles of practice on easy class II rapids before splashing through the exciting class III whitewater of Nantahala Falls. It’s one of America’s most popular whitewater runs, and rafters, kayakers and canoeists are often seen plying its waters.
The NOC’s Nantahala Adventure Resort, started in 1972, is situated at the intersection of the Nantahala River, the Appalachian Trail and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The resort offers on-site lodging options and a variety of outdoor activities. Changing rooms, hot showers, full-service restaurants, a pub and a fully stocked Outfitter’s Store are also available for your camping, clothing, souvenir and sundry needs. The Appalachian Trail literally passes through the resort. From the resort, it’s a 4 mile (strenuous!) hike to Jump Up, a rocky outcrop boasting outstanding views, or a 6.5 mile hike to the top of Wesser Bald (4627ft) and the former fire tower, now an observation deck, offering panoramic views of the Great Smoky Mountains, Fontana Lake and the Nantahalas. Hiking north, it is a longer, more strenuous hike (8.1 miles) to the summit of Cheoah Bald (5062ft), which offers one of the most splendid panoramas of the Southern Appalachians. There are AT sleeping shelters all along the trails for overnight hikers.
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The friendliness of mountain folk is nothing to be trifled with. Here’s a conversation overheard one early afternoon at the Smoky Mountain Diner in Hot Springs, NC:
Customer to waitress: “Mornin’ Sue!”
Waitress to customer: “Mornin’ Tom.”
“You still servin’ breakfast?”
“You want breakfast?”
“Yup.”
“Then we’re still servin’ breakfast.”
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Snake through Hwy 74 to I-23/Hwy 209 toward Hot Springs, North Carolina, situated near the French Broad River. Hot Springs is known for just that: hot springs. The postage stamp–sized town offers a range of fabulous lodging, including the historic Mountain Magnolia Inn, built in 1868, and featured