My Birthday Weekend in the North Georgia Mountains |

When Sean and I first started dating, we went to the mountains for my birthday and did that for the next four years. The tradition kind of died out as we started taking bigger trips around Thanksgiving, like our 2017 trip to Japan. For my birthday this year, my mom offered to stay for awhile on her way back to the Outer Banks after dropping off my grandma in Florida. Sean and I jumped at the chance for an adults-only weekend celebration.

I booked Henson Cove Place Bed and Breakfast in Hiawassee, Georgia. The location was perfect – 25-30 minutes from so many great places, and the place itself was charming with great views. Moria and Dave were good hosts and the homemade breakfast each morning was lovely.

We ventured out to Hiawassee Brew on our first night after we’d checked in the B&B. The food was solid and the beers were yummy. The whole place had a great atmosphere and we had fun outside by the fire and playing with Halloween decorations. 😉

Back at our place, Sean gave me one of my birthday presents – a band to go with my wedding ring with moissanites and sapphires which are Harrison’s birth stone. 🙂

The next morning after breakfast we headed over to Brasstown Bald, the highest peak in Georgia. Neither of us had ever been and this was a neat experience. Not only were the views spectacular with row after row of mountain peaks before us, but the onsite museum was full of interesting information and artifacts from the area over the past centuries.

In the early afternoon we drive a bit further west to Crane Creek Vineyards for a wine tasting on their beautiful property before having lunch at Paris and Company – the onsite restaurant. I don’t imbibe during the day very much any more but loved being able to relax with a glass of wine and enjoy the views. Ahhhh. Lunch was yummy, too.

After a nap back at the bed and breakfast (yes!), me and Sean went to Bell Mountain just down the road to watch the sun set over Lake Chatuge. The photos do it very little justice – it is THAT stunning. We liked this view better than Brasstown Bald because of the water amongst all the hills – glorious. And behind us, the mountains turned lovely shades of pink and purple pastel. Sean flew the drone and got some great footage which he shared via email with the folks who were up top with us. Always making friends!

After sunset, we went to a local arts and crafts festival, had another beer at Hiawasee Brew and enjoyed their live music, and then had a light dinner at The Tilted Cafe before going back to the room where Sean gave me my second birthday present of the trip – a Lava Lamp!

Saturday morning started with a yummy blueberry french toast bake!

We spent most of the morning relaxing around the bed and breakfast. I read outside for awhile which had been on my list! So nice to be able to sit, undisturbed, for over an hour with a book.

One of the things I loved about this trip is how beautiful the drives were! So much to see on the way to our destinations. The road to Clayton was no exception – we stopped here to fly the drone. It was my first time really flying it from takeoff to landing and it was so fun!

In Clayton, we grabbed a quick lunch at the bustling and charming cafe before heading to the Chattooga River at the border with South Carolina.

A short hike revealed a big rapid. The river was really moving and we got the drone out again for more unique views, and a good perspective on the kayakers navigating the rapid.

Our next stop was an assuming pull-off of the main road and a walk down a solitary dirt road rippled with erosion to Reedy Branch Falls. No one was there – this place felt hidden in plain sight as it was not far off the road but very isolated. Absolutely tranquil and gorgeous.

Chattooga Belle Farm and Distillery had been on my list for this trip from the very beginning. As you can see it was with good reason. The views. Just wow. WOW. And our tasting was so much fun – we tried everything they had from brandies to whiskies to gin and came home with a couple of goodies.

With the many wineries in the area, I couldn’t resist stopping at one Saturday afternoon. Tiger Mountain Vineyards is one of the better ones I’ve been to in North Georgia and we came home with three bottles of reds. They weren’t doing tastings due to COVID and they didn’t have everything on their complete wine list but we each got a flight, sat outside, and relaxed so it was all good.

Ahead of our dinner reservation at Fortify Kitchen and Bar, we headed back to downtown Clayton and checked out Noble Wine Cellar. The owners are husband and wife and the wife was working during our visit. We sampled a few wines and some of their meads – all were very good – and we had a great time chatting with her!

Our meal at Fortify Kitchen and Bar was phenomenal. We loved everything we had from the bread service to our pork cheek appetizer and our mains of lamb and chicken roulade. Highly recommend and will definitely return. It’s about 90 minutes from Atlanta but would be worth it for a day trip up here with a dinner here to finish on.

My third birthday gift from Sean was a dog DNA test for Stella. We were both hoping it would reveal that she is, in fact, part human but it did confirm she is fully 50/50 poodle and Shitzu.

After another scrumptious breakfast on Sunday, we began our journey home. The waterfall we had planned to visit had a road washed out that i was unwilling to go across so we found another spot – yeah, there are waterfalls everywhere up here if you can’t tell!

From the start of Dukes Creek Falls trail, we could see Yonah Mountain framed by the beautiful foliage.

The falls in the distance – this view was glorious!

The hike seemed like it was going to be difficult because it was downhill the entire way but the grade was not severe so coming back up was just fine. This waterfall was high and cascaded down to a rushing stream. Dukes Creek Falls is near Helen and I recommend this hike if you’re in the area wanting to see a waterfall.