I really like this place. It was actually free to get in…read moreyou can just give a little donation at the door. Small Museum but the folk art face pottery is a hoot. There's a whole story about the guy who made them, he said how can something that is so ugly bring me so much money!. This is a must see if you're in the area.

A great way to get out of the elements and learn about Georgia History…read more Nancy and I love museums, we have never been to one dedicated to regional folk pottery, so we had to go while on our trip to Helen, GA. This museum is a short 10-minute drive from downtown Helen; there is plenty of parking in the lot. Entry to the museum is free; however, they accept donations. Inside, there are several rooms with a variety of art mediums displayed, many of them for sale. There is a large theatre that could be used for plays, live music, and even movies. It seems to still be in operation but could use a refresh. Another room is dedicated to a continuously running a short film about the folk artists of the area, which provides context into the family lineages behind the pottery art. The fun-factor is that the artists biggest sellers were the unique face jugs they created - some funny, some ugly, and some scary, but all of them one of a kind and beautiful in their own way. You could easily spend an hour in here exploring, viewing the art, taking photos, and reading about the history of each piece. It was a great way to escape the recent heatwave in the area and still make good use of our time. There are clean restrooms available for visitors and the volunteer staff are friendly and inviting. I highly recommend stopping in while visiting the area.

The Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and…read moreprotecting the natural an historical resource of the Sautee and Nacoochee Valleys and surrounding area. The center is the home of the Folk Pottery Museum of Northern Georgia, an African American Heritage Site, two gallery shops, the local history museum, an art studio, and the Center Theater. Onsite there is also a playground, a native peace garden, and a walking trail. The center routinely hosts activities for the community - live music, educational classes, free breakfasts, costume parties, and more. We stopped by to check out the pottery/history museum and get out of the heat for a while then were pleasantly surprised to find the gallery shops, and art studio. Much of the art from the gallery is created locally and are for sale. Some more reasonably priced than other's but all of it unique and beautiful. The Center is very clean and organized. Entry is free; however, donations are welcome. Volunteers here are very friendly and helpful. There are restrooms available for visitors. If you are visiting Helen, I highly recommend checking out the Cultural Center while in town, it's a great way to learn about the local history here while making your trip to Helen more unique and memorable.

The hotel in Helen had a variety of flyers but this one caught my eye. It was for a local cultural…read morecenter performing a comedy by a local playwright. After checking the website, same day tickets could only be purchased at the box office. I made a brief call to the center and spoke with a very cordial lady, she explained the location of the center, parking accommodations, ticket costs and COVID protocols. Upon my arrival, I was warmly greeted by the same lady at the box office and purchased my ticket, given a playbill and given general directions around the theater. The play was wonderful and was a blend of Georgia history, humor and culture. This was a delightful experience. As a day hiker, I was passing through Helen for the picturesque landscapes but this experience made the area even more special.

Similar to what everyone says, the City of Helen is a tourist trap and a little on the cheesy side,…read morebut that's exactly what my family and I wanted for a quick weekend getaway in North Georgia. We stopped by in Cleveland to check out a dog friendly waterfall, and drove about 20 minutes to our cabin in downtown Helen. Tubing was great! Unfortunately, we visited during peak season, so it was slammed - but it was a great experience nonetheless. There's a ton of hidden natural beauty on and around this city. We were able to fully unplug and just enjoy each other's company while doing something each of us wanted to do. Traffic can get a bit overwhelming, but the walkability in this city if great. My advice, do what you need to do on the earlier side of things to get ahead of the crowds. Overall, we had a great time. Helen is a great beginner level city for those wanting to explore the North Georgia mountains.

We were fortunate enough to visit Helen when it wasn't too packed or during an Oktoberfest, I'm…read moresure that would have been fun, but we were here for a short time and were getting ready to go to an eventful 3-day music festival in Gatlinburg, so a more mellow experience on our first visit was just what we hoped for. Helen is a unique place to visit, with plenty of shopping, eating, and drinking abound, you are sure to find something fun to do while you are here. During the slower tourist peaks, there were still some activities and live music in the main downtown area at the Biergarten and Bandshell off Main St. We didn't find any live German Polka, dancers of that sort; mostly a one-man band with karaoke, not what I was hoping for but at least there was some live music. There are plenty of spots for great photo op's and from a distance Helen looks really beautiful but when walking around town and assessing the buildings we noticed how dirty and dilapidated everything was. It seems like no one cares to keep up on this place except for a few exceptional stores. This is one of the main reasons we didn't stay long, we originally planned to stay two nights but only stayed one and left the next evening. A few places that you should check out if you are in or around Helen, GA are the Anna Ruby Falls, The Glass Blowing Shop, Lindenhaus Imports, Jolly's Toys, The Nacoochee Village Antique Mall, The Folk Pottery Museum, Tim's Wooden Toys, Betty's Country Store, and the Visitor Center. Helen is also known for the fantastic tubing down the Chattahoochee River. All-in-all, we had just an ok experience during our visit to Helen. Nancy say's it's a once and done, so we might not go back but if we are in the area again, I wouldn't mind going tubing.

It was a very humbling experience to be able to stand in a home with so much history…read more I don't want to go into too much detail describing the experience, because the things I saw were awe inspiring. Suffice it to say that some of the advances the Hardman's had in their home were unheard of for anyone in this time. Also, you can not imagine the emotional experience of standing on an original section of the Trail of Tears and hearing the stories of the people who were affected.

Hardman Farm was a nice walk from my hotel. There is a gift shop however, they do not allow pets…read moreand walking I had my dog with me. So that was disappointing that I couldn't go in and explore. we could walk around the grounds and explore the barns and areas of the farm. There are some fantastic views. The main house is gorgeous. The barns are cool. I liked seeing the dairy barn. The land is one of my dreams. The walk back to the hotel was just as nice under the shade of trees following the river.

It was our first ever ren faire so we weren't sure what to expect. We arrived at the shuttle pick…read moreup point for the bus from the parking lot to the castle, but the line was so long that we decided to make the trek to the castle ourselves. There was a large group, which made it fun. Once we got to the lower part of the castle, we found our trek wasn't quite done yet, as we needed to hike through a field and some trails in order to get to the main part, so onward we went. By the time we arrived, we could've really used some beer or mead to parch our thirst, but we couldn't find any. All of the food and beverage vendors had really long lines, so we decided to hold off until we got back in town instead. I really enjoyed the variety of vendors selling their wares. There were so many handmade items and I found a lot to be very fairly priced. My favorite part was seeing the birds of prey in addition to just soaking in all the cool costumes people came up with. All in all, it was a fun experience but not something I'd want to do in summer when it's hot when there's so much walking involved.

Definitely a unique experience. We actually had the builder and owner give us a tour. It's was a 2…read morehour tour but we felt like we got the VIP experience. You could certainly go in, run around, look at the castle in 15 mins, but we wanted to understand the art, the reason behind the build and just learn a few things. Santa was there for pictures and it's neat that you can rent a room IN the castle. We weren't able to view those rooms but, I believe there are pictures online. Maybe we will come back and stay! You can't see the castle upon arrival, they take you in a bus up the hill so, I liked that it didn't ruin the surprise. They had little Tiaras for purchase and they give you a small prize when you complete the word puzzle they hand you. And event here would be cool. It would also be great if they had more drink or snacks for purchase but imagine that's in the works!! This was a costly project so, it will only get better!

We went awhile back to see Charlotte and were sorely disappointed. Hearing of her death today…read morereminded me I had forgotten to write a review. This location is privately run and not for educational purposes. More like going to a friends house to see their pets. Please consider going to an aquarium run by scientists for educational purposes.

I want to say this has been one of the highlights of my family trip. When your 16 yo his 17 yo best…read morefriend and wife all agree on this fact it says something. As adults we have this tendency to say "if I knew then what I knew now, I'd have paid more attention in school!" Well here's your chance. This tiny aquarium will impart more knowledge in a short visit than you probably take in most months if you take advantage of it. The interns and owner (a former teacher) are committed to answering questions. The things they are studying and sharing are amazing. If you go in and you want to learn and ask questions this will be an experience you won't forget. Think of the best science teacher you ever had, having an opportunity to show the world what she loves to talk about... and that is what you have here. Do yourself a favor, go, enjoy and learn!!

Sits out of the way, Well worth the time to go see! Would highly recommend to see the museum…read more We watched both movies, but preferred the movie in the larger room.

Cute little place. Free admission. One set of rooms goes thru the history of the town and how it…read morecame about. It was very interesting how it was created, innovative. Another room was an art gallery that was from local artists. A third room was a gift shop that had items by the local artists for sale. Also some jewelry that is on sale that was nice. The gals working were also two of the artists that have contributed to the store and the community. This was the best part of my visit to the town. I really enjoyed walking thru.

We enjoyed going to the Alpine fun factory. Even though this is a family, friendly event Center me…read moreand my husband don't bring the kids. We enjoy riding the go karts at top speeds on we can getaways. We're incredibly competitive and it's great to see who can beat the other person's time. If you're looking for a great date night, just for you and your spouse this is the place to go!

Great for our daughter's 4th birthday!!! It was just SO HOTTTT! But we had a fun timeread more

The final (and perhaps the most awesome) stop on our wine tour was here at Sylvan. We stuck to the…read moredrinking areas and skipped the tour of the lodge. A bunch of folks did that because they were planning to host an event or some such. I did hear great things about the lodge. As for the drinking, we did get a special pour of the Twisted, which may or may not have been in their usual tasting menu. Sitting outside by the gas fire pits and watching the changed leaves fall to the ground is fabulous. Doing so with a tasty glass of poetry and wearing toasty clothing made it even better. Very cool, very relaxed, and pretty far away from the craziness of day-to-day life. We enjoyed our time at Sylvan Valley. [Review 18924 overall - 562 in Georgia - 2447 of 2022.]

Luke is doing GREAT business here. His vision for the future is so exciting. There is so much to…read moresee here. The back garden area is SO amazingly beautiful. The view is stunning and simultaneously relaxing. If you want a place to contemplate life's deep and beautiful mysteries. We did the (tasting of course) and the sweet Rose was absolutely perfect. Sherm had a flight and everything Luke picked for hom was amazing. Is it too soon to think about another vow renewal? What of it is destination themed? In the future Sylvan Valley lodge will feature a tapas menu, live music and group event Specialty catering. This is all according the their savant General Manager who will take you under his wing and make you feel like you are the only people who matter. I am really not sure what else to say. If the above descriptors don't let you know why you should visit this place I am not sure what would.

Coffee and gelato? Yes, please! The passion fruit gelato is absolutely out of this world, and the…read moremaple pancake latte was truly a work of art. Their menu is full of tempting flavors, and they even offer non-coffee options like teas and chai. The café is in a very cute spot in downtown Helen, within walking distance of all the shops. The staff is wonderful--Joey helped us out, and another team member went out of their way to be accommodating and informative about my latte (which I really appreciated because of my health needs). Great staff, very clean, and seriously tasty drinks and snacks. Highly recommend checking them out!

Best shop in Helen and a MUST VISIT when going through town. Unique, locally crafted gifts at every…read moreprice point. Home goods, custom maps, candles made by the Mason Jar and they smell amazing! Helen ornaments and magnets, soap scrubs, hilarious socks, hats and so much more. Check out the store and take a photo in their big blue chair outside! Across from the roller coaster. James is the owner, he's the best!