3 Days in Helen, GA: Weekend Itinerary for First-Timers

Make the most of your Helen getaway with this itinerary! Here’s how to spend an amazing 3 days in Helen, GA if it’s your first visit, with the top things to do, where to eat and drink, and the best places to stay.

Alpine Helen is a unique mountain town in North Georgia that’s made to look like a Bavarian Village with rows of timber-frame and Swiss chalet-style shops. You can get a taste of Germany on a fun weekend getaway in Helen.

Once you’ve discovered the small alpine town of Helen, you’ll never want to leave! With 3 days in Helen, you’ll have plenty of time to hit all the highlights. My Helen itinerary shows you how to make the most of your weekend getaway!

A special thanks to Alpine Helen / White County Convention & Visitors Bureau for hosting our weekend trip. As always, all opinions are my own!

3 Days in Helen, Georgia Itinerary

Helen is a popular weekend getaway from Atlanta since it’s just a short 2 hour drive from the city. For our 3-day Helen trip, we took a long weekend from Friday to Sunday.

Day 1 in Helen: Art & History

We arrived in Helen on Friday around noon, so we had most of the day free for exploring. On our first day in Helen, we decided to see some history and art sights.

Stop by the Alpine Helen Welcome Center

The Alpine Helen Welcome Center is a great place to start your trip to Helen. They have friendly staff who are ready to help you get acquainted with the town, plus there is a small exhibit on the history of the area and free public bathrooms.

Lunch at the Old Sautee Store Market

The Old Sautee Store Market is a great budget option for a quick lunch. It’s also on the way to our first major stop of the day.

We got their Ham & Cheese sandwich and Roast Beef & Pimento Cheese sandwich, plus some chips. They also have ice cream if you’re in the mood for something sweet to start off your trip.

Shop at The Old Sautee Store

Next door is The Old Sautee Store, the longest-operated store in Georgia. This general store and trading post dates back to 1872.

They still have the front set up like the old general store. But further back, the store is more of a modern local gift shop with local goods like honey, cheese, clothes, candies, toys, books, and more.

Stop in to shop their local goods and try a few free samples.

Visit the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia

Next, we headed to the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, a free museum that highlights Helen’s pottery-making history.

What I liked about this museum was how they showed the changing role of pottery in the South, from a necessity for storing goods before the invention of glass and plastic containers to decorative arts. The museum explores the different ways traditional potters worked to keep their craft relevant in a changing landscape.

Look around the Sautee-Nacoochee Cultural Center

The Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center is an 8-acre community arts center campus that includes the Folk Pottery Museum. There are also the Sautee Nacoochee History Museum, an African American Heritage Site, and art galleries.

I recommend taking a look around the campus. You can walk their nature trail, see their gardens, and see if there are any art classes going on.

When we visited, the history museum was under renovation, but I recommend checking it out when you visit for a great overview of the history of the area.

Get a glass of wine at Creekstone Winery

On our way back into town, we stopped at Creekstone Winery for a glass of wine and some mountain views.

This is one of my favorite North Georgia wineries because they give big pours for a great price. Plus, they have some of the best views.

Creekstone Winery is part of the Habersham Winery family. The wines were so popular that they decided to give their Creekstone label its own winery! If you’re still in the mood to taste more wines, Habersham Winery is also on the way back into Helen, just 3 minutes from Creekstone Winery.

Check-in at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Helen

For our weekend in Helen, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Helen. This hotel has a great location just on the edge of downtown, so you’re within a 15 minute walk of all the best Helen restaurants and shopping.

We had a King Suite with a king-sized bed, a balcony, and a jetted tub. It was a cozy place to rest between days of activity.

Other perks an amenities include an indoor heated pool that’s open year-round, complimentary coffee and tea in the lobby, and a complimentary daily breakfast.

Book your stay at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Helen here.

Explore Downtown Helen

After checking-in, we walked over to the shops of downtown Helen and explored a little. Helen has around 200 shops, so you can spend a whole weekend just shopping around.

Here are a few shops you won’t want to miss:

• Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen — fudge, brittle, and other delicious sweet treats.
• The Glassblowing Shop — unique hand-blown glass gifts and art.
• Bavarian Clockworks — the largest display of authentic Black Forest Cuckoo clocks in North America, handcrafted German cuckoo clocks, and authentic German beer steins.
• Betty’s Country Store — fresh produce, deli items, beer, wine, and fresh meat.
• Christmas Shoppe — local artisan ornaments, German- and European-made ornaments, nutcrackers, snow globes, and other Christmas decorations.

Dinner at Cowboys & Angels

For dinner, we headed to Cowboys & Angels Restaurant, a classic Southern steakhouse that serves pasta, grits, seafood, burgers, sandwiches, steaks, and Southern specialties.

We had the City Slicker NY Strip with Gouda Mac N’ Cheese and Nora Mill Grits, and the Chicken Alfredo with a side Caesar salad.

Day 2 in Helen: Adventures Galore

Our second day in Helen was full of outdoor adventures, from hiking to waterfalls to zipping through the trees (both on a zipline and on a mountain coaster). Here’s what our day 2 in Helen looked like.

Hike at Anna Ruby Falls

Our first stop in the morning was hiking at Anna Ruby Falls, a popular waterfall hike near Helen.

The hike to the falls is only 0.5 miles on a paved trail with a slight incline (so 1 mile round-trip). There are two separate viewing platforms at the bottom of the falls.

To get to Anna Ruby Falls, you’ll drive through Unicoi State Park, but it isn’t part of the park and it has it’s own entrance fee.

Hike the Lake Loop Trail at Unicoi State Park

Since we had to drive through Unicoi State Park to get to Anna Ruby Falls, we decided to stop and take a hike in the park as well.

We did the Unicoi Lake Loop Trail, an easy 2.5 mile loop around Unicoi Lake. This hike starts and ends at the Visitor Center, which has a small museum of taxidermized animals inside.

The hike follows along the shores of Unicoi Lake on an even, unpaved path. Numbered docks provide scenic stopping points where you can enjoy the lake views or do a little fishing.

Lunch at Cafe International

For lunch, we headed back into town to eat at Cafe International. This is a great spot on the river that has a menu of European sandwiches.

We dined on the covered patio overlooking the Chattahoochee River and watched some tubers go by.

We ordered the Rueben sandwich (considered the best in town) and their house specialty Camel Rider sandwich.

Ride the Georgia Mountain Coaster

After lunch, we rode the Georgia Mountain Coaster, one of the most exciting things to do in Helen (make sure you’re plenty digested after lunch before riding!).

This is the first and only mountain coaster in Georgia. The way it works is like a giant slide on tracks: gravity brings you down, and you control the speed with a hand break.

The ride is fun, but it’s pretty short, and the line can be long. They do offer a deal for half off your second ride on the same day, so I recommend taking advantage of that when it’s not very crowded.

Zipline at Nacoochee Adventures

We were in for more thrills at Nacoochee Adventures, an outdoor outfitter that offers zipline adventures, a giant swing, and a challenge ropes course.

We did their Big Zip Intimidator, which is a nearly 0.5-mile-long duel zipline that lets you race your friends on the way down (Kevin won our race).

If you feel like you have more time in your itinerary, you can take a longer canopy tour that includes things like 70-foot platforms, a tour of an authentic 1800s goldmine, and a nature hike past a bear cave.

Book your Big Zip Intimidator zipline ride here.

Dinner at Hofbrauhaus Restaurant & Pub

For dinner, we ate at Hofbrauhaus Restaurant and Pub. This popular German restaurant is one of the best in Helen, and it has a great location overlooking the Chattahoochee River.

We had the Soft Pretzel and Beer Cheese to start, the Rahm Schnitzel or the Weiner Schnitzel for our main dishes, and traditional sides like spätzle.

Day 3 in Helen: Uniquely Helen

For our third and final day in Helen, we saw some sights that are very uniquely Helen, things that you won’t find anywhere else.

Breakfast at Hofer’s Bakery and Cafe

Fore breakfast, we ate at Hofer’s Bakery and Cafe. The bakery is open all day while the cafe is only open for breakfast and lunch. We decided to wait in the long line for the cafe, but it was well worth it.

We had the Apfelküchle and the Alpine French Toast.

Visit Nora Mill Granary

Next, we made a stop at Nora Mill Granary Grist Mill & Country Store. This gristmill was established in 1876 and continues to make famous grits to this day.

Get a bag of their grits, cornmeal, pancake and waffle mixes, flour, or biscuit mixes, or take home some gifts like local candy, jams, jellies, honey, and kitchen items.

Walk the Helen to Hardman Heritage Trail

Still stuffed from breakfast, we walked it off on the Helen to Hardman Heritage Trail. This 1-mile (2 miles out-and-back) paved ADA accessible trail follows along the Chattahoochee River from Helen to the Hardman Farm State Historic Site.

Parking is available at both ends, so it’s up to you where you park (either way, I’m recommending you visit Hardman Farm in this itinerary, so you can either start at the farm or put it in the middle of your walk).

It’s an easy and peaceful walk that has some informational plaques about Helen’s history and the native plants and animals in the area.

Tour the Hardman Farm State Historic Site

Next up was a tour of the Hardman Farm State Historic Site.

This beautiful Italianate mansion offers guided tours of the inside of the home. Then you’re on your own to explore the estate and outer buildings of the historic dairy farm.

Across from the farm, you can see the Nacoochee Indian Mound built by the South Appalachian Mississippian people. You can’t directly access the mound, but it is part of the Hardman Farm estate. It’s one of the most photographed spots in Helen.

Lunch at Betty’s Country Store

For lunch, we stopped at Betty’s Country Store. This supermarket / butcher counter / bakery / deli / patio bar is a local favorite.

We dined on the patio bar where you seat yourself and fill out a paper menu to build your own sandwich. If you want a drink, you can order that at the bar when you take them your paper.

We had the Roast Beef sandwich on Sub bread with Provolone and Horseradish, the Chicken Salad on a Croissant, plus a Peach Bellini.

Visit BabyLand General Hospital

On our way home, we stopped at BabyLand General Hospital. This is the birthplace of the Cabbage Patch Kids.

This is basically a giant toy store presented as a hospital, nursery, and adoption center. So it’s free to visit, but it obviously costs to adopt your own Cabbage Patch Kids doll.

Babyland General Hospital displays some of the original Cabbage Patch Kids, which is really cool to see. And in the store, there are exclusive dolls that you can’t get anywhere else.

Where to Stay for a Weekend in Helen

Helen has every type of stay for your weekend, from traditional hotels to cozy cabins. I’ve stayed in a few different cabins in Helen as well as in a hotel downtown. Where you stay really depends on how close to the action you want to be.

If you want to be within walking distance of the shops and restaurants in downtown, then I recommend staying at a hotel like the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Helen or the Helendorf River Inn.

If you want to have a secluded getaway in nature, then a cabin rental is definitely the way to go. I’ve previously done cabins in the Innsbruck gated community, which have always been great for large groups. For a smaller group, I recommend this duplex with a hot tub.

And if you want a traditional hotel experience with more seclusion, then you could do the Unicoi Lodge or the Valhalla Resort Hotel.

I typically opt for a nice cabin in the woods because that gives me the best chance of seeing bears. On our first visit to Helen, we actually saw a family of black bears roaming a small clearing outside the kitchen window!

3 Days in Helen Map

Ready to use this 3 days in Helen weekend itinerary yourself? Check out the map below for all the locations listed in this post.

I hope you have an incredible trip to Helen, Georgia!

More Helen Travel Tips

Make the most of your trip to Helen, Georgia with these helpful posts:

• 25 Fun Things to Do in Helen, Georgia
• 12 Best Restaurants in Helen (That Aren’t Just German Food)
• Top North Georgia Wineries for a Weekend Getaway
• Unicoi State Park: Tips for Your Perfect Visit
• Unicoi to Helen Trail at Unicoi State Park
• Things To Do on a Day Trip to the North Georgia Mountains
• Hiking Anna Ruby Falls in Helen, GA
• Unicoi Lake Loop Trail at Unicoi State Park
• Walking the Helen to Hardman Heritage Trail in Helen, GA

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Ready to visit Helen, Georgia? Plan your trip with these tips.

• Book Your Flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
• Find Accommodation: You can find top cabin rentals in Helen using VRBO.
• Start Packing: Check out my packing list resources so you’re prepared for your trip.
• Explore Helen in a New Way: Enjoy a Mystery Picnic Date in Helen to discover more of the town.

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Cheers!

Paige

When are you planning to spend 3 days in Helen, Georgia? Did you find this Helen itinerary helpful? Let me know in the comments!