Make This Season Brightest in Helen
All About Celebrating the Ho-Ho-Holidays in Helen
The most wonderful time of the year is upon us. While there’s no place like home for the holidays, a magical escape to Helen, Georgia, will rekindle your sense of wonder for the season. The whole family will enjoy getting in the yuletide spirit in this Bavarian town that exudes Hallmark movie warmth with an abundance of festivities and shops to enjoy throughout the holiday season.
Evergreen Events
The Annual Lighting of the Village will make spirits bright right from the start on November 29th from 5 PM – 7 PM. Head to Riverside Park, where surroundings become aglow with twinkle lights as local organizations fill the air with festive tunes. Santa and Mrs. Claus will also make their first appearances of the season and welcome any early bird wish lists your kiddos would like to present or rattle off. But don’t worry if your children need a bit more time perfecting their lists! Santa will be making multiple visits at designated spots around town throughout the month of December.
On November 30th – December 1st and December 7th – 8th, Unicoi State Park and North Main Street will host the 17th Annual Helen’s Christmas Market, Christkindlmarkt. You’ll wander through a winter wonderland all its own, filled with local crafts and decorations highly similar to what you’d find at a Christmas market in the streets of Germany. It’s the perfect place to get a head start on your list with unique gifts. Food vendors and other festive treats will be available for gifting or refueling yourself as you continue on with your elf work.
There’s something about the bustle of a parade to spread holiday cheer, and Helen’s Annual Christmas Parade is bursting with enchantment. Starting at 6 PM on December 14th (rain or shine!), your whole family will delight in this storied ceremony as fire trucks and floats pass by tossing epic amounts of candy. Jolly St. Nicholas will also be flying in for the event! Stake your spot across the street from the Downtown Gazebo for prime viewing and an Instagram-worthy photo opportunity.
Georgia Mountain Coaster
To take up the adrenaline factor another notch while continuing with the merriment, ride the Georgia Mountain Coaster. Control your own speed as you zip through town, which your kids may imagine as a sleigh ride on tracks. Georgia Mountain Coaster would also be a great tradition to start with your kiddos whenever fits best into your schedule – they’re even open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (weather permitting, of course!).
Old-Fashioned Traditions
Embrace a classical Christmas by taking your family on a hailed heritage of yesteryear – a horse-drawn carriage ride. Leisurely ride through the immaculately decorated downtown Helen, set to the backbeat of your horses’ rhythmic clippity-clops. Multiple vendors are ready to escort you through the magic of our town from a quaintly new vantage point, including Pegasus Horse Drawn Carriages, Horne’s Buggy Rides, Alpine Carriage Company, Dahlonega Carriage/Gold City Corral and Misty Mountain Carriage Company.
Stepping back to the 1800s, Victorian Christmas at Hardman Farm will envelope you in all the timeless traditions to embrace this season. On Fridays and Saturdays from 4 PM to 7 PM in December, all the halls at the Mansion at West End will be decked to the nines, warmed with twinkling lights and live music. Actors in period dress will also be recounting the age-old traditions this historic site has hosted. Warm your hands up to match your heart with a smore around the campfire before you go home to continue with your own family’s Christmas traditions (and maybe even incorporate some of the ones you’ve learned about).
It’s Shopping Season
An abundance of local shops in town will help you savor your holiday shopping instead of scurrying around last minute to fill stockings. Whether you’re after the perfect gift for the one on your list that’s impossible to shop for or something festive to take to a holly-jolly hostess, you’ll find just what you’re looking for as you meander our merchants.
Check out Helen Hat Company for everything from the trendy styles your preteen is eyeing to the trucker caps for a mom to wear while running errands.
For handmade ceramics from local artists, Hickory Flat Pottery is where you’ll get to see pieces being made before selecting one that will make the next great addition to a friend’s home. This pottery is as beautiful as it is functional – it’s safe in the oven, microwave, and dishwasher and free of lead.
If you have kiddos on your shopping list this year, Jolly’s Toys is the place to go for all the playthings you could dream of. From classic handmade wooden toys to personalized items and games from around the world, this shop is up on the ins and outs of what children want this season (and any day of the year).
Holiday-themed shops are also sprinkled amidst our quaint cobblestone streets. At The Christmas Shoppe, you’ll find an array of yuletide wares to adorn any home. From classical nutcrackers to popular brands like Fitz and Floyd and Lenox, you’ll love picking out a hostess gift here (but don’t forget something for yourself too!). To see many more walkable shopping opportunities with gifts and trinkets not to be missed, click here.
As you’re hard at work being one of Santa’s honorary helpers, don’t forget a stop into Hansel and Gretel Candy Kitchen. The sugary-sweet aroma as soon as you walk through its doors tells you what you need to know – this old-fashioned establishment makes its own fudges, brittles, and other treats right on-site. Pick up a bag of handmade snow corn to treat yourself while you choose from gift boxes of chocolate covered cookies, clusters, and caramels for great stocking stuffers.
Toast the Holidays with Hyper-Local Vino
Jingle juice (read: wine) makes the holidays even more jolly, whether your tinsel is in a tangle or you’re in tight with Kris Kringle. Helen is home to numerous wineries, making it one of your top two-for-one stops on your holiday errand list: stop in for a tasting to warm your soul, while picking up a bottle (or two!) for a loved one.
Habersham Winery and Vineyards is one of the state’s oldest and largest wineries. They have a great selection of gifts, as well as artisan nibbles to tuck in for pairing.
Yonah Mountain Vineyards is set on the base of the breathtaking Yonah Mountain and invites you to take some time for yourself with mountain air amid the pleasant chaos of the season to sip on a glass of their Petit Verdot or Sauvignon Blanc.
While just 5 minutes from Helen, Sylvan Valley Lodge and Cellars will feel like a retreat all its own as you nestle into its cozy tasting room featuring their proprietary twisted wines.
With many more options to visit, you simply cannot make a wrong choice when it comes to choosing a winery in our area. The lucky recipients of any locally crafted bottle will be getting an authentic taste of our mountain air and Bavarian culture as they sip.
Celebrate the Ha-Happiest Season of All in Helen
From twinkle lights and seeing the shimmer of the holidays through your children’s eyes all over again to a decadent glass of wine and a stroll through one of our carefully curated shops to work on your Christmas list, you’ll fall in love with the happiest season of all, all over again in Helen. Make plans now to visit our winter wonderland for cherished family memories that will last all season and longer. Click here for cozy accommodations to facilitate your magical holiday escape!
