Outdoor activities around Atlanta? (Nashville, Dahlonega: transplants, camp, living in)

[michael49]

My wife and I currently live in New England. We love to hike, run, bike, kayak, etc but are getting a bit tired of the freezing NE winters, amoungst other things.

Is there much hiking, etc in the mountains near Atlanta? We are fairly liberal minded and like interesting towns with small, artsy shops and restaruants, etc. We love La Madeline! We do like areas that seem to be progressive and growing, however. Any recommened towns? Thanks in advance for the input.

[goozer]

There are a lot of good hiking, biking, and kayaking options in the North Georgia mountains, all within a two hour drive of Atlanta. Most of the outdoor stuff is north of the city, but there are a couple of good state parks within an hour or less to the east (Hard Labor Creek SP), west (Sweetwater Creek SP), and south (FD Roosevelet SP) of Atlanta. As far as north Georgia goes, the outdoor options are near limitless. The mountains are not the tallest in the Appalachians (topping out in the 4000' range, as opposed to the 6000+ foot range in NC and TN to the north), but they are pretty and terrific for year round hiking. The rivers around Atlanta range from gentle paddles in metro Atlanta on the Chattahoochie river to Class V rapids on the Chattooga. And while Georgia as a whole is a conservative "red" state, you will find many more liberal enclaves in the metro Atlanta area.

[whinton]

I am from Atlanta, but now live in New England. You will be able to find good hiking, kayaking, etc in the North Georgia mountains, 1-2 hours drive depending where you live in the Atlanta area. However, the kinds of towns you are looking for are rare and much smaller. (The North Georgia mountains are very, very conservative) Dahlonega, GA (maybe Blue Ridge or Elijay) has a a few such shops/restaurants. Asheville, NC may be an option, but is a 4 hour drive and is a larger city. Chattanooga, TN also has some interesting places downtown, but is also a larger city.

[michael49]

Thanks for the info Goozer.

Originally Posted by whinton

I am from Atlanta, but now live in New England. You will be able to find good hiking, kayaking, etc in the North Georgia mountains, 1-2 hours drive depending where you live in the Atlanta area. However, the kinds of towns you are looking for are rare and much smaller. (The North Georgia mountains are very, very conservative) Dahlonega, GA (maybe Blue Ridge or Elijay) has a a few such shops/restaurants. Asheville, NC may be an option, but is a 4 hour drive and is a larger city. Chattanooga, TN also has some interesting places downtown, but is also a larger city.

Thanks.
I have visited Asheville and although it seemed OK but it felt a litlle too isolated for me. I also visited Chattanooga a couple of months ago (attended a conference in Nashville) and unfortunately, I was not impressed at all.

[whinton]

Originally Posted by michael49

Thanks for the info Goozer.

Thanks.
I have visited Asheville and although it seemed OK but it felt a litlle too isolated for me. I also visited Chattanooga a couple of months ago (attended a conference in Nashville) and unfortunately, I was not impressed at all.

Sure and I agree. I must say that I have been very impressed with all the amazing towns here in New England...Ogunquit Portland, Portsmouth, North Conway, Northampton, Hanover, Newburyport....I could go on and on....

[BobKovacs]

One town worth checking out is Helen, GA. Back in the late 60's/early 70's they re-developed the entire town into an Alpine Village themed venue, and it does pretty wel. There's plenty of shops, (many of them are more touristy/kitchy than what I'd call "artsy"), some good restaurants, and some great scenery. Helen is rouhgly 1.5-2 hours from Atlanta.

Are you planning on living in a larger town and just doing trips, or are you looking to settle in someplace small?

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

One town worth checking out is Helen, GA. Back in the late 60's/early 70's they re-developed the entire town into an Alpine Village themed venue, and it does pretty wel.

Don't try to drive through Helen on Labor Day weekend. Just ... don't.

It's a very pretty area, though. Touristy. It's like the Wisconsin Dells and a ski village had a love child.

[michael49]

Originally Posted by whinton

Sure and I agree. I must say that I have been very impressed with all the amazing towns here in New England...Ogunquit Portland, Portsmouth, North Conway, Northampton, Hanover, Newburyport....I could go on and on....

Totally agree. I don't think you can't beat the diversity of New England. We love to take road trips here in the Summer and Fall. We live right near Northampton actually!! My wife and I are just getting tired of the Winters; its 17 degrees as I type!!

[goozer]

Originally Posted by michael49

My wife and I currently live in New England. We love to hike, run, bike, kayak, etc but are getting a bit tired of the freezing NE winters, amoungst other things.

Is there much hiking, etc in the mountains near Atlanta? We are fairly liberal minded and like interesting towns with small, artsy shops and restaruants, etc. We love La Madeline! We do like areas that seem to be progressive and growing, however. Any recommened towns? Thanks in advance for the input.

While I understand that you are considering North Georgia as a place to escape the cold New England winters, and the winters ARE much more mild here, there are also many other towns throughout the country that meet your qualifications. Are there any other areas you are considering? And if so, you may want to post your question on the broader "General U.S." board. Of course, for any given city mentioned, you are liable to get many boosters and detractors.

[michael49]

Originally Posted by goozer

While I understand that you are considering North Georgia as a place to escape the cold New England winters, and the winters ARE much more mild here, there are also many other towns throughout the country that meet your qualifications. Are there any other areas you are considering? And if so, you may want to post your question on the broader "General U.S." board. Of course, for any given city mentioned, you are liable to get many boosters and detractors.

Very true, but I think we want to be somewhere in the Southeast as all of our family lives near the East coast, so that limits us. I lived in FL (Tampa area) for a few years and it was nice, but we like to hike and camp (looking for forrested areas with mountains nearby) and we do like some change of seasons. I've also visited Charlotte and didn't like it much.

Also, I realize that the Atlanta area has many transplants, but I tend to like Southerners better than Northerners (and I grew up in Connecticut!); much more friendly overall.