Avoiding Atlanta going to Helen GA (Columbus, Macon: living in, trailer, pine)

[lizzyst]

Is it possible to get to Helen, GA without the craziness of Atlanta and suburb traffic?!

It took my family 5 hours to reach Helen this past week, going and coming back from Auburn AL in the middle of the week, when it should have been about a "3-hour tour." Never again!! I thought about Hwy 27 N from Pine Mt area and then going across somehow, but it would be the same time, minus the frustration of course--it would be worth it to me! Thanks!

[fieldm]

Which interstate did you go and at what time?

[MattCW]

27 Takes you the wrong way entirely. The best thing you can do is use an app like Waze which provides real-time traffic information and the ability to reroute while underway. Did you go through Atlanta on 75/85 or take I-285?

[lizzyst]

Just desperate to avoid Atlanta no matter how far/how long it took! I've traveled 27 before and it was very pleasant. We went I 85 going up (Tuesday at rush hour, (I know, I know) but it was middle of the week and I 285 about 3:30 PM coming back and hoping for a better experience--it took us 1-1/2 hours to go 30 miles on I 285.

[lizzyst]

We decided people who live in Atlanta must be addicted to exhaust diesel fumes, double trailer rigs, and adrenaline to stay there! How else to they stand to live there???

[DJDeadParrot]

Draw a straight line from Auburn to Helen, and it literally bisects 285 quite neatly along the Hooch!

So, yeah, you would have to go a considerable way out of your way to avoid metro ATL roads. There's probably a point at which making a circuitous tour of north Georgia would yield even more time on the road than just dealing with metro ATL congestion.

But, let's see what we can do...

A combination of US 80, US 129, and US 441, going through Columbus, Macon, and Athens would stretch a ~200 mile trip into nearly 300 miles. I can tell you first-hand that the Antebellum Trail going north from Macon is a nice drive.

Riding US 27 up to around Rome, then cutting across on 53 is another possibility. I think you might find yourself getting into the same Helen-bound traffic as everyone else coming up from ATL once you get to the Dawsonville-Dahlonega area and 400/115. Might not be so bad mid-week, though.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by lizzyst

We decided people who live in Atlanta must be addicted to exhaust diesel fumes, double trailer rigs, and adrenaline to stay there! How do they stand to live there???

Many people would say the same about living in Auburn, AL!

Your first mistake was trying to pass through the city during rush hour on a weekday. Nobody does that unless they absolutely have to. Most times on the weekends you can zip around or even through town fairly quickly, unless there's a special event or an accident. During the week, there's a window of opportunity usually between about 10 am and 3 pm when the Connector through downtown and midtown moves at least at the speed limit. Otherwise you just learn your way around and become familiar with alternate routes, etc. Oftentmes during rush hour it's much quicker to take surface streets, especially in the city.

As for getting from Alabama to Helen ... my sister lives in Cleveland just SW of Helen and it never takes us more than 2 hours to get there from Peachtree City / Fayetteville going straight up I-85 through Gwinnett and Gainesville. You just picked a bad day.

[LarsMac]

Take US-27 north to Buchanan, SR-120 to Dallas, SR-61 to Cartersville, and then across SR-20 to Cumming, where you pick up 19.
It's a long drive (about 5 to 5.5 hours) but a lot more interesting than the Atlanta Expressways.
We have family around Lake Lanier and Cleveland, and have used that route in reverse to get to I-20 Westbound.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by lizzyst

We decided people who live in Atlanta must be addicted to exhaust diesel fumes, double trailer rigs, and adrenaline to stay there! How else to they stand to live there???

The secret to living the good life in Atlanta: Minimize driving. I bet I drive a lot less that most people in rural areas do. Biking down the Beltline or walking a couple blocks to pick up a few items makes even basic errand runs enjoyable.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by lizzyst

We decided people who live in Atlanta must be addicted to exhaust diesel fumes, double trailer rigs, and adrenaline to stay there! How else to they stand to live there???

It's a great city, lizzy. Not for everyone, but if you like urbanity and the things a large city can offer, it ain't bad at all.