  
Back To News/PR Index | Cheers to the Second Annual Unicoi Winefest Event | Plan a weekend getaway and raise a glass in the North Georgia Mountains, November 1 | 
| Soak up an autumn mountain day complete with wine tastings and bottle sales from seven of White County’s wineries, food tastings from local restaurants and caterers, arts, crafts and live music from local musicians. Parking is free and includes shuttle service to and from parking lots. The event costs $30 per person and includes a commemorative wine glass and 12 tasting tickets (for ages 21 and older). Additional tasting tickets may be purchased at the Unicoi Wine Market booth where patrons of the event can also purchase bottles of their favorite award winning wines and Unicoi Wine Festival memorabilia. Guided tours of the Hardman Farm Georgia Historic Site will be available throughout the day. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.UnicoiWineFestival.com and like the event on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/UnicoiWineFestival. Tickets can also be purchased through the new Unicoi Wine Trail App, available now in the Apple Store and Google Play. While in town, take time to shop Sautee, a metaphor for the community itself: artist-centric, distinctive and fun. From the upscale Shapiro’s Gallery of American Crafts to InsideOut Sautee, emphasis on home furnishings, pottery, jewelry, glass and home to a Local Artists’ Gallery. Find Native American art and crafts at Prairie Trails, and vintage goods at Another Time Antiques, which specializes in American antiques. Sautee is heaven for shoppers whose quest goes well beyond same-old/same-old. Next, move on to Nacoochee Village and the Willows Pottery where you can – you guessed it – paint your own pottery. Browse among artwork, jewelry, designer candles and European soaps at The Red Door or meander back through history at the Nacoochee Antique Mall and Nora Mill. Got gourd? Pop into The Gourd Place and see the highly decorative and functional kitchen, toy and gift items made from this versatile fruit. Wander
around the downtown Helen area, where cares are left behind as you gab
with your group alongside the Chattahoochee River. Peruse the shops where
you’ll find hand-blown, fused and recycled art glass, handcrafted, glazed
and painted pottery and hand-pieced and sewn quilts where the number of
tiny, even stitches per square is still a badge of honor among practitioners
of this age-old art form.
Uppermost Photo: Plan a mountain getaway during Unicoi’s second annual Winefest event, November 1. Credit: David Greear Left: Sample sips from a variety of North Georgia wineries. Credit: Alpine Helen-White County CVB Middle: Autumn showcases her finest hues in the mountains of North Georgia. Credit: Alpine Helen-White County CVB Right: Feast the senses at the Unicoi Winefest – complete with wine, food, arts, crafts, music and more. Credit: David Greear Tempt taste buds at downtown dining destinations and savor a sip at a locally-owned coffee shop or winery - all without ever having to pile into a car! Wineries include award-winning Habersham Winery, one of Georgia’s oldest and largest wineries with a gift shop that is an oenophile’s paradise with French oak barrels, American oak barrels, varietal vinifera wines and Georgia grown and produced wines; Yonah Mountain Vineyards Tasting Room, set in the foothills of Yonah Mountain and offering sips at a beautiful hand-crafted wine bar with sweeping views - home to the State’s only wine cave and deriving its name from the Cherokee word “yonah” for “bear”; Sylvan Valley Cellars, part of Sylvan Valley Lodge; Frogtown Cellars, where estate grown wines have achieved recognition and acclaim from national and international wine critics, writers, and judges; the very charming Sautee Nacoochee Vineyards, known as a family farm winery famous for creating hand-crafted wines with a truly personal touch; Serenity Cellars, celebrating the fusion of wine, music and art in a setting with Tuscan sensibilities; and, The Cottage Vineyard and Winery, a beautiful vineyard with 360-degree mountain views. Shout, “fore!” at Innsbruck and Mossy Creek Golf Courses, championship 18-hole golf courses with a driving range. Carve your way through the forest as you race down mountain biking trails. See who walks away telling the biggest tale as you test your angler skills seeking trout in North Georgia’s trophy trout streams. Want to improve your chance of luring in the big one? Sign up for fly fishing lessons. Seek out Anna Ruby Falls in the Chattahoochee National Forest – a moderate ½-mile paved trail leads to two viewing decks of twin waterfalls. Unicoi State Park & Lodge, with more than 1,000 acres of wilderness, and Smithgall Woods offer educational programming: workshops, lectures and concerts. Drive along the Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway or Southern Highroads Trail. From the marked entrance to Dukes Creek Falls on the Russell Scenic Highway, Dukes Creek Falls Trail is a 1.9-mile round-trip hike in a series of three switchbacks that lead down to falls on Davis Creek at its confluence with Dukes Creek. Hiking, birding, guided tours, nature photography and wildlife observation as well as canoeing and kayaking on Unicoi Lake provide more opportunities to commune in nature. Cool off with white water rafting adventures or slow the pace with canoeing and kayaking – Wildwood Outfitters offers rentals and trips for water excursions. Stay the weekend and choose between a downtown Helen hotel or cozy mountaintop inn. Explore a historic bed and breakfast or sprawl out in a spacious cabin in the Sautee Valley. Mountain cabins and lodges galore, many of which overlook the Chattahoochee River that also runs through Helen’s downtown, dot the landscape and provide the perfect resting place where, after stocking up on local fare like the famous Black Bean Dip from Betty’s Country Store, authentic Bavarian pastries from Hofer’s Bakery and local cider or wine or locally-roasted Jumpin’ Goat Coffee, it’s easy to have fun spending time together or taking some time alone walking through the forest or by the river or creeks. Helen and the surrounding White County area lets guests unplug – you never have to leave home base except for occasional trips to town for shopping in boutiques and art galleries, visiting wineries or dining out. Media
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