Don and I went to Helen, GA, on our honeymoon 44 years ago. We didn’t have any reservations and were lucky to get the last cabin at Unicoi State Park. After having dinner in town, we walked around the shops. We saw a sign in the welcome center that said if you were unable to find a room for the night, call this number, and they would find a room for you, even if it was in someone’s home. I thought that was so welcoming! Boy, times have changed! Now there are a lot of places to stay and a lot of shops and restaurants!
We met at 7:30 at the senior center and left on a chartered bus at 8 am. Everyone was wearing the pretty pink shirts that we were given. Sue and Heather were so organized! We got a treat bag with a Chick-fil-A treat, along with an itinerary for the day and other goodies. The drive took about 2 ½ hours due to rush hour traffic, and it was raining pretty heavily the whole time we were traveling.
When we arrived in Helen, the rain had stopped. We were told to meet back at the bus by 2:15, and we would leave at 2:30.
Don and I walked around town and saw that a pretzel was $12.95. We looked at different restaurant menus, but none had the prices on them. Plus, neither one of us was very hungry, so we settled on eating at Wendy’s. After that, we shopped some more. We went to the GA arts and crafts building, which also held the History of Helen museum. We were able to watch two videos that told about the history of Helen. The town wasn’t crowded at all, and one shop owner told us that this was the slow season, which made it a perfect time for us to come visit! I liked that it wasn’t wall-to-wall people. We were able to go into the souvenir shops and look around without bumping into people. The sun even came out, and it was a beautiful day!
Everyone showed up on time to board the bus at 2:15. The drive back took only 2 hours, and it was a lovely ride home.
I’m thankful to the City of Fountain Inn for funding our trip and to Sue and Heather for organizing the trip. I know it was a lot of work!
Original Photos by Pat Hensley
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