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• Helen: Georgia's little 'Bavaria in Blue Ridge Mountains
  Helen — There's more to "Alpine" Helen than bratwurst, beer and cuckoo clocks. Base yourselves in the kitschy Bavaria-in-the-Blue Ridge, and your one-tank trip can take you through nearly 200 years of Georgia mountain folk pottery. You can shop for Swedish farmers' cheese and just-ground grits and cornmeal, hike to waterfalls, picnic by Georgia's smallest covered bridge, explore one of our premier state parks, and end the day doing the "Chicken Dance" at Oktoberfest. Don't miss
  
  
• Hoschton: A blend of 'très chic!' and 'aw, shucks!'
  If you miss the sign, you won't realize you're leaving Braselton and driving into Hoschton until you notice the scarecrows fluttering in the breeze. They're along the main artery through town — dressed as mechanics and cowboys, football players and referees, angels and demons, even characters from the "Wizard of Oz." Where the city limits of these two towns abut, it's hard to tell them apart. Both have antiques stores for browsing, locally run restaurants and other small-town businesses. But the upscale development around Château Élan Winery & Resort has given some sections of Braselton a tonier look and overshadowed more folksy Hoschton. Hence, the scarecrows. Hoschton (properly pronounced like PUSH-ton, but with an H, according to the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce) recently went all-out attempting a Guinness World Record for the most scarecrows in a single ZIP code, an effort the whole town got behind. All indications are they set a record, with more than 4,000.
  
  
• Cumberland Island will get disputed vehicle tours
  John Fry mashes the brakes and curses under his breath as a pack of wild hogs scurries across the narrow dirt road, where spiky palmetto fronds claw at both sides of his National Park Service pickup truck. It takes nearly an hour to drive the bumpy 13-mile Main Road on wild Cumberland Island. Fry's truck passes within inches of burly live oak branches drooping overhead. Backpackers hiking the route are forced to step off and let him pass. "We lose a lot of mirrors and windshields here," says Fry, the Park Service's chief resource manager for the island, nodding toward the twisted mount for the truck's missing passenger-side mirror.
  
  
• Ga. town keeps Laurel and Hardy's legacy alive
  HARLEM, Ga. — A blink-and-you'll-miss-it town in rural east Georgia is the last place you'd expect to find the country's only museum dedicated to the classic comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. But anyone driving along Interstate 20 near the South Carolina state line can't miss the big brown sign pointing to the museum in Harlem, a sleepy hamlet of 1,800 founded 140 years ago along the now-defunct Georgia Railroad line. Hardy's mustachioed face is everywhere, from the water tower looming overhead to the sign welcoming visitors on the outskirts of town. Ollie's Laundry stands in place of the two-story house where the rotund comedian was born in 1892 just off the town's main drag.
  
  
• Ferry service renews link between Ga., Fla. cities
  ST. MARYS, Ga. — Two neighboring cities on either side of the Georgia-Florida line are looking for a tourism boost now that a ferryboat is shuttling passengers between them for the first time in nearly a century. The Cumberland Sound Ferry Service opened several weeks ago, offering tourists round trips three days a week between St. Marys in Georgia's southeastern corner and Fernandina Beach, Fla., less than 8 miles away. Janet Brinko, director of the St. Marys Convention and Visitors Bureau, said both cities already notice a difference.
  
  
• Len Foote Hike Inn requires joyous 5-mile walk
  The Len Foote Hike Inn hasn't changed much in 10 years. Thank goodness. The 20-room lodge deep in the North Georgia woods remains a rustic retreat without high-definition flat-screen televisions or wireless Internet access. What the heck, the place still doesn't have flush toilets. What the Hike Inn has in abundance is a luxury hard to find these days — tranquillity.
  
  
• Savannah a rich destination, no matter what you spend
  BUDGET Getting there: The 250-mile road trip is about a four-hour drive from metro Atlanta. Stay: Inn at Mulberry Grove's Paula Deen's Savannah package includes overnight accommodations, two Paula Deen tour tickets, breakfast buffet, buffet lunch at Paula's Uncle Bubba's Oyster House and preferred seating at Deen's The Lady & Sons Restaurant, from $169.95. innatmulberrygrove.com, 912-965-9666.
  
  
• Appalachian spas soothing, uplifting
  For centuries, the tranquil foothills and mountains of the southeastern United States have provided the perfect setting for world-class spas. From a soothing view of a soaring vista to the simple sounds of wind chimes blowing in the cool mountain breeze, higher-elevation spas in the region can be pleasingly peaceful. "As many vacationers are planning trips around the spa experience, the mountains of the Southeast make for a tranquil getaway," says Lynne McNees, president of the International SPA Association. "The beautiful scenery allows spa-goers to relax, reflect and revitalize while reducing stress." Whether for a quick weekend away or a weeklong spa vacation designed to take overall well-being to new heights, this overview of options focuses on resorts in the region's mountains and foothills that offer top spas on-property or nearby.
  
  
• Cartersville museum becomes sanctuary for Western art
  An elegant museum in Cartersville's modest downtown has become a surprising sanctuary for Western art collectors. The Booth Western Art Museum is celebrating its fifth anniversary with a display of 37 pieces of Western art called "Western American Art South of the Sweet Tea Line II." Executive director Seth Hopkins said the idea is to show seldom-seen Western art from around the South. The exhibit includes works from from 74 private collectors, museums and galleries around the region.
  
  
• Southeastern festivals
  GEORGIA Watkinsville — Perspectives 2008 Georgia Pottery Invitational, through Sept. 17, features the works of 50 contemporary Georgia potters. The event includes exhibits, workshops and studio tours, as well as the chance to purchase handmade pottery. 706-769-4565, www.ocaf.com. Jekyll Island — Shrimp & Grits Festival, Sept. 19-21, celebrates fresh wild Georgia shrimp. There will be a cooking competition, a shrimp-eating contest, book signings, music, a family area and vendors displaying arts, crafts, antiques and collectibles. Separate activities in the area include shrimping excursions or exploring a real shrimp boat. 1-877-453-5955, www.jekyllisland.com.
  
  
• The Cloister, Sea Island's crown jewel, sparkles anew
  • What to know if you go The glorious Grande Dame of Georgia's coast is back for her second act. Count on the 21st-century reincarnation of the Cloister at Sea Island to be the epitome of good taste and Old World charm, just like the 1928 original that has graciously hosted U.S. presidents, world dignitaries, royalty, celebrities, sports legends, CEOs and regular folks.
  
  
• Take note: Music sets the beat for city in Macon, Ga.
  Macon — Behind its genteel Old South skirts, this city of 100,000 cherishes its old-time blues and rock 'n' roll heritage. The recorded voice of "Little Richard" Penniman "answers" the visitors bureau's phone. "Hi, this is Little Richard, architect of rock 'n' roll, coming to you from my hometown of Macon, Georgia, the song and soul of the South," says the flamboyant native son, who shouted "Tutti-Frutti," "Lucille," "The Girl Can't Help It" and other blockbusters to the top of the R&R heap in the 1950s and '60s. A bootlegger's son, Little Richard (born Richard Wayne Penniman) cut his musical teeth in churches and Ann's Tic Toc, a downtown gay bar. It's now the Tic Toc Room, an upscale restaurant, with a New Southern/American menu, martini and wine lists, a piano bar and a booth where the budding superstar's stage once stood.
  
  
• Golf trips give families chance to bond, enjoy nature
  Scott Campbell's yearly golf trip started a decade ago as a getaway, a few rounds with an old buddy. Both of them had preteen sons, and Campbell left 10-year-old Joe back home in Lawrenceville with the rest of the family. But as his boy grew up and got interested in golf, Campbell realized how little time he had left with Joe. The same thing was dawning on his old golf buddy regarding his son. But would Joe get bored on the golf trip? Would having two boys along ruin the guy experience? Would it be an expensive bust?
  
  
• With trails, history, Gainesville is worth own visit
  GAINESVILLE — You've probably passed the Gainesville exit on I-985, headed to Lake Lanier or the mountains and wondered: What's over there? Turns out, there's plenty. With about 35,000 residents, the seat of Hall County has a thriving downtown square, with fun places to eat and shop. You can walk miles of nature trails, turn the kids loose in a hands-on museum, enjoy a fine arts museum, a history museum and live theater or take a ghost walk on a college campus. You'll find a slew of Tex-Mex eateries in "The Poultry Capital of the World," thanks to thousands of Latino workers. Close enough to have Metro Atlanta's 770 area code, it's far enough for a short-term adventure.
  
  
• Forget Europe, you got Fauxrope
  There is no free lunch, as anyone who's broken bread with friends just back from a vacation knows. After hours of fake-smiling your way through bad risotto and sagas of lost luggage, you're almost free when — wham! — out come the photos. All 257 of them, each with a story attached. You're lucky to make it home before their next vacation. So ... can I interest you in a little risotto? When I decided to spend this summer in a place I've come to call Fauxrope — "European" hot spots right here in Georgia — my expectations were modest: Save money by going to our Rome and Vienna instead of theirs. See Georgia through newly appreciative eyes. Cleverly ensure I'd be elsewhere when my editors needed somebody at an important sewer hearing.
  
  

Headlines last updated at Oct 10, 2008 19:29:13pm.
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