So, just a bit over two hours away is a little "German" town called Alpine Helen, GA. One of the cool things is they celebrate Oktoberfest for the entire month of October.
All of the buildings are built to German/Alpine/Bavarian appearances:
The wedding chapel:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0002-1200.jpg)
Artwork on one of the motels:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0004-1200.jpg)
The Chattahoochee river & International Café where C1 and I at supper & picked up free t-shirt with our pitcher of Pilsner Urquell:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0006-1200.jpg)
Artwork on one of the store windows:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0008-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0009-1200.jpg)
The town square:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0011-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0014-1200.jpg)
Fountain in the middle of the main street:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0013-1200.jpg)
One of the many narrow streets:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0015-1200.jpg)
View from the entrance of the place with the awesome Happy Hour (It was actually 2 hours :D)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0016-1200.jpg)
A phone booth :lol
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0017-1200.jpg)
More to come!
JM
Oktoberfest in the Fest Halle!
Overall view of the hall:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0028-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0029-1200.jpg)
Mmmm.... Cake!
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0038-1200.jpg)
Mmmm.... Beer!
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0030-1200.jpg)
Three of my favorite things!
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0026-1200.jpg)
More yet!
JM
More architecture!
Candy shop:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0047-1200.jpg)
One of those buildings is an awesome pub (the one with the green decking).
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0051-1200.jpg)
Another shot of the town square:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0055-1200.jpg)
Another hotel:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0068-1200.jpg)
One of the nicer looking designs, too bad it had been closed for at least a year or two:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0059-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0060-1200.jpg)
Still more to come!
JM
Last group, this is in the Unicoi State Park, the falls itself is actually a USFS area within Unicoi. This is just a few minute outside of Helen.
The river walking up to the falls:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0073-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0075-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0087-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0083-1200.jpg)
Anna Ruby Falls:
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0089-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0092-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0094-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0095-1200.jpg)
(http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn168/the_journeyman/Helen/DSC_0096-1200.jpg)
Hope you enjoyed!!!
JM
That's badass. I'll have to check that out next year.
How far from WNC?
We live in Waynesville, and it's roughly a 2hours and 30minutes to get down there. Not far at all really.
JM
OK, maybe I'm wrong, but I thought Oktoberfest (especially in Germany) was celebrated in September...
Awesome pics though. I'd love to check the place out if I was near by...
It starts in September, but in Helen, it continues until November 1st!
JM
Quote from: NAKID on October 26, 2009, 05:07:40 PM
OK, maybe I'm wrong, but I thought Oktoberfest (especially in Germany) was celebrated in September...
You're slipping, man... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest)
And here is another German town, albeit not fake... http://www.frankenmuth.org/ (http://www.frankenmuth.org/)
OK, true, it is still occurring in October, but not by more than a few days. Certainly not the entire month...
Besides, I was just going off the top of my head... ;D
Hmm.... [coffee]
I'll not be around for anything remotely resembling a German holiday.
That said, I need to find this place. Especially if they brew their own festbier.
I took the family various times up there, specially for watching the x-mas lights. It was cool, but there's something wrong with going to a german restaurant and the waitress speaking in a southern accent. Great little town to see for an hour and continue your ride.
If you ever get the chance, stop through Hermann, MO. Its about an hour south of I-70.
Tiny German community. Someone figured out that the hills might make a good vineyard. Hermannhoff Vineyard was opened.
Then they realized that Midwesterners prefer beer. And they started brewing.
Plus, the little 2-lane back roads that lead to Hermann, MO, are pretty much awesome. [moto]
Awesome. I love me some polka and oktoberfest!
mitt
That's awesome you were able to get some Czech beer in the fake German town! [beer]
That place does look like a lot of fun.
My parents dragged me down to Helen a few times as a kid. Later I rode down there with my dad on the bikes. Neat little place, but pretty dull when I was a teenager. On the plus side, I tried bratwurst for the first time there! From your pics, it doesn't look like it's changed much in 15 years or so.
Helen's about 50 mi. from my house and over some great roads. N. Ga. has some of the very, very best roads in the US.
I live in a "fake" German town too. (V)Walhalla, SC. My teachers in grammar school were, (V)Waltz, Shoemaker, Kaufman, Timmerman, Stoudemaye, Snyder, and Broome and Brandt. [beer]
German was still being spoken when I was a kid, although it became somewhat less popular during WWI.
We do Oktoberfest in October too. [beer]
Nice pics JM.
LA
I've never been there, but...I believe there's a German city/town in texas. I think there was something on the travel channel about it. There's where all my knowledge of outside CA comes from.
Leavenworth WA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leavenworth,_Washington).
Barvarian themed town.
heh, that kinda reminds me of solvang....
Quote from: smooth on October 26, 2009, 07:25:33 PM
My parents dragged me down to Helen a few times as a kid. Later I rode down there with my dad on the bikes. Neat little place, but pretty dull when I was a teenager. On the plus side, I tried bratwurst for the first time there! From your pics, it doesn't look like it's changed much in 15 years or so.
It's still pretty dull. Good food, but expensive. If you're riding up there then it's a good place to stop for a rest and some grub. Good place for Oktoberfest and x-mas light watching.
Quote from: teddy037.2 on October 26, 2009, 11:21:56 PM
heh, that kinda reminds me of solvang....
Sovang's kind of cool. They have a motorcycle museum.
JM: GREAT pictures! Thanks for sharing! Love little towns like that!
Quote from: Scotzman on October 27, 2009, 08:13:39 AM
Sovang's kind of cool. They have a motorcycle museum.
we went there! like a candy store! [thumbsup]
Quote from: teddy037.2 on October 26, 2009, 11:21:56 PM
heh, that kinda reminds me of solvang....
Solvang is supposed to be Dutch, though.
Leavenworth, WA is the first place I thought of.
Quote from: Nitewaif on October 28, 2009, 04:23:41 AM
Solvang is supposed to be Dutch, though.
Leavenworth, WA is the first place I thought of.
Danish...just saying.
Quote from: Nitewaif on October 28, 2009, 04:23:41 AM
Solvang is supposed to be Dutch, though.
Leavenworth, WA is the first place I thought of.
I know it wasn't german ;) just the feel of it reminded me of the town
Quote from: smooth on October 26, 2009, 07:25:33 PM
pretty dull when I was a teenager.
Much more interesting once you're reached 21 [drink] [drink] [drink] [drink] [drink]
Quote from: LA on October 26, 2009, 08:26:44 PM
I live in a "fake" German town too. (V)Walhalla, SC.
I passed through Valhalla last year on a long day ride. I swooped down into SC and wound my way back to Clayton, GA and then into Hiawasee, GA. Headed home via US64, Wayah Rd (where I put a dent in my tank with my knee saving a slide) and picked up US19 to finish my ride home.
JM
Quote from: the_Journeyman on October 26, 2009, 04:45:05 PM
We live in Waynesville,
JM
I was just in Waynesville on Oct 6th. It was getting dark when it started raining as we descended from the BRP on 276 westbound, we had no rain gear so we stopped at the exxon on the corner of 23 & 276 to wait out the storm. The rain didn't really stop so we just bit the bullet and rode all the way back to Fontana village. One of the most tiring days of riding I've ever done.
It's a long ride to Fontana Village from Waynesville in the rain. I had to ride back from Deal's Gap in a pouring rain. I was nearly hypothermic by the time I got home.
JM