• How to get there

Courtesy of Toccoa Falls College (ENLARGE)
Toccoa Falls, on the campus of Toccoa Falls College, is the town's main attraction.
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WHAT'S THERE

The high point of this North Georgia town is Toccoa Falls, located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College, a private Christian school. It's just north of downtown, on Toccoa Falls Road. Follow the signs to the falls. You'll park outside a visitors center, pay $1 and head out of the back of the center. A short walk takes you to the base of the falls, a spectacular sight.

HISTORY

The dam that holds back the lake above Toccoa Falls broke on Nov. 6, 1977, flooding the campus with more than 125 million gallons of water and killing 39 people. A list of the victims' names was erected on a marker at the base of the falls. Donations and volunteers from around the world helped the school repair and rebuild. The school's Web site includes a gallery of photos taken just after the flood: www.tfc.edu/adv/flood/page1.htm.

Between July 1942 and the end of World War II, 20,000 paratrooper recruits trained at Camp Toccoa. The grueling training included treks up and down Currahee Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest, elevation 1,000 feet. The camp is no longer there, but it was memorialized in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," based on Stephen Ambrose's book.

WHERE TO STAY

Toccoa is home to a magnificent bed and breakfast, the Simmons-Bond Inn. Built in 1903 by architect E. Levi Prater for lumber baron James B. Simmons, the home features heavy, oak pocket doors, a grand staircase illuminated by a 7-foot stained-glass window, and nine fireplaces. Legend holds that the storage space under the staircase was used to hide moonshine during Prohibition. Rates range from $59 to $109. 706-282-5183, 1-877-658-0746 (toll-free), www.simmons-bond.com

SHOPPING

Toccoa has some antiques stores worth perusing. The Whistle Stop is a sprawling emporium housed in a former department store at 202 N. Sage St. 706-282-1386. Buy the Tracks, at 841 W. Currahee St. on the way out of town, is much smaller but surprisingly good. The rustic pie safe selling for $410, the empire-style tiger oak sideboard for $600 and colored lithographs for $25 each all seem destined for dealers. 706-297-2063.

TRAIL RIDES

Get your motor running at the Locust Stake ATV area of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The tract offers 17 miles of trails open April 1 through Dec. 31 each year. The area is off Locust Stake Road, which is off Ga. 365 as you're heading toward town. A road sign points you in the right direction. www.fs.fed.us/conf/rec/orv_info.htm

UPCOMING

Toccoa is getting ready for the 16th annual A Taste of Toccoa festival, featuring samples of Southern cooking, soul food, and international and gourmet cuisines, along with musical entertainment. The event, which draws 8,000 people a year, will be held 5-8 p.m. April 27.

LEARN MORE

The renovated train depot houses the city's welcome center, Chamber of Commerce, historical society and Currahee Military Museum. www.toccoagachamber.com, www.cityoftoccoa.com or www.toccoahistory.com.

HOW TO GET THERE

Take I-85 north to I-985 north. The road becomes U.S. 23 north. Turn right onto Ga. 115/Ga. 365/U.S. 123, then turn left to stay on U.S. 123, which goes right into downtown Toccoa.