With its mountainous vistas, color-changing leaves and crisp climate, North Georgia provides the perfect canvas for fall festivals. Both locals and travelers take advantage of the array of events available, as art-infused gatherings and cultural celebrations share calendar space with festivities tied to everything from mountain apples to syrup to moonshine.
Georgia Mountain Fall Festival Oct. 7-8,
Spreading across nine days, this bountiful festival amid the surrounding mountains blends down-home craftsmanship with a countrified, rootsy soundtrack. Visitors can peruse arts and crafts vendors’ booths while locals demonstrate old-school skills, from blacksmithing to corn milling. You can explore an 1800s-style pioneer village, complete with a mercantile store and a one-room school house, or enjoy a flower show. Live music will take place each day of the festival, including performances by Mickey Gilley, Aaron Tippin, Sunday, Oct 9 features gospel music, Herman's Hermits with Peter Noone and others. The last two days of the fest feature a fiddlers convention and competition. Fiddlin' will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Oct. 14 and starts at 10:30 a.m. on the 15th. The finalists competition starts at 7 p.m. Check the website for more show times.
10 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 7-8, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 9, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 10-15. $12; free ages 12 and younger. 1311 Music Hall Road, Hiawassee. 706-896-4191, georgiamountainfairgrounds.com/events/fall-festival.
Sorghum Festival Oct. 8-9 and Oct. 15-16
Meeks Park in Blairsville plays host to a festival that organizers say is one of the longest running of its kind in North Georgia. The twang of country and bluegrass music and the foot-stomping artistry of clogging help pack two weekends of live entertainment. A parade will step off at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct 8. This year's theme is "Bring out the kids." It winds through the streets of downtown Blairsville, and prizes go to the most creative and elaborate floats. Arts and crafts vendors will shill their wares, and biscuit eating contests and other games will keep guests entertained. Yet, the star of the show remains sorghum, a grain commonly cultivated by Georgia farmers dating back to the early 1800s. Participants make sorghum syrup all four days of the fest.
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 8-9 and Oct. 15-16. $4; free ages 12 and younger. 490 Meeks Park Road, Blairsville (about one mile west of Blairsville on Highway 515). 706-745-4745, blairsvillesorghumfestival.com.
Gold Rush Days Dahlonega Oct. 15-16.
The heritage of Dahlonega, a historic gold mining town tucked in the Northeast Georgia mountains, continues to shimmer thanks to this annual event. More than 300 arts and crafts booths will show off handmade creations. Cloggers and square dancers will spotlight their fancy footwork, and music, ranging from folk to Southern gospel, will fill the air throughout the weekend. Wacky contests, including hog-calling, beard-growing and wrist-wrestling, will offer plenty of spectacle. Miners first discovered gold in Dahlonega in 1828, and the 54th annual World Open Gold Panning Championship is set for Oct. 16, as competitors will pan for the glittery stuff on the Gold Museum lawn.
9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Oct. 15-16. Free. 13 S. Park St., Dahlonega. dahlonegajaycees.com.
Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay Oct 8-9 and 15-16
If the many roadside apple stands in the Ellijay area are any indication, it’s still the heart of Georgia apple country. Now in its 45th year, this annual celebration honors tree-ripened mountain apples over two weekends. Not only do artists and crafters sell their work, many also offer live demonstrations. An antique car show will rev things up Oct. 8 in the parking lot of the Gilmer County Civic Center. The annual parade will begin marching at 10 a.m. Oct. 15 in downtown Ellijay. Kiddie activities, food vendors and, of course, plenty of apples will help round out the festivities.
9 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 8, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 9, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Oct. 15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 16. $5; free ages 9 and younger. Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds, 1729 S. Main St., Ellijay. While there is some parking available at the fairgrounds, visitors are encouraged to park at three different parking areas and take a free shuttle to the festival. 706-636-4500, georgiaapplefestival.org.
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Moonshine Festival Dawsonville Oct. 21-23
For nearly 50 years, this event has been pouring a tribute to mountain moonshine culture. The 2016 edition will begin in appropriate fashion at 9 a.m. Oct. 21 as vintage vehicles depicting moonshine haulers and the revenuer cars that chased them gather, then begin rolling at 10 a.m. through the streets of downtown Dawsonville for the festival parade. Some credit moonshine runners as the forefathers to stock car racing, so many racing legends will be there. Arts, crafts and food vendors will set up shop along the streets and live bands will plug in on a pair of stages located around the square. You can take a peek at an old moonshine still, and listen as actors portraying moonshiners and revenuers serve up stories. A car show, cruise-in and swap meet will take place at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.
Moonshine run, 9 a.m., Cruise-in, 5-9 p.m. Oct. 21, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 22-23. Free. Downtown Dawsonville. www.kareforkids.org/mountain-moonshine-festival.html.
45th annual Oktoberfest in Helen
A dead ringer for a Bavarian locale, the Alpine-style town of Helen continues celebrating Oktoberfest. Having already begun in September, the perpetual party takes place daily through Oct. 30. The event’s epicenter is Helen Festhalle, steps away from the town’s main tourist drag. The Festhalle offers waves of beer and mounds of brats amid blowing alphorns and clanging cowbells. Guests flock around sprawling tables and often put down their mugs to flap their wings in time to “The Chicken Dance” or hop aboard a German-infused conga line. The bouncy rhythm of oompah music frequently fills the room. Live acts include Dan Witucki and Mein Heimatland Musikanten, Squeeze Box, Europa, Alpenmusikanten and more.
6-10:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 6 p.m.-midnight Fridays, 1 p.m.-midnight Saturdays, 1-7 p.m. Sundays. $8 Mondays-Fridays, $10 Saturdays, free Sundays. Through Oct. 30. Helen Festhalle, 1074 Edelweiss Strasse, Helen. 706-878-1619, helenchamber.com.
Rocktoberfest Lookout Mountain
Rock City in Lookout Mountain goes German each fall, and rightfully so. The tourist destination was co-founded by Frieda Utermoehlen Carter, so it tips its Alpine hat to her German heritage with a suds-filled celebration. Rock City Pavilion plays host to lively oompah bands, who welcome visitors to dance the polka. Rhythmically challenged guests can take advantage of polka dance lessons. German food can be found at both the pavilion and the nearby Cafe 7. Beer and German wine flow generously. Kids can indulge in birds-of-prey shows, face painting, panning for gems, a rock climbing wall and more. Costumed characters, including the Fall Fairy and the Troll King, rub elbows with tots. Slip on some lederhosen, grab some Oktoberfest props and take a selfie in the Say Oompah photo booth.
8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in October. $22.95; $12.95 ages 3-12; free ages 2 and younger. 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain. 706-820-2531, seerockcity.com.
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