Helen, Georgia

 

Purrrs and hisses, Kittens & Dawgs! Years ago, we visited the tiny north Georgia community of Helen only briefly while on a day trip with the kiddoes.  It was mid-summer and the terrorists tourists were everywhere! We vowed to return but it didn’t happen until now.  We took a day while on staycation to make the three-hour drive to see the sights.  We were hoping for a beautiful Xmas display and we weren’t disappointed.  

It has a strong German flavor with its Bavarian style architecture which is what makes the town so charming. When I said it’s a tiny community, I wasn’t kidding. According to their website, Helen has only 430 residents and get this, it’s the state’s third most visited city.  That explains why the crowd that summer was thicker than pea soup. 

There are two Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchens in Helen.  This is the one we popped in, to buy an assortment of confections. I am happy to report DH & I gave them two thumbs up.

 

 

 

 

This is the other Hansel & Gretel location. 

 

 

The gray day made photography challenging.

 

 

I created this college of the quaint side streets running between the shops. We felt like we were strolling the streets in Germany.

 

 

What did you expect from us? Of course, we visited the town’s bakery! We bought several things.  I think this may require a second visit when we go back hopefully next spring. 

 

 

 There isn’t a prompt this week for the art challenge, but I hope you’ll join host, Michael MacVean and all the other artists next week!

 

I borrowed the German Xmas song selected from this 8 Jolly German Xmas Christmas Xmas Songs to Boost Your Holiday Spirit which I plan to re-read to learn more about each carol featured. 

 

 

Today’s post is in part sponsored by the letter ‘X’ as in Xmas and the ABC Wednesday community.
 

 

I suspect between now and until the end of the year my blogging life is going to find its way on the back burner.  No, I won’t abandon ship completely but my posts will be fewer, return visits slower, and my response time even slower. I say y’all are in the same boat so we’ll just need to cut each other a lot of slack and enjoy the season.  

My linky party is open to all regardless of what kind of post you have as long as you’re a personal blogger.  All commercial websites, advertisers, or other spammy, non-fun links are subjected to immediate termination by the linky hostess!

 

Xmas is just around the corner, folks.  Enjoy the holiday season. Have an eXtraordinarily blessed day. I’ll see ya soon! 😉

X💋X💋, Cathy

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31 comments

  1. They have a few great German restaurants there. I remember having a sausage plate with bratwurst, mettwurst, and knockwurst that I think they made there. There are a bunch of outlet stores there, too, so that brings some people in. I think it speaks volumes for the ability of a town to come together: the textile mill where most of the people in town worked shut down and all of them were out of work, so they decided to take advantage of the scenery and build a Bavarian village. It worked!

  2. we sang Silent Night at church last night. Alas, in English, since I learned the German in HS

  3. There are a lot of places that are best visited in the “Off Season”. Then, there are places that don’t seem to have an “Off Season”.

  4. I’ve been close to Helen GA, but I don’t recall ever actually having been there. I recall when the original Cabbage Patch Kids “Hospital’ was near there before Coleco bought them out. I think we went there once and it was closed or something because I recall just looking at the building from outside. Or maybe we were in a hurry.

    Looks like a neat place to go. I’ll have to keep this town in mind just in case we are ever in that area again.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    1. Lee,

      I noticed the Cabbage Patch Kids hospital on their website but I don’t remember that’s where these dolls originated from, though. Those things were such a sensation but I always thought they were ugly. lol Yes, you need to visit Helen on one of your visits back to the area!

  6. You’re making me homesick for the “old country”, Cathy! 🙂 This lovely little German town reminds me of Frankenmuth, Michigan, which is similar, but bigger.. Thanks for sharing those German carols as well. I remember them all! Merry Christmas!

    1. Debbie,

      Anytime I think of German anything, I think of friends like you because this is your heritage. I know my great-grandmother was of Dutch/German descent and I’d really like to know more. I need to question some of my great-aunts while they are still living. My grandmother passed away several years ago and I’m not sure how much my mother knows but she doesn’t have a lot of time to delve into these sorts of things. Thanks for popping over for visit.

  7. Your tourists/terrorists comment is funny. It certainly can be. I like wandering around small towns, too. Helen reminds me of Solvang, California. Merry Christmas, Cathy.

    1. Susiee,

      I had not heard of Solvang before so I asked Google and looked at the images. The Danish community looks like a place I’d certainly want to visit if I were on the west coast. It’s so cool to find spots like this to visit, isn’t it? Oh, tourists are awful! Well…not for the communities but for anyone who doesn’t like crowds. It weirds me out when too many people surround me, so I prefer going to places when it’s off-peak when possible. Thankfully, Helen wasn’t at all busy when we popped in a couple of weeks ago but it was on a work day, so that played to our advantage. Thanks for visiting!

  9. You must thank your hubby for taking us on the tour with you and that German tune made my heart really wake up and listen. Totally awesome! Love the pics also…. thank you so much for sharing! Sending hugs to you & the hubby!!!

    1. Melody,

      Definitely! We don’t decorate outside the house, either. It’s a lot of work and we don’t want to have to be out in the cold. I do admire other’s handiwork, though. 🙂

  12. Awww, one of my favorite cities. As you know, my hubby and I visit Helen frequently. Thank you for sharing your pics and the Christmas mewsic!

    1. Eugenia,

      I thought you when we were in Helen and then we made a special stop by Blue Ridge. It was beautiful but we didn’t have time to park and stroll around. We’ll have to save that for another time.

  13. Hi Cathy 🙂 Oh what a cozy looking place! Thanks for sharing, the photos make me want to visit – especially that candy kitchen/chocolate factory!!! 🙂

  15. That looks like a truly magical place to visit. Thanks for hosting. Have a great day! XO

    1. Ellen,

      Small towns decorated for Christmas are magical. I definitely want to visit Helen again at Christmas, as well as when the weather is more enjoyable for being outdoors. We have taken in several western North Carolina communities at Christmas over the years and no matter how often we go, we love each visit.

  16. Hi, Cathy!

    Happy Not-So-Wordless Wednesday to you, dear friend!

    Mrs. Shady and I have house guests again, including one from another country staying with us through the holidays, but I managed a window of opportunity to break away from the pack and visit you. I appreciated your German themed post telling about your day trip to Helen, a tiny village in north Georgia . As you know, I grew up in “Pennsylvania Dutch” country – a region with a large population of German origin. I would love to visit Helen and stroll around that simulated German village filled with shops and eateries. Helen is quaint, pretty and clean looking, and I can see why it is a popular tourist destination.

    I also enjoyed listening to familiar Christmas carols sung in German by the boys’ choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden, Germany, and examining the vintage German greeting cards. The German language lends itself well to cold weather, hearty foods and beverages, and seasonal songs like these.

    Thank you for a very interesting WW post, Cathy. I have a new post scheduled for tomorrow morning and hope you can make it over and check it out at some point during its 5-day run.

    Enjoy your day, dear friend!

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