Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Fall festivals take place every year in small towns that dot the countryside of Northern Georgia. The area surrounding Chattahoochee National Forest has numerous fairs and festivals celebrating the history, food, arts, crafts and people of the region. The beauty of the autumn leaf change helps draw visitors to the area.
Every fall in Ellijay, Georgia at the Lions Club Fairground, the community gathers to celebrate the apple. Food is the main attraction, centered on apple pies, butter and fritters. Local artists and craftspeople display their wares. Entertainment includes music -- from gospel to country to rock -- and dancing. Arts and crafts are on display. For physical fun there's a kids play area and a rock climbing wall. The festival takes place on the second and third weekends in October. Ellijay sits on the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest, in the northwest part of the state, about 20 miles south of the Tennessee border.
Georgia Apple Festival
Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds
1729 S. Main Street
Ellijay, GA 30540
706-635-7400
georgiaapplefestival.org
The Prater's Mill Country Fair centers around an old mill established in 1855. The fair celebrates music, Southern food, history, arts and crafts. Some of the things to experience include exhibitions of antique engines, a Civil War re-enactment and live demonstrations of quilting, woodcarving and blacksmithing. Food stations set up around the town include pit-cooked barbecue, fried apple pies, cider and homemade ice cream. Continuous entertainment includes clogging, bands and singers. Wandering musicians and storytellers round out the festival. The fair takes place the second weekend in October and is sponsored by the Prater's Mill Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation and education. The town is located in the northwest part of Georgia, about 10 miles south of the Tennessee border.
The Prater's Mill Country Fair
5845 Georgia Highway 2
Varnell, GA 30756
706-694-6455
pratersmill.org
The town of Helen remodeled itself to resemble a town in the Bavarian Alps. One of the people who initiated the look-alike also created the town's Oktoberfest, copied from the town of Munich, Germany. Every fall the town celebrates with ompah music, Bavarian food and beer. A parade kicks off the activities on the first Saturday of the festival. A festival hall is set up where bands play throughout the day and visitors can order German-style sausages and Marzen -- a German beer popular in the fall. Helen's Oktoberfest begins on the second Thursday of September and runs through the first Sunday of November. The six-week party coincides with the changing of the colors in the state. Helen is located in the northeast section of the state, about 20 miles south of the Tennessee border.
Oktoberfest
Helen Chamber of Commerce
1074 Edelweiss Dr.
Helen, GA 30545
706-878-1908
ngeorgia.com/ang/Oktoberfest_in_Helen,_Georgia