Charlemagne's Kingdom is the largest alpine-model railroad museum. There are two levels to view the model train that has 400 feet of railroad tracks with computerized trains. The setup around the model train is an alpine village with lighted cities, towns, lakes, rivers, street lights and moving cable cars. The model railroad also has 22-foot high mountains, a three-ring circus tent, Oktoberfest with motorized carnival rides, sound and music. Special rates are available for buses and tour groups. Three times a day you can see six wooden German dancers perform. A gift shop is also available.
Charlemagne's Kingdom Model Railroad
8808 North Main St.
Helen, GA 30545
706-878-2200
georgiamodelrailroad.com
The Black Forest Bear Park has a bear exhibit, snake exhibit and more. The park consists of 16 adult bears, including grizzly bears, black bears, cinnamon bears and Syrian grizzly bears. You can purchase food to feed the bears, which sometimes perform. The snake exhibit features many venomous and non-venomous snakes. Groups of 15 or more can receive an admission discount and there is a large gift shop.
Black Forest Bear Park
8160 South Main St.
Helen, GA 30545
706-878-7043
blackforestbearpark.com
The Dukes Creek Mines offers tourists and visitors the experience of searching for gems and gold in mines. These mines are the site of the first major discovery of gold in America. The trained staff will help you discover gems and tell you what you have found. Choose a bucket and take it to the panning table. Go through you gems and see what you have found. You will pay for the bucket upfront, but the gems and gold are yours to keep. There is a gift shop. There is no fee for park admission.
Dukes Creek Gold and Ruby Mines
6145 Helen Highway 75 Alt.
Helen, GA 30545
706-878-2625
dukescreek.com
