When the temperatures drop, many people opt to put a pause on personal travel until it gets a little warmer.
But these north Georgia hotels and restaurants might have you hitting the resume button on getaways.
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Famous meals from The Dillard House
Mention The Dillard House to anyone and a conversation about the food is sure to follow. It’s not a meal. The Dillard House describes it as a southern culinary event. A typical lunch consists of seven vegetables, two meats, three types of bread and dessert. All of it is served family style and all of it is homemade.
Southern Living named The Dillard House the best breakfast and brunch restaurant and the best southern restaurant.
“We started off with whatever recipes we could gather from my husband’s grandmother Carrie and we’ve had good Southern cooks here in years past who had their own recipes,” Dillard said. “They contributed to the recipes. I’ve given The Dillard House a couple of my recipes. So, it’s just a combination of gathering recipes for (more than) 50 years.”
Len Foote Hike Inn hiking experience
The Len Foote Hike Inn isn’t like other inns. Those staying overnight must hike in to the Hike Inn. A five-mile trek through the North Georgia foothills leads to the Hike Inn, a Georgia State Park facility nestled in the Chattahoochee National Forest.
“A friendly face, a welcoming smile, a warm meal and a soft bed all greet you at trail’s end,” the company’s website notes. “Everyone comes to the Hike Inn for different reasons. Some come to spend time with nature. Some come to spend time with family and friends. Others simply come to escape their daily routine. No matter the reason, the result is the same. People come here as guests. They usually leave as fans, friends and — in a sense — part of our family.What makes the Hike Inn unique is not any one experience, but its ability to make everyone feel like they’re a part of something special. Everyone belongs here.”
Enjoy the views at the Rabun Manor
The estate features 180-degree mountain views, peace and quiet, and a great restaurant and bar. Rabun Manor is also a bed-and-breakfast that features eight rooms, including three cabins. It has an interesting history, too.
“Rabun Manor was actually built in Whitehall, Georgia, in Athens, back in the 1800s – 1846 actually – and the White family moved from Ireland and bought the house in the 1800s. They had 12 children and outgrew the house, so they built a very large house next to it that would house their whole family properly, and they turned the existing manor into a schoolhouse,” Rabun Manor owner David Okun said.
When the family wanted a mountain house, they disassembled the school house, moved it via railroad and rebuilt it on the spot where it sits today.
“It’s kind of a very quaint house, a couple really cool sitting rooms; the atmosphere is unbelievable. You walk right in into this beautiful, elegant restaurant and again, the views of the mountains are really what it’s all about, and the charm of the 1846 house,” Okun said.
Beechwood Inn offers a rustic stay in a historic bed-and-breakfast
Selected by Southern Living Magazine as “One of the South’s Most Charming Inns.” The Beechwood Inn celebrates its 100-year anniversary as a business in 2022, and provides guests with a semi-rustic stay at a historic bed-and-breakfast.
“(We) have ‘Wine-30′ at 5:30 and if they want to come to that, we usually have a fresh appetizer and they have a chance to meet other people,” Gayle Darugh from the Beechwood Inn said. “We’ve seen so many friendships formed here. And they like that. It’s much more intimate than a hotel.”
The Inn was named to the Select Registry, a registry that includes a collection of independent boutique inns that deliver a level of personalized service nearly unheard of in the industry. The appetizers alone should have landed them a spot on the list, but it’s their attention to detail and service that did the trick.
Enjoy a boutique hotel with lake views at Lake Rabun Hotel
“It was a boutique hotel long before boutique became posh and trendy,” Bonnie East from the Lake Rabun Hotel said. “It’s a little artistic and quirky. It is historical. It sits beautifully resting in nature.”
The hotel celebrates its centennial anniversary in 2022. Celebrations will include music, mountain story telling, special chefs, crafts people and more. But before the celebrations start, there’s still plenty of surprises to unwrap.
“You can go hiking, boating, moonlight tours, wine-tasting,” East noted. “There’s so much to do in the area.”
“It’s rustic elegant. This is a place for people to disconnect from the daily distractions,” Annie Branum from the Lake Rabun Hotel said. “This is really a place to regrow your soul.”
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Take time to relax at Barnsley Resort
With more than 3,000 acres, Barnsley Resort offers guests a chance to enjoy the outdoor lifestyle while being pampered.
“If you’re here for a relaxing getaway, the spa might be a great opportunity in our world-class spa,” Barnsley Resorts President David Friederich told WSB-TV’s Nelson Hicks. “Whether our walking gardens through the Manor House ruins and historical site, or sitting in the evening by a firepit roasting marshmallows for your s’mores, all of those are great options for relaxing, taking long strolls on our hiking trails.”
The resort recently added axe-throwing, archery and air-rifle outings to its offerings of outdoor activities.
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