5 Reasons to Get Lost in Dahlonega, GA
I recently went to Dahlonega, Georgia for a friend’s bachelorette weekend and wanted to share a few of my favorite things to do and food spots.
*For Pensacola, FL mini-trip readers*: It’s almost a 6.5 hour drive from Pensacola, FL to Dahlonega, GA, so if you are reading as a Pensacola resident, keep that in mind. Here in Pensacola, I have been missing the mountains, so it was definitely worth it. But, for those that are concerned about the length of the drive, you may want to stay a bit longer than a weekend to make the drive worth it.
1. Montaluce Winery
The Wine Hike:
A little piece of Italy tucked away in the Georgia mountains, this winery has a ton to offer. Our day here started with a 10 am wine hike. I was uncertain of what this would entail (I pictured us each picking up a bottle of wine and then walking up the mountain while drinking). The actual wine hike was entirely more classy than my mental image.
The wine hike was guided and really more of a tour, which started inside the winery where the wine is made and continued outside to the grape vines and pond. The guide led us around the winery grounds which included a good amount of incline, a rushing river view, and a woodland area. I enjoyed how informal it was because we could ask the guide any questions we had.
The Tasting:
The actual wine tasting was at the end of the tour in the Trattoria restaurant. We were able to sample five wines, with at least two being whites (still not sure why, maybe because reds are more expensive.) The guided hike, the five 2 oz pours, and a souvenir Montaluce stemless wine glass came to $65/person for our group. Since the pours were spread out we ended up getting food here, which is pictured above, left to right: margherita pizza, chocolate cake, and bread service. The food was quite incredible. Note: We did like the chocolate cake better than the limoncello cake. There is another restaurant upstairs that is more expensive if you are looking for something fancier.
Lastly, keep in mind if you want to do the wine hike you need proper hiking clothes. And if you have someone with a gluten allergy you will have to eat at the upstairs restaurant. We learned that the hard way, meaning we just got shut down multiple times while trying to get our gluten-intolerant friend food at the Trattoria. So, that was a negative, but as I’ve said, food was quite good.
2. Paul Thomas Chocolates and Gifts – Town of Dahlonega
We stumbled upon this quaint little chocolate shoppe (given that this place has a toy train running overhead as you walk around the store, it must be spelled with the extra ‘pe’) after a dinner downtown one night and found that we could not get enough. We went back and got more chocolate after our first batch. The truffles tasted so fresh and there were tons of options.
Pictured above in my box left to right is the coconut truffle, cookie dough truffle, and dark chocolate sea salt caramel. The caramel was out of this world.
3. Eat at Bourbon Street Grille – Town of Dahlonega
This is a downtown dinner spot with authentic NOLA inspired food. The building is charming, especially if you are able to sit on the outdoor balcony. Pictured above left to right is the front of the restaurant, the gumbo, and the shrimp & crawfish étoufée.
4. Eat at Riverside Tavern
Although my friends Kaitlyn and Allie do not look too happy, we all really enjoyed this place! The pretzel was not only huge, but it and its cheese dip were delicious. I feel like sometimes you get one or the other, but at the Riverside Tavern apparently you get both. On top of this, the prices were reasonable. The meal on the right is the pulled pork sandwich and sweet potato fries, which were also very yummy.
We sat in the back downstairs area near the river, so I am not sure how the atmosphere is inside. If you get the chance, look in the river. It’s super clear, and you can even sometimes see fish.
5. Enjoy a Mountain Cabin
There are plenty of ABnB options in this area. We found one with a hot tub and balcony and were able to relax with some fondue at night and coffee on the balcony in the cool mountain mornings. For me, a current Pensacola resident, the cool mountain mornings were absolutely the foam on top :).
Wow! Looks like an amazing weekend getaway!