Dawson County Day Trip Itineray

Day Trip—Adventure
10:00 am
Arrive at Amicalola Falls State Park for a welcome reception
10:45 am
Take a guided tour of Amicalola Falls
12:30 noon
Lunch at the Maple Restaurant
2:00 pm
Spend the afternoon at attractions of your choice

Atlanta Motorsports Park—enjoy a karting experience

Etowah Valley Sporting Clays—for the sportsman at heart (all equipment available at the
range)

Georgia Racing Hall of Fame—learn about the history of Stock car Racing and see an extensive collection of Nascar memorabilia.

Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery—watch the distilling process in action and try a sample
of their work.
Day Trip—Culture
9:45 am
Arrive at Georgia Racing Hall of Fame for a welcome reception
10:15 am
Tour Georgia Racing Hall of Fame
11:15 am
Tour Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery
12:15 am
Lunch at Dawsonville’s historic Pool Room or other local restaurants in the historic downtown
district. (chosen by tour guide)
1:15 pm
Tour Downtown Dawsonville Historic Courthouse, Historic Jail and Bowen Center for the Arts
3:30 pm
Visit Around Back at Rocky’s Place—the largest collection of folk art in the Southeast
3– Day Excursions:
Day 1
1:00 pm
Arrive at Etowah Valley Sporting Clays or Atlanta Motorsports Park for a welcome reception,
drinks, snacks and a welcome gift as you spend time getting to know your companions and
preparing for your afternoon outing.
1:45 pm
Choose the 50 clay course at Etowah Valley Sporting Clays or group karting at Atlanta
Motorsports Park.
5:00 pm
Arrive at Amicalola Falls State Park—check into the lodge
6:00 pm
Dinner at the loge’s Maple Restaurant
Evening
Enjoy free time at the lodge with ongoing entertainment or quiet time enjoying the gorgeous
views.
Day 2
Breakfast at the lodge
10:00 am
Tour Georgia Racing Hall of Fame
11:00 am
Tour and tasting at Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery
12:15 pm
Lunch at Dawsonville Pool Room or at North Georgia Premium Outlets
1:15 pm
Shopping at North Georgia Premium Outlets
6:00 pm
Dinner at The Blue Bicycle
7:30 pm
Arrive at Amicalola Falls Lodge for rest and relaxation
Day 3
Breakfast at the lodge
10:00 am
Tour and free time Amicalola Falls State Park
Thank you for choosing Dawsonville as your destination! And, hope you enjoy your stay.
While you’re here.... Adventure Ideas
Outdoor Adventures
 Amicalola Falls State Park—A relaxing and rejuvenating return to nature awaits you at the park. It’s main attrac-
tion is the 729 foot tall waterfall, the highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River. The approach trail to
the Appalachian Trail passes just a few hundred yards from the Lodge, leading from the property to Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The lodge is newly renovated and offers accommodations with
picturesque mountain views and delicious southern cuisine.
 Hike Inn—Everyone who makes the five-mile trek through the mountains to the Hike Inn in the Chattahoochee Na-
tional Forest does so for a different reason. Some come to get away from their everyday lives. Some come to spend
quality time with their family. Others come for the Appalachian Trail. But no matter the reason, the result is the
same: Everyone leaves with a sense of belonging.

Etowah Valley Sporting Clays—Spend the day shooting clays with you and a few friends or bring a group. They
have a meeting room to accommodate group conferences. Etowah Sporting Clays offers a unique experience for the
outdoor enthusiast who has an interest in shooting. Sporting clays is a form of shooting clay targets which are airborne in many formats. Each sporting clays station will provide the challenge of two different targets simulating a
hunt situation. Don’t have equipment...no worries, they have everything you need to have an exciting sporting clays
adventure.

Atlanta Motorsports Park—Spend an afternoon racing karts or go on a private driving school class ranging from
teen driving to racing. This is a great way to enjoy an exhilarating sport in which everyone in the family can participate. Kart performance is available for all skill levels, starting at 15 MPH & some with hyper performance to 125
MPH.

Lake Lanier—Fun in the sun, at War Hill Park and Thompson Creek Park—go paddle boarding, canoeing,
kayaking, boating, fishing, swimming or just have a picnic by the lake and relax. Find your equipment at Outside
World located on Quill Drive. Want to learn how to paddle board, canoe or kayak? The Outside Wor ld offer s lessons by appointment. Call and set up a family outing. (They will provide the equipment)

Etowah River—put in at Rock Creek Canoe Launch and spend the day on the river tubing, kayaking or canoeing.
Etowah River also offers excellent trout fishing.

Rock Creek Park offers a splash pad for the kids to play and cool off with space for an afternoon picnic.

Fly Fishing—Etowah River has great fly fishing and local guides are available if needed.

Bring your horses to the mountains—Fausett Farms and Dawson Forest can accommodate you and your hor ses
both having primitive camp sites available.

Mountain Bike Riding—Northstar Bicycle has group rides (call for more information) or venture on your own in
Dawson Forest. Trail Maps available.

Hiking—the AT trail starts here...hike the Appalachian Trail, access trail located at Amicalola Falls State Park.
Dawson Forest offers many trails, maps available online or at the Welcome Center. Hike to Edge of the World Rapids on the Amicalola River Trail (DNR parking permit required).

Dawson Forest—go horseback riding, mountain bike riding, bird watching or hike and explore the great outdoors.

Horseback Riding—in Dawson Forest and at Fausett Farms. (these are bring your own horse locations)
Adventure Ideas Continued....

Bike Riding—Northstar Bicycle offers a 40 mile rural route starting and ending at the shop there are rolling hills
and some climbing on the route.

Bird Watching—Interested in native birds in the area Wild Birds Unlimited has guided tours. (call for times and
dates)

Golfing—Chestatee Golf Club is located along the shoreline of Lake Lanier. Players enjoy access to a pristine 18hole championship golf course with brilliant water holes and vigorous mountain terrain. Designed b Denis Griffiths, this par 71 course is a great way to spend the day.
Heritage & History

Georgia Racing Hall of Fame—recognizes the pioneer and legendary racers from the state of Georgia. In addition
to displaying exhibits that represent inductees such as Bill Elliott’s first NASCAR racecar, the GRHOF houses a
huge collection of vintage race cars, trophies and other one of a kind items that re unique to the world of motorsports.

Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery—located in the heart of “The Moonshine Capital of the World”, moonshine is
distilled on site using traditional recipes passed down from many generations to owner Cheryl Wood. Visitors enjoy a tour of the facility, led by master distillers and those of legal age may choose to sample the product at the
conclusion of the tours.

Dawsonville Historic Courthouse—a reminder of a bygone era of Appalachian culture and tradition, gold mining,
moonshine running, backwoods racing and motorsports glory that all define the history of Dawsonville.

Dawsonville Historic Jail—Originally built in 1859, visitors are welcome to tour the jail cells and local memorabilia displayed.
Art & Culture
 Bowen Center for the Arts—Bowen offers ever changing unique gallery shows, theater productions and excep-
tional musical rendering. A gift shop offers items made by local artists.
 Around Back at Rocky’s Place is the Ultimate Folk Ar t Galler y in the South, r epr esenting a plethor a of self-
taught artists such as renowned famous local “Cornbread”. Here you will find a large selection of varied medium
paintings, Southern Folk Pottery, Woodcarvings and more.
Shopping Adventures
 Antique Shopping—Dawson County has several antique shops for you to find those one of a kind items.
 North Georgia Premium Outlets—spend the day shopping in one of Georgia’s best Premium Outlets where you
will find impressive savings at 140 Outlets Stores.
Please contact us if you have any questions or need help with your trip ideas.
Moonshine & Motorsports
Amicalola Falls & Appalachian Trail
 The Moonshine Capital of Georgia
 Beginning/ending of a through hike
 Generational Moonshining—It’s a Family Tradition
 Visiting a state park
 Bootleggers become Motorsports Winners
 Sustainability at the LenFoote Hike Inn
 How stock car racing began
Etowah and Amicalola Rivers
 Inductees to the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame
 Modern Motorsports—Atlanta Motorsports Park
 NASCAR Legacy: Bill and Chase Elliott
Lake Lanier
 Life before the Lake—what’s under the water
 Lake Living
 Family Staycations
 Fly Fishing Paradise
 Water Trails
 Tubing, Kayaking, and Waterfalls
Etowah Valley Sporting Clays
 Sporting Clays—fun for the whole family
 Pheasant Hunt
 Learn to Paddleboard or Kayak
 Population: 22,459
 Size: 214 square miles
 Climate: on average, there are 215 sunny days per year in Dawsonville. The July high is around 87 and January low is around 30
degrees.
 Airport: Hartsfield Jackson International
 Major Highways: Georgia 400, Highway 9, Highway 53
 Amicalola Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of Georgia, tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi
 Dawsonville is home to Nascar’s very own Bill Elliott, “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville”
 Home to Chase Elliott, youngest NASCAR series winner
 Cherokee villages were scattered throughout the Etowah River floodplain
 Dawsonville has the largest collection of Folk Art in the Southeast. (Around Back at Rocky’s Place)
 Dawson Arts Center was build of locally quarried rock in the 1930’s
 Movies partially filmed here include: Trouble with the Curve and Hunger Games.
Welcome to Dawson County. Located 45 minutes north of Atlanta, off Georgia Highway 500, Dawson County
sits at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountain region. Home to the stunning 729 foot Amicalola Falls, Dawsonville
offers adventures for visitors of all interests. In addition to picturesque scenery, Dawsonville offers plentiful trout streams, Lake Lanier access, miles of hiking, biking, and horse
trails, and other outdoor experiences.
Dawson County was created in 1857 from lands that were part of Gilmer, Lumpkin and
Forsyth counties. Originally it was part of the Cherokee Nation which was “given” to
Georgia through a dubious treaty. Dawson County and its county seat of Dawsonville bear
the name of Judge William C. Dawson. He compiled the laws of Georgia and commanded
Attractions
Heritage & Culture
From a historic town square to the local arts center, Dawson County offers a wide range of culture and heritage. The Historic Courthouse and Jail ar e listed on the National Register of Histor ic Places and available for tour s thr ough
the local historical society. Bowen Center for the Arts offer s an ever changing unique gallery of shows, theater productions, and exceptional musical renderings. Around Back at Rocky’s Place is the Ultimate Folk Art Gallery in the South,
representing a plethora of self-taught artists including renowned famous local “Cornbread”. To experience history directly, step back in time at the Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery and learn how moonshine was made back in the day using
traditional recipes passed down from many generations to owner Cheryl Wood. Then, head on over to Georgia Racing
Hall of Fame which houses a huge collection of vintage r ace car s, tr ophies and other one of a kind items that ar e
unique to the world of motorsports.
Recreation
Experience the adventure and beauty of nature by participating in one of many activities Dawson County has to offer.
Amicalola Falls State Park is home to a 729 foot water fall and the gateway to the Appalachian Trail. Etowah Valley Sporting Clays offer s a unique exper ience for the outdoor enthusiast who has an inter est shooting, or indulge
your need for speed at Atlanta Motorsports Park for the afternoon. Chestatee Golf Course, rated a 4 1/2 star “Best Places
to Play” in Golf Digest, offers a pristine course with lake views and beautiful mountain scenery. Home to Lake Lanier,
Etowah River, Amicalola River, Dawson Forest and Amicalola Falls State Park, Dawson County is an outdoor
adventurers paradise. Visitor’s can fish, boat, ride horses, hike, kayak or enjoy other outdoor recreational activities.
Shopping
Treasures await your discovery in this shoppers paradise with 140 premium outlet stores and many locally owned shops
throughout the county. Visitors will find top brand names and the greatest deals at North Georgia Premium Outlets.
Events
Spring Wildflower Festival—Mid-April at Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge
Memorial Day Celebration—on Memorial Day
‘Shine Pedalers Metric—Last Saturday in July
Mountain Moonshine Festival—4th weekend of October
Veteran’s Day Parade—on Veteran’s Day
Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting—First Saturday of December