Helen

Helen was a lumber town whose mill had gone and whose main street was a row of plain concrete boxes. In 1969 a group of local businessmen, on a suggestion from an artist who had been stationed in Bavaria, agreed to reface the whole town in Alpine style - timber framing, painted murals, steep roofs - and the ordinance requiring it has held since, so every building including the petrol stations conforms. It worked commercially: a town of a few hundred residents now takes millions of visitors. Oktoberfest runs from September into early November, one of the longest in the country. The Chattahoochee River runs through and is used for tubing in summer.

What you'll find

• A whole town refaced from 1969 - by ordinance, including petrol stations.
• A long Oktoberfest - September into early November.
• River tubing in summer - on the Chattahoochee through town.
• A few hundred residents - taking millions of visitors.

When to go

September to November for Oktoberfest; summer for tubing. Half a day.

Good to know

It is entirely a theme, applied in 1969, and does not pretend otherwise. Autumn weekends produce serious traffic on a two-lane road. Prices are tourist-level. Authenticity is not the offer here.

Nearby

Anna Ruby Falls is north; Unicoi State Park is adjacent.