Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Brasstown Bald, Hiawassee, & Helen, GA

Beautiful Brasstown Bald, rising 4,784 feet above sea level, is Georgia's highest mountain. On clear days, the spectacular 360-degree view from atop the mountain allows you to see four states, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The surrounding area is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. The Visitor Information Center, located on the summit of the Bald, offers exhibits, video presentations and interpretive programs.
This is a little shop we went to when we first got there. It was a really long drive up the mountain, we went so high that my ears popped, so did my dads.
After we went to the little shop we walked all the way up to the lookout tower. It was a long walk and there was a ton of gnats. The tower wasn't open but when we got up to the top, we could see really far away, also there was a telescope but we didn't take our money up there so we couldn't look in it.
This is a picture we took at the tower of the mountains.

More views from the top.

Hiawassee, the county seat of Towns County, was incorporated on May 17, 1956. Hiawassee, a Cherokee word meaning "meadow", is the only incorporated municipality in the county.
The City of Hiawassee and the Hiawassee River have long been popular tourist areas. In the 1800s through the 1930s, wealthy families from the lowlands would "summer in the mountains" to escape the heat and disease more prevalent in the larger populated areas.

This is a cabin we went by. There was a long river and I tried to skip a rock across it but it's so hard to skip rocks. Also we looked inside a cabin that was for sale it was very pretty, with a wrap-around porch.

This is the river I was talking about-The Hiawassee River. The water was freezing, and I washed the bottom of my shoes in the river.

This is probably my favorite part of the whole trip. We went on a CARRIAGE RIDE!!! It was the awesomest ride ever!!! The horse's name was Hershel, and guess what, The driver named Candy let my sister and I ride in the front with her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also she let us each feed Hershel a carrot!!!

This is me feeding Hershel the carrot. Horses are really tall when you're up close.

This was another horse we saw named Molly with braids in her hair. Isn't her hair beautiful?

How cute is he with his little hat!?!

After the carriage ride we got white chocolate covered marshmellows on a stick!
It was so good!

Then we played in the little park. It was so much fun!

At the park we went on a bouncy see-saw. It was really fun.


We also got SILLY BANDZ! I got the fantasy pack and my sister got the spring pack.

I LOVE HELEN!!!!!!!!