This birthday wasn’t a big one, just one closer to Dirty Thirty, but it was a great one for me. For eight of the last ten years, I’ve spent my birthday working long hours at a trade show. No matter what day it fell on, I already knew what I’d be doing for the full week before or after.
It may make me sound like a brat, a grade schooler throwing a tantrum over not having a birthday party, but with a summer birthday, I’d always had that until I started this particular job. So when I retired from this position, I knew I wanted to do something special. My friends were with me and organized a weekend in Georgia’s wine country to celebrate.
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You didn’t know that Georgia had a wine country? I’ll admit that it doesn’t exactly rival Napa, but in less than two hours drive from Atlanta, you can be in a cabin in the mountains or sipping local wine from one of the dozens of tasting rooms.
It’s easy to see why this was an ideal weekend destination for our group. My sister and her bestie drove in from North Carolina and Tennesee while the rest of us came from the Atlanta area and beyond. We rented a condo with The Dahlonega Square Hotel & Villas, which was within walking distance of the town square’s restaurants and shops. It came complete with a kitchen, porch, and two bedrooms to squeeze the seven of us in.
As friends trickled in, I was surprised with treats like this kangaroo onesie, big balloons, and even my personalized Snapchat geofilter! It was such a fun surprise. We started the weekend with dinner out at Spirits Tavern for dinner and what was called “live music” but was really a young dude playing 90s music like a DJ.
Not exactly as advertised… But we still had fun and I even got a middle school-style dedication thanks to my noisy pals. The night carried on with many bottles of wine, card games, Pokemon Go, and my nearest and dearest around me.
The next day, I wasn’t quite ready for more drinking, but I rallied. A few of us took a quick drive to a nearby waterfall, but it was way too cold for swimming. I will admit that the cold water was just what I needed to wake up. We met the rest of the gals at Wolf Mountain Vineyards, a stunning mountaintop restaurant and winery, where we had lunch.
The winery is known for their bubbles, so that’s what I tried. After lunch, we stopped by one more tasting room: Three Sisters Vineyards & Winery. It felt especially appropriate to me as I’m one of three sisters! This winery specializes in European wines and wine pairings with chocolate.
Even if you don’t make it out to the wineries themselves, you can try most types of local wine at the downtown tasting rooms, most of which art also art galleries. This way you don’t have to worry about finding a designated driver and can try multiple wineries in one place.
We stopped by two different tasting rooms, each offering four samples for $10-12. Downtown Dahlonega also has boutiques and shops worth browsing.
Thanks to my gals for making this the best birthday in many years!
If you’re interested in planning your own girls weekend in Dahlonega, here are a few more recommendations:
Where to Stay in Dahlonega
In addition to the villas that we stayed in, Dahlonega Square Hotel has rooms in an inn closer to town. The Smith House is another well-known inn and restaurant. Hiker Hostel is a budget-friendly accommodation for nearby hikers and you can also rent a yurt from Cedar House Inn & Yurts. Rentals from sites like AirBnB are also easy to find, especially for groups like mine. Get a discount on your first stay!
What to See in Dahlonega
Walk around the quaint campus of the University of North Georgia and admire the bell tower made with locally mined gold! Speaking of gold, gold-panning is a popular activity, as it was discovered here in a small gold rush in 1829. There’s also tubing and hiking, depending on the season. And for a girls weekend in Dahlonega, try drop in yoga classes or spa treatments.
Where to Eat in Dahlonega
Breakfast at The Picnic Cafe was the perfect last morning meal. They’re open for breakfast and lunch, but be prepared to wait in line. We didn’t dine out too much that weekend since we had a kitchen.
Where to Drink in Dahlonega
I’d previously visited a few of the area wineries, including Cavender Creek Vineyards. Others we didn’t have time for include Frogtown Cellars and Montaluce Winery & Restaurant. Keep in mind that these wineries are a bit of a drive from town, so either choose a DD or book transportation.
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