The only surviving travelers' rest along the Unicoi Turnpike (a once-busy thoroughfare over the Appalachian Mountains), this stagecoach inn and plantation was built in 1805. It is extremely well preserved, and you can just imagine exhausted travelers doing everything from tying up their road-weary horses for the night to having gunfights over the last swig of moonshine by the fireplace, à la Quentin Tarantino's Hateful Eight. The inn includes numerous original artifacts and furnishings, many crafted by renowned Massachusetts cabinetmaker Caleb Shaw.
Traveler's Rest State Historic Site
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
7 MILES
This dramatic 186ft-high waterfall, reached along a 500ft path from the visitor center on the campus of Tocca Falls College, is one of the tallest free…
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29 MILES
Not to be confused with Tennessee's far more famous Ruby Falls, Georgia's Anna Ruby Falls is tucked away in Unicoi State Park (part of the Chattahoochee…
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12.51 MILES
The 1000ft-deep Tallulah Gorge carves a dark scar across the wooded hills of North Georgia. Walk over the Indiana Jones–worthy suspension bridge, and be…
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28.62 MILES
At this adventure-oriented park, visitors can rent kayaks ($10 per hour), take paddleboard lessons ($25), hike some 12 miles of trails, mountain bike, or…
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5.73 MILES
Toccoa's pride and joy is this 14,000-sq-ft museum dedicated to the inaugural US Army paratrooper training camp, located here during WWII, and the four…
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28.81 MILES
The highlight of this alluring, 622-acre park is the crystal-clear, spring-fed Lake Jocassee, which was artificially created in the early 70s, when the…
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8.19 MILES
This small, family-owned and -operated winery does brisk business in the region for its sweet fruit and muscadine wines. While they aren't likely to be…
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27.25 MILES
This 1870 Italianate farmhouse set on 173 acres, 2 miles southeast of downtown Helen, is Georgia's newest state historic site. The nearby gazebo-topped…
Nearby attractions
5.73 MILES
Toccoa's pride and joy is this 14,000-sq-ft museum dedicated to the inaugural US Army paratrooper training camp, located here during WWII, and the four…
7 MILES
This dramatic 186ft-high waterfall, reached along a 500ft path from the visitor center on the campus of Tocca Falls College, is one of the tallest free…
8.19 MILES
This small, family-owned and -operated winery does brisk business in the region for its sweet fruit and muscadine wines. While they aren't likely to be…
12.51 MILES
The 1000ft-deep Tallulah Gorge carves a dark scar across the wooded hills of North Georgia. Walk over the Indiana Jones–worthy suspension bridge, and be…
5. Museum of the Cherokee in South Carolina
14.46 MILES
South Carolina's only museum dedicated solely to Cherokee history is contained in a small white-brick building in the northwestern corner of the state…
6. Black Rock Mountain State Park
22.64 MILES
Reaching altitudes of 3640ft, Georgia's highest state park is 5 miles north of Clayton. At that height, its obvious draws are the vistas. Like Brasstown…
7. Foxfire Museum & Heritage Center
22.66 MILES
Fancy living off the grid? Since 1966, this important, hands-on experiential museum telling the story of Appalachian culture has been solely focused on…
23.28 MILES
The self-guided tour inside the World of Energy at the Oconee Nuclear Station provides a pretty darn interesting look at electricity and how it has been…