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Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge & Restaurant
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
3 reviews for Amicalola Falls State Park Lodge & Restaurant
Looking for a day trip from Atlanta? Amicalola Falls might be the answer. Less than a two hour drive out of the city, the park hosts a number of activities from fishing and hiking to camping.
On this particular day the weather in Atlanta was gorgeous. It was the perfect day to pull the top off the Jeep and road trip it. A friend and I headed up to Dawsonville via 400. It's self pay parking so remember to have a little bit of cash handy.
There are 3 different parking areas. One is at the top of the falls, one at the middle, and a lot at the base of the falls (with a short hike). Be warned should you walk the falls there are quite a few steep steps so make sure you have the right shoes on for the trip.
Amicalola Falls is beautiful. It's worth hiking and seeing. If you're trying to figure out what to do one weekend consider a trip up to N. GA to see the falls.
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If you are a serious camper, this review will not help you much. However, if you are an Atlanta area resident, looking for a fun way to spend the day out of doors, I highly recommend Amicalola Falls, which is the terminus of the Southern portion of the Appalachian Trail.
Park at the base of the Falls, and take a leisurely hike up the hundreds of steps that lead you to breathtaking vistas of these beautiful waterfalls, some of the largest in Georgia. This is a perfect hike for beginners because they are actually built wooden steps that crisscross back and forth across the waterfall, so you always have excellent footing. However, do expect this to take a while, as the 500+ steps are quite steep.
But once you get to the top, brunch, lunch or dinner is your reward in the beautiful lodge. The restaurant, called the Maple Room, serves a plentiful buffet style meal with all your favorite Southern food. Maybe you'll even get lucky and be there on fried chicken day -yum! Get a table near the windows, and enjoy the panoramic view of the gorgeous Georgia Mountains. They have a good sized gift shop with all sorts of North Georgia souvenirs. Check out the bulletin board by the entrance with the postcards from hikers who started the Appalachian Trail from Amicalola.
Spend the afternoon hiking back down the trail, and maybe exploring some of the small trails. This is also a great place for kids, as there are a couple of playgrounds and the restaurant is definitely child friendly.
About 2hours outside of Atlanta, Amicalola is also a great place to take out of town visitors who might like a (mild) taste of the Great Outdoors we have in Georgia.
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Good that they have this here, so people camping aren't FORCED to eat out of a bag. The lodge itself is comfortable, with clean bathrooms, a television, a fireplace, and best of all, a nice viewing patio outside of the basement level, perfect for watching the sunset while sitting in the row of rocking chairs. However, the Friday Night seafood buffet left a great deal to be desired. Admittedly, I don't eat much in the way of shellfish, but the entire thing just seemed a little Shoney's for me. The idea of a brunch-type buffet at the same restaurant excited me for some reason, but I never got the chance to try it, as it was just add water "huevos rancheros" this fine Sunday morning for me...
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