COLORFUL TOWN: A sign welcomes travelers to town while rose bushes display vibrant blooms all around Dahlonega. Left: Local gold miner Hop Smith teaches visitors to pan for gold at the annual Gold Rush Days festival in October.
Welcome to Dahlonega A good place to visit and a better place to stay by Matt Aiken
T
o know our town, is to love our town. So let’s make a few introductions, shall we? From the downtown square to the Appalachian mountains to the rolling vineyards to the waters of our dueling rivers, it’s not hard to see why so many folks arrive as visitors and wind up staying for good. For many, the first formal Dahlonega greeting begins on the red bricks of the
historic district. It’s there, in the shadow of the Dahlonega Gold Museum, that tourists and locals alike bustle about amidst the quirky shops, colorful art galleries, diverse restaurants and downhome music venues which take residence in preserved buildings dating from the gold rush days of the 1800s.
Chances are if you show up on the square on a weekend you’ll walk right into a festival too. The outdoor events are year-round and range from the Bear on the Square music festival to the Dahlonega Trail Fest to the ever popular Gold Rush Days. Speaking of gold, there’s still plenty of it in “them thar
hills.” Or more specifically, at Consolidated Gold Mine, where would-be prospectors can tour the underground tunnels of a once thriving gold producing operation. Or they can try their own luck while panning for the gold stuff above ground. Down the road at Crisson Gold Mine, visitors can also grab a pan and join in the gemgrubbing or just sit back and observe the actual mining process first hand at North Georgia’s only operational open pit mine. When it comes to lively Story continues, Page 10 2014 | DAHLONEGA Nuggets 9