Places to stay near attractions in Dahlonega

Dahlonega, Georgia is the site of the first major U.S. gold rush — 20 years before California — and the birthplace of the phrase "there's gold in them thar hills." Gold was struck here in 1828, and by 1838 the U.S. Mint had opened a branch on what is now the University of North Georgia campus. The original mint building's copper cupola sits atop Price Memorial Hall, and the story is told at the Dahlonega Gold Museum State Historic Site, housed in the 1836 Lumpkin County Courthouse right on the historic square.

The town's walkable square is lined with independent restaurants, tasting rooms, mercantile shops, the Holly Theater, and gold-panning attractions at Consolidated Gold Mine and Crisson Gold Mine. Dahlonega is also the anchor of the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Wine Trail — Georgia's most concentrated wine region — with Wolf Mountain, Three Sisters, Frogtown, Kaya, Cavender Creek, Montaluce, and Accent Cellars all within a short scenic drive.

The surrounding mountains give travelers easy access to Amicalola Falls State Park and the Appalachian Trail Approach, DeSoto Falls, Blood Mountain, Neels Gap, and the Chestatee and Etowah rivers for trout fishing and tubing. Fall weekends bring Gold Rush Days (third weekend in October), and the Old Fashioned Christmas lighting turns the courthouse square into one of the most photographed holiday scenes in Georgia.