11 Best Small Towns In Georgia For A Crowd-Free Summer

In the north Georgia mountains, Helen looks like someone airlifted a Bavarian village into Appalachia, cuckoo clocks and all. Down on the coast, Jekyll Island lets you walk a beach full of bone-white driftwood at sunset. Twenty miles from Atlanta, Lilburn holds the largest Hindu mandir in the Southeast, hand-carved in India and reassembled stone by stone. This is the kind of summer small-town Georgia does well: slower, cheaper, and well clear of the crowds. The eleven towns below cover mountains, coast, wine country, and gold-rush history, and each one is built for an unhurried week.

Blue Ridge

Blue Ridge, Georgia, is probably best known for the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. Starting in the historic downtown area, this train takes a winding route through forests that are at their fullest in summertime, along with gurgling creeks and old bridges. Some riders even spot a Georgia black bear, though only from a safe distance.

Blue Ridge is also a gateway town for nature activities. Visitors have access to all 106,000 acres of Chattahoochee National Forest, as well as the Ocoee River, one of the best destinations for whitewater rafting in the region. They can also hike part of the Appalachian Trail, which begins in the nearby national forest. After a long day outdoors, the move is a bite at the appropriately named Southern Charm, or a local beer at Misty Mountain Hops, a bar with plenty of personality.

Brunswick

Most people encounter Brunswick on their way to somewhere else. Located on the Georgia coast, it is the gateway to a string of barrier islands, those long, narrow offshore deposits of sand. Brunswick is the jumping-off point for the small island towns of St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island, and Jekyll Island, collectively known as the Golden Isles. Brunswick itself has plenty going on, though, and makes solid material for a summer getaway even if you never board the ferry.

Shrimping is a major part of the Georgia coast's economy, and visitors can try it aboard a boat called the Lady Jane, notable as the only shrimp vessel on the entire East Coast licensed to carry non-working passengers. Those fresh catches turn up at local restaurants, from the casual Mr. Shucks Seafood to the upscale but unstuffy Reid's Apothecary. The town also hosts events at the historic Ritz Theater, a good place to escape the afternoon heat.

Clayton

In the northernmost part of the state, Clayton offers something for both the nature lover and the traveler looking to unwind. Black Rock Mountain State Park, the highest state park in Georgia, delivers long views and excellent hiking. Tallulah Gorge State Park has five major waterfalls, and intrepid explorers can chase them all. The 80-foot-high suspension bridge inside the park is a safe but genuine thrill for anyone looking to test their nerve.

Clayton also has plenty for the wine and cocktail lover, including Moonrise Distillery and Stonewall Creek Vineyards, both turning out handcrafted drinks that are a good deal more legal than the moonshine once popular in these hills. The town has a film footnote, too: parts of the 1972 movie Deliverance were shot in the surrounding area, which says something about how dramatic the scenery gets.

Covington

Speaking of film and TV, Covington is known as a longtime filming location for the show The Vampire Diaries. Fans can visit landmarks from the series with Mystic Falls Tours, a local operator, then grab dinner at the Mystic Grill, also series-themed and serving Southern staples. Even if vampires are not your thing, there is plenty to do, starting with the downtown square, its historic buildings, and the occasional free public concert.

For the real supernatural rather than the TV version, Covington Ghost Tours offers a look at the town's spookier side. Covington is also popular with golfers, with courses like The Oaks Golf Course and Ashton Hills Golf Club. And there are good eats throughout, from Bread and Butter Bakery for pastries and coffee to Elevation Kitchen and Cocktails for food that feels upscale and approachable at once.

Dahlonega

An hour north of Atlanta, Dahlonega is full of history and nature alike. It was once famous for one thing: gold. When prospectors struck it here in 1828, a full twenty years before the California rush, more than 15,000 miners flocked to the small town hoping to get rich. Today, visitors can tour the remnants of that boom at the Crisson Gold Mine and the Consolidated Gold Mines, the latter the largest hard-rock gold mine east of the Mississippi.

Waterfall lovers do well here, too. DeSoto Falls and Dicks Creek Falls are both a short drive from the town center, and the mist coming off the water is a welcome reprieve on a hot day. There are also more wineries than anyone can visit in a week, including Three Sisters Winery, with its dog-friendly patio, and Kaya Winery, perched on a ridge with valley views.

Darien

A popular port for the Golden Isles, Darien offers both history and recreation. The town was once one of the busiest ports on the eastern seaboard, and although its population now sits below 2,000, the history runs deep. Visitors can explore Fort King George, built in 1721 as the southernmost outpost of the British Empire, and the Ashantilly Center, a restored historic Georgia home that hosts programs on the surrounding area's past.

The natural world holds its own here as well. The Colonial Coast Birding Trail turns up species like American oystercatchers and painted buntings, with more than 300 birds recorded by visitors and residents over the years. The shoreline also opens up plenty of room to kayak, canoe, paddleboard, and boat.

Helen

Stepping into Helen might make you wonder whether you are still in Georgia. The town is built in the style of an Alpine village, cobblestone paths and all, with specialty shops like Bavarian Clockworks, where you can buy your own cuckoo clock. Wander a little and stop in at the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia or the Helen Arts and Heritage Center, which covers the town's earlier life as a logging settlement.

Helen is also a fine gateway to summer fun outdoors, with access to Unicoi State Park and Lodge, where visitors can zipline, cool off in the lake, and hike the 5.3 miles to Anna Ruby Falls. Anyone craving authentic German food should head straight for Hofbrauhaus and Bodensee. Schnitzels, sausages, and Bavarian pickles make a hearty reward after a day of hiking and exploring.

Jekyll Island

This town sits on an island home to fewer than 2,000 residents, where development is carefully managed to protect the environment. The beaches and the huge piles of weathered driftwood make for the perfect photo or a long shoreline walk. Guided trolley tours dig into the island's history, while pros offer lessons at the Jekyll Island Tennis Center.

Jekyll Island is also one of Georgia's best destinations for wildlife lovers, who can join a Ranger Walk or book a private Gatorology class to learn about the alligators in the coastal waters. One of the island's most unusual offerings is the chance to ride along with the Night Patrol, a group of biologists who monitor the shoreline for nesting sea turtles, with participants sometimes helping the scientists gather data.

Lilburn

Only 20 miles from the heart of Atlanta, Lilburn holds the largest Hindu mandir in the Southeast. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was inaugurated in 2007 and consists of some 34,000 stone pieces, hand-carved in India and assembled in the United States in a feat of art, logistics, and engineering. The mandir is open to all, regardless of religious affiliation, and entry is free.

After the quiet of the temple, visitors can check out the Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary, which cares for injured or orphaned animals and lets guests observe sloths, bears, and peacocks. Lilburn City Park often hosts outdoor concerts and other events, and restaurants like 1910 Public House serve up a good meal to wind down the day.

Toccoa

On Georgia's border with South Carolina, about 50 miles from Athens, lies Toccoa, best known for the 186-foot Toccoa Falls. The waterfall is one of the tallest east of the Mississippi, taller even than Niagara Falls, and it is easy to reach via a short, accessible trail to the viewing point.

Toccoa is also a hub for art lovers. Travelers can catch the Toccoa Symphony Orchestra, which plays at venues around the county, or take in theater programming at the Ritz Theatre. In summer, the Ida Cox Music Series brings a range of genres to town, a fine way to wind down after time in the sun.

Tybee Island

Tybee Island is a town and island off the coast of Savannah, and a popular summer destination for solo travelers, couples, and families alike. It has five beaches to choose from, including North Beach, South Beach, Mid Beach, Back River, and Little Tybee, each with its own character, so it is worth scouting a few before settling in.

For a more hands-on trip, Tybee Surf Lessons teaches visitors how to ride the coastal waves, and outfits like Crab Creek Charters and Sundial Charters run private boat trips around the island. The seafood runs deep, from a Lowcountry boil at The Crab Shack at Chimney Creek to the casual, family-friendly Pier 16 Seafood Restaurant.

Georgia's Small Towns Make The Best Summer Escapes

What ties these eleven places together is range. The misty mountain trails around Clayton and the barrier-island beaches at Jekyll and Tybee suit the nature lover, while the historic squares of Dahlonega and the film-set streets of Covington give arts and history fans their fix. Whether the goal is local seafood, coastal breezes, a scenic train ride, or a quiet glass of Georgia wine, the right summer escape is probably waiting in one of these towns, well away from the crowds and the heat of the bigger cities.