Nifty Tourist Town: "Alpine" Helen, Georgia

For our spring break surprise destination trip for G, we wanted to reach Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia.  Looking for a nearby place to stay, Kim found a place she'd heard of but had difficulty picturing: Alpine Helen, Georgia.  It turns out Helen is a lovely little tourist town that is constructed to look like a Busch Gardens-esque interpretation of Bavaria. It's actually so very Busch Gardens looking that G asked where the rides were.

Smaller than Gatlinburg, Tennessee, but bigger than Calabash, North Carolina, Helen was the perfect little base for our road trip and would also make a nice base for local hiking (and waterfall seeking) in North Georgia--there are several state parks very nearby and, for saving for when the kids are older, river tubing options.  The village has intriguing putt-putt places, many souvenir shops, some nifty boutique stores like Jolly's Toys, and a good number of German restaurants.  Allow for a few hours of shopping and strolling in town.  We enjoyed a modest German lunch at Hofer's of Helen, and Bodensee was also recommended to us as a quality option. While there, don't miss Betty's IGA General Store, a nice stop for groceries that is a fun place to experience in itself.  Good news for travelling families: the highly imaginative, family-owned roadside attraction HO-scale model train exhibit Charlemagne's Kingdom is set to reopen.  Rumor had it was opening a few days after we left, meaning we'll have to go back.

If you go, know that Alpine Helen is off the beaten path.  GPS an exact address, don't expect a ton of mobile connectivity in some areas, and do expect to feel like you are in a rural environment near a hidden treasure--not an extremely advertised one.  In other words, there won't be a bunch of billboards guiding you in.  Once in town, there are plenty of nearly-equivalent hotels: we stayed at the modest but wonderful Quality Inn Helen, and the Heidi Motel also had a cute setup.  There's not a ton of family-appropriate nightlife, although there is a Huddle House 24/7 restaurant that had delightful service.  Expect to walk place-to-place in town, and check the town calendar for special events, notably Octoberfest and a hot air balloon event.  If traveling with small ones, you are close to Babyland General Hospital.  It was suggested that, when we return to the area, we explore the relatively-nearby Dahlonega Gold Museum as well.

Childhood Legacies: Babyland General Hospital

If you grew up in the 1980s or had kids growing up then in the US, you undoubtedly know the Cabbage Patch brand.  Kim had a few dolls: Kerry Ann, a preemie, an astronaut; Justin had some as well.  Kim also remembered her dad telling stories of seeing some people fight over them at a Roanoke, Virginia, Hills store--they were a BIG deal.  So big that a related tourist site emerged in Georgia: Babyland General Hospital.  Basically, it was the place the Cabbage Patch Kids were born--a center where you could pick them out from a "nursery."  Once in a small building, it graduated in 2009 to a custom-built mansion in Cleveland, Georgia.  This became a perfect surprise destination trip for G this spring break.

Babyland General Hospital is a truly delightful location for young kids interested in dolls, about age 7 and down, that inspires the imagination as well as some shopping. Free admission makes your visit easy, and you can come anytime and wander the large combination simulated hospital-birthing tree-doll nursery-large gift shop.  You shop from the displays, which include cribs full of dolls and a "cabbage patch" of dolls as well as more conventionally-displayed items. Various souvenirs include T-shirts, postcards, limited edition dolls, baby accessories, and the like.  If you ever visited the now-defunct Boyds Bear Country, you have the idea.

We spent about two-and-a-half hours on site on an extended visit with a very impressed G.  She particularly enjoyed the large number of stuffed animals available (that's what she wanted to take home) and the birthing tree, a little show where a Cabbage Patch doll is "delivered" by a patch nurse or doctor every 45 minutes or so.  The delivery features a lot of vague references to actual childbirth and results in a new Cabbage Patch doll the audience names.  G helped name two dolls while we were there: Gwen Amelia and Elijah Alexander.  All of the staff are dressed as medical staff, and the dolls are transported about the center in cradles and incubators.

If you go, this is an affordable outing.  Admission is free, parking is easy, and signs to Babyland abound once you are within about 5 miles.  Some of the dolls are priced upward of $200--but the hard-to-find smaller dolls are plentiful here and start at around $9, the various souvenirs are affordable, and there are sales on overstock dolls also with very reasonable prices.  The site itself is large (so large that the ballroom hosts weddings), and you could easily take a picnic (bring a blanket) and eat on the grounds.  Babyland General Hospital is not, however, super close to the interstate system, so you will be getting off the beaten path.  The nearby small town of Alpine Helen, Georgia, can provide you a place to stay.

The "West" in the Civil War: Chattanooga and Chickamauga

On our second family trip to Chattanooga, we reserved the equivalent of a day to explore the civil war battlefields and memorial monuments at Chattanooga and Chickamauga.  Both are characterized as far "western" battlefields for the time, and Justin, our Mr. History, recommends visiting both to help understand the course of the war.  Both sites help us understand what happened in our past--and the ways in which we have reflected on these events over the years.

On Lookout Mountain, Point Park, a commemoration of Chattanooga's "Battle Above the Clouds," is one of the first National Park Service sites.  It includes gorgeous views, including some even a casual student of history will recognize in civil war photographs.  Ochs Memorial Observatory includes a small gallery-style museum of civil war photography.  It's not part of the National Park Service, but the Battles for Chattanooga dioramas nearby add interesting information--and provide a way for you to support independent history attractions in addition to the National Park Service.  In fact, some of the best parking for this area is right behind their building.

Justin describes Chickamauga as a very well-preserved battlefield that can occupy several hours of driving/walking/hiking.  Like Gettysburg, there are many, many monuments and markers.  With a sense of adventure in mind, you can climb Wilder's Brigade Tower, an 85-foot stone monument with an interesting story itself.  There's a spiral staircase inside and outstanding views at the top.  Hang on to little ones, as the windows are open air--G tried to make an escape out of a high window, and she could have if we hadn't been paying attention.

If you go, Chattanooga's Point Park can easily be enjoyed as part of a trip to Lookout Mountain--and especially to the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway.  If you are feeling thrifty, Point Park can serve as a lower-priced and kitsch-free alternative to Rock City--although we'd still suggest visiting both. Chickamauga is easy to reach on a travel day--we stopped as we drove back "up" to Roanoke--and is, again, a spacious place.  Both are best enjoyed on pleasant-weather days when you feel comfortable outside.