Lodge Motels: Unicoi, in the Blue Ridge Mountains

If you’re dreaming of a mountain vacation and are searching for lodge motels, consider the amazing lodge at Unicoi State Park. It’s located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia, just a few miles outside the Bavarian village of Helen. You’ll find plenty to do and see in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains!

The lodge sits atop a hill and is surrounded by the Chattahoochee National Forest. The main lodge is comprised of a large restaurant, meeting rooms, and gift shops. Displayed on the walls you’ll find handmade quilts from local artisans, some of which are offered for sale. Also for sale in the gift shop is locally-made pottery, along with books, souvenirs, and locally-made goodies like jams, jellies, and preserves.

Joined to the main lodge building by a raised walkway are the lodge rooms – 100 in all. Each section of lodge motels has a lobby with a large fireplace, comfy seating, and a table that’s great for card games and board games. All the rooms in the lodge motels are doubles, and some have loft areas, too. The lofts are great for sleeping the kids!

Near the lodge rooms are playgrounds for kids, tennis courts, and areas for volleyball. The tennis courts are lighted for nighttime playing. Engaging in these activities is a great way to work up an appetite for a hearty meal in the Unicoi Lodge restaurant!

The main lodge has a nice restaurant with beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. All the meals are buffet style, and fresh mountain trout is a specialty. I’m not wild about trout, but I love eating breakfast at the lodge restaurant! Even when we visit the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains and don’t stay at the Unicoi lodge motels, we almost always make the drive to the lodge restaurant just to enjoy their breakfast. If the weather is cold, we try to get a table in front of the large fireplace.

Near the lodge is 53-acre Smith Lake, where you can fish, rent pedal boats or canoes, or swim. There’s a sandy beach and a roped-off area for swimming in the cool, clear mountain water. There’s also a picnic area near the beach, which is available for rent. If, however, the facility hasn’t been rented for the day, guests can use it for free on a first-come basis. If you want to fish for rainbow trout, brook trout, and brown trout, there are two sections of trout steams in the park.

You’ll find picnic tables scattered throughout the park, so finding a vacant one shouldn’t be a problem. You’ll find several picnic tables with grills along Anna Ruby Falls Road.

Hiking is also available at Unicoi State Park. There are several beautiful trails, ranging from short and easy to longer and strenuous. If you like, you can hike the three-mile trek to downtown Helen for shopping, restaurants, sightseeing, or bars.

If you’re into mountain biking, you’ll love the park’s biking treks. They’ve been the site for several big mountain biking competitions, so I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. There are eight miles of biking trails, in all.

Just past the state park is Anna RubyFalls. This is a beautiful place to spend a couple of hours! There’s a walkway to the top. Be sure to bring along your camera for some spectacular photographs!

Do you enjoy birding? Unicoi is home to many year-round and migratory bird species. Some of these include the bald eagle, Cooper’s hawk, hummingbirds, warblers, Canada geese, woodpeckers, wild turkeys, sandhill cranes, yellow-billed cuckoos, kingfishers, hawks, loons, great blue herons, and scarlet tanagers.

I began going to Unicoi as a child, when only rustic cabins were available. We always stayed in the cabins up on the mountain, and we often saw deer in front of our cabin. Just across the road is Smith Creek, where I spent many happy hours wading. Once the lodge motels were built, I stayed there several times as an adult. One of my best trips was made one January, when the ground was covered with snow. We had taken along a sled, and we had a blast sledding on the big hill in front of the main lodge. I’ve also attended conferences at the lodge, and the setup was perfect. Everything we needed was readily available.

If you want more space and privacy than the lodge motels offer, you can rent one of the cabins at Unicoi. Mountain cabins are available in one, two, and three-bedroom units. Several of the cabins at Unicoi are dog-friendly.

If you prefer camping, Unicoi State Park has 82 sites for tents, RVs, and camping trailers, along with 33 walk-in campsites that are more primitive.

Before heading to the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains, be prepared. I’ve been to the area every month of the year and have yet to experience any hot nights. Even in August, the nights are a little cool if you’re high enough in elevation. To play it safe, bring along a sweater or a sweatshirt before visiting the lodge motels or anywhere else in the Blue Ridge Mountains!

To see pics of the lodge motels and lake, along with the Blue Ridge Mountains, scroll down. To read more about great Georgia vacation destinations, click the follwing links: