If you want to take full advantage of the gorgeous scenery up here in Northeast Georgia—and enjoy one of the most scenic lunch settings anywhere—pack a picnic and head out to a mountaintop or lake. You don’t even have to go any further than out our back door! While Lucille’s Mountaintop Inn & Spa offers several choice settings for picnics, you’ll find many more in and our State Parks and forests. 
Check with us at the Inn for where to get picnic fixings, then head out to one of these top spots.
Just outside of Helen, Georgia, Smithgall Woods has several shorter hikes that provide nice views. Laurel Ridge Trail is an easy loop that climbs up to lovely views at Laurel Ridge. Ash Creek Trail, 1.5-miles one way, has you fording over two streams and, as a reward, you can dine with crest views of Yonah Mountain.
Smithgall Woods State Park
61 Tsalaki Trail, Helen
706-878-7275
7:00 a.m. – dark
Hemlock Falls, located in Chattahoochee National Forest, is a favorite of ours. It’s an easy two-mile hike along Moccasin Creek up to the 15-foot falls where you can picnic next to a pristine pool.
Moccasin Creek State park
3655 Highway 197, Clarkesville, GA
Open March 16 – November 30
7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Vogel State Park south of Blairsville is home to Lake Trahlyta, a pretty 22-acre mountain lake formed by Wolf Creek. You’ll find nice picnic spots as you walk around the shore, or take the short side path down to Trahlyta Falls and enjoy a picnic in the cool setting.
Vogel State park
7485 Vogel State Park Road, Blairsville, GA
706-745-26128
7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
The most spectacular falls to picnic by is undoubtedly Amicalola Falls, the tallest cascading falls in the Southeast, and about an hour’s drive southwest of Lucille’s. Follow the well-maintained path and you’ll see benches and several covered picnic tables along the way where you can pause and picnic.
Amicalola Falls State Park
418 Amicalola Falls Lodge Road, Dawsonville, GA
706-265-8888
7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Back in our neighborhood, there’s a sweet little park in downtown Helen, Unicoi Hills Park, that has picnic tables. Pick up lunch at Betty’s Country Store and you’ll be all set.
These are just a few suggestions, as the picnic options around here are nearly endless. Just let us know what you enjoy and we can point you in the right direction. Don’t have a summer reservation at Lucille’s Mountaintop Inn yet? Give us a call!