Downtown Toccoa, Georgia

Toccoa is the county seat of Stephens County, near the South Carolina line, with about 9,100 residents in the 2020 census. It's best known as the training ground of the "Band of Brothers" paratroopers, and the 186-foot Toccoa Falls is a few minutes out of town. Unlike Helen, the downtown here is a working small-town Main Street: a depot, a theater, antique shops and places where locals eat.

Drive time from Helen is about 45 minutes (30 miles). Toccoa also has an Amtrak station on the Crescent line, one of only three in Georgia, according to the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber.

The Currahee Military Museum shares the 1915 train depot with the Stephens County History Museum, which covers local sites and figures from the Cherokee era to today. The military wing is built around the regiments that trained at Camp Toccoa in World War II, including a six-stall stable from Aldbourne, England, where Easy Company stayed before D-Day. The museum says to plan at least an hour and a half.

Sources: the museum's admission page, the Ritz Theatre site and Main Street Toccoa's directory.

The Ritz is a National Register landmark that was recreated from historic photographs and drawings, according to its own site. It books movies, music, theater and comedy, so check the calendar before you plan a night around it.

Main Street Toccoa's business directory lists these downtown places. Hours change, so check each business before you go.

If you'd rather stay overnight, the directory also lists the Simmons-Bond Inn Bed & Breakfast downtown. For a tasting outside town, Currahee Vineyards sits at the foot of Currahee Mountain.

From Main Street Toccoa's Harvest Festival and Christmas Fest pages.

Pair downtown with the rest of Stephens County: Toccoa Falls, Camp Toccoa and Traveler's Rest are all in our Toccoa and Stephens County guide. On the way back, add Tallulah Gorge, Clarkesville or Lake Hartwell.