Toccoa & Stephens County

Toccoa is the county seat, and it sits in the Blue Ridge foothills near the South Carolina line. Weekends are the easiest time to hit everything, since Traveler's Rest only opens Saturday and Sunday, but the falls and Camp Toccoa both keep short hours, so check before you go.

From the University of Toccoa Falls, Camp Toccoa, the museum, Georgia State Parks and Currahee Vineyards.

Toccoa Falls drops 186 feet on Toccoa Creek, on the campus of the University of Toccoa Falls, and the university calls it one of the tallest free-falling waterfalls east of the Mississippi. A 100-yard gravel path leads to the base. The falls are privately owned but open to the public for $2. The name Toccoa comes from a Cherokee word, often translated as "beautiful."

There's a sober side to the visit. On November 6, 1977, the Kelly Barnes Dam above the falls failed after heavy rain, and the flood killed 39 people, according to Wikipedia. A memorial to the victims stands by the falls.

Camp Toccoa, once called Camp Toombs, was a World War II basic training camp for paratroopers, and the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment trained there. Easy Company of that regiment was portrayed in HBO's Band of Brothers, according to Wikipedia. The nonprofit Camp Toccoa at Currahee keeps the site open to visitors for free on Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings or afternoons (see the table above) and takes group tours by request.

Currahee Mountain, whose name comes from a Cherokee word meaning "stands alone," rises over the camp. The camp's website sums up the paratroopers' training run as "3 miles up, 3 miles down." The Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber lists the Currahee Mountain trail among its outdoor options.

You'll find this in the 1915 train depot in downtown Toccoa, shared with the Stephens County History Museum. It holds extensive material on the regiments that trained at Camp Toccoa, a six-stall stable from Aldbourne, England, where Easy Company stayed, and a hall recognizing local veterans. We cover the rest of downtown in our downtown Toccoa guide.

Traveler's Rest is Georgia's last stagecoach inn. James R. Wyly built it around 1815 along the new Unicoi Turnpike, and Devereaux Jarrett bought it in 1833, doubled its size and made it the center of a 14,400-acre plantation on the Tugaloo River. The state bought the remaining acres in 1955, and it became a National Historic Landmark in 1964. You can tour the house and see original furnishings, some by the cabinetmaker Caleb Shaw.

Stephens County touches Lake Hartwell, and the Chamber also lists Henderson Falls Park, the Frady Branch Trail and the Panther Creek East Trail. Read our Lake Hartwell and Stephens County guide for boating and parks, and the Chamber's explore page for the full list.