German Culture and Bavarian Heritage in Helen

Helen had been a lumber town, and by the late 1960s it needed a new reason for people to stop. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, local merchants led by Pete Hodkinson consulted Clarkesville artist John Kollock in 1968, and the Alpine remake that followed, started around 1969, was visible within a few years. Half-timbered facades, gingerbread trim and flower boxes went up along Main Street and the river, and the look has stuck for more than half a century. The Helen Welcome Center (726 Bruckenstrasse, 706-878-2181) is the place to start. Our history page goes deeper.

You'll see the style best at dusk, when the lights come on along Main Street, and on a walk down the river. Our walking tour and architecture guide point out what to look for.

Details from A Taste of Bavaria, The Heidelberg, Hofer's and Bodensee. Hours shift in the off-season, so call ahead. More in our German cuisine guide.

You don't have to wait for Oktoberfest. The visitors bureau's German beer guide names these imports on tap.

The Helen Chamber of Commerce bills this as the longest-running Oktoberfest in the United States, and 2026 is the 56th. Kids 6 to 12 pay $5 Monday to Thursday and $7 Friday and Saturday, under 6 are free, and active and retired military get in free with ID. Every adult is ID-checked, it's smoke-free, and no pets are allowed. The opening parade runs down Edelweiss Strasse to Main Street, followed by a keg tapping at the Festhalle Biergarten. October has a Stein Holding Competition (Saturday, October 10, 6 to 8 PM) and a Halloween costume party on October 31. Read our Oktoberfest guide for planning, and our parking guide before you drive in.

Helen's Christmas Market, run by the Chamber, takes over the downtown Marktplatz and Unicoi Hill Park on two weekends with handmade Christmas gifts and decorations, sweets and treats. Admission is free. For a meal, eat at the town's restaurants. The market page has details, and in past seasons the village lights have stayed up into the new year. In winter, Fasching is the German Mardi Gras: costumes encouraged but not required, live music and dancing, and prizes for the best costumes at the Festhalle party. Restaurants also host Fasching parties; the visitors bureau lists Cowboys & Angels (January 22), Hofbrauhaus (January 23) and Heidelberg (January 29).

Lindenhaus Imports (8669 N Main St, 706-878-2357) has been in business more than 27 years and sells German-made and handcrafted goods from around the world: cuckoo clocks, beer steins, nutcrackers, Christmas decorations and Alpine hats, plus nesting dolls, olivewood nativities and about 100 kinds of hat pins. Old Bavaria Inn sells steins and lederhosen, and the visitors bureau also lists Bavarian Clockworks.

Anna Ruby Falls (about 6 miles) and Unicoi State Park (about 10 minutes) are the closest outdoor stops; Unicoi has the zip line. Hardman Farm and the Sautee Nacoochee Center in the valley south of town show the area's older history. Vogel State Park is about 45 minutes away, and its lake is drained for dam repairs this fall. See our German imports shopping guide too.