Picnic Spots Around Helen

Riverside benches, state park shelters and a creekside table by the falls

By The Explore Helen Editorial Team Updated October 8, 2026 Fees and hours checked with Georgia State Parks, Unicoi Lodge and FIND Outdoors

The short answer

For the easiest picnic, use free-parking Riverside Park in town. For shelters, Smithgall Woods has five first come, first served (ParkPass $10). For a lake, go to Unicoi State Park. Anna Ruby Falls charges $6 and doesn't take the ParkPass.

A picnic is the cheapest good meal in Helen, and the setting is hard to beat: a creek, a lake or the headwaters of the Chattahoochee. You can eat on a bench two blocks from Main Street or pack a lunch to a state park shelter. Four spots cover most plans, and each one is small enough to do in a half day.

The biggest planning issue is fees. Both state parks need a ParkPass, and Anna Ruby Falls charges its own admission and doesn't take the ParkPass.

Picnic spots at a glance

Picnic spots near Helen with addresses, costs, hours and what each offers
Spot	Where	Cost	Hours	Good to know
Riverside Park	Edelweiss Strasse, downtown Helen	Free city lot (see the parking guide)	Not posted	Walkable from Main Street; the Lighting of the Village is held here
Unicoi State Park	1788 Highway 356, about 10 minutes from downtown	$10 ParkPass per vehicle per day	7 AM-10 PM; visitor center Sun-Thu 10-5, Fri-Sat 10-6	53-acre Unicoi Lake, summer beach, 2.5-mile Lake Trail
Smithgall Woods State Park	61 Tsalaki Trail, about 10 minutes from downtown	$10 ParkPass per vehicle per day	7 AM-dark; office 8-5	Five picnic shelters, first come, first served; everyone registers at the visitor center
Anna Ruby Falls	3455 Anna Ruby Falls Road, about 20 minutes (6 miles)	$6 ages 16 and up; 15 and under free; ParkPass not accepted	9-6, last ticket 5	Picnic areas by the visitor center, a 0.4-mile paved trail to twin falls

Fees and hours come from Georgia State Parks and FIND Outdoors. Check them before you drive out.

Riverside Park, in town

Riverside Park is on Edelweiss Strasse, a short walk from the shops, and it's one of the city's free lots, which makes it the easiest place to eat outdoors without paying for parking. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive here for the Lighting of the Village, this year on Friday, November 27, 5 to 7 PM. The parking guide shows the other free lots east of Main Street.

Bring your own food, or pick it up on the way: Betty's Country Store at 18 Yonah St has sold homemade and specialty groceries since 1973, and Hofer's makes sandwiches on its own bread (closed Tuesday and Wednesday). Phone Betty's at 706-878-2943.

Unicoi State Park

Unicoi State Park covers 1,029 acres around the 53-acre Unicoi Lake, 1788 Highway 356, and it's open every day from 7 AM to 10 PM. The ParkPass is $10 a vehicle a day, or $70 for the year. Diners at the lodge restaurant don't need the pass.

The easy lake walk is the 2.5-mile Lake Trail, a loop around the water that the park calls a great fall hike for leaf viewing. The Unicoi/Helen Trail runs about three miles each way to town, foot traffic only, with trailheads at the far end of the lodge's level 3 lot. In summer there's a swimming beach, with no lifeguards, weather permitting. Kayaks, paddleboards and aqua cycles rent Thursday through Sunday, 10 to 5, at the visitor center; rentals close if lightning is within five miles (Unicoi Lodge). Reserving a group shelter or the Beach House takes a phone call to 706-878-2201.

Smithgall Woods State Park

Smithgall Woods at 61 Tsalaki Trail has five picnic shelters, all first come, first served, so you can't book one but you also don't need to. It's a 5,844-acre conservation park, and everyone registers at the visitor center when they arrive. The park is open 7 AM to dark, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the office is staffed 8 to 5. The ParkPass applies.

Pair lunch with the 1.6-mile Laurel Ridge loop. Trout fishing on Dukes Creek is by reservation only, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from October through May. Phone the park at 706-878-3087.

Anna Ruby Falls

Anna Ruby Falls is run by the Forest Service and FIND Outdoors, and it has its own admission: $6 for ages 16 and up, free for 15 and under, cash or card at the gatehouse. It does not accept the Georgia ParkPass. The visitor center, gift shop and picnic areas are near the parking lot, and the falls are a 0.4-mile paved walk with a couple of short, steep sections.

The 0.1-mile Lion's Eye Trail is paved and wheelchair accessible, with cable handrails and braille signs. Leashed dogs are welcome. Gates are open 9 to 6, with the last ticket sold at 5, and the site is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Picnic tips

Rules on the river

No alcohol on the river, and tubers can bring one 32-ounce plastic drink container but no coolers, per Cool River Tubing. Helen police patrol the river.

Fall weekends

Peak color is expected around the end of October and early November, and park lots fill. Arrive before 10 AM, or go on a weekday.

Bring a layer

Helen's October highs average 70 and lows 46 (NOAA 1991-2020). Creekside tables run cooler than the street.

Dogs

Leashed dogs are welcome at Anna Ruby Falls, and Unicoi is pet-friendly with leash rules. Ask at the park before bringing one into the picnic shelters.