Picture this –you’re surrounded by your girls, stretching golden hour-induced laughs as long as you can, enveloped by the grandeur and serenity of sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains. Everyone’s aglow, kicked back in Adirondack chairs, as you’re wishing time could freeze on this summer evening.
Beneath its small-town charm, Dahlonega shines with a rich history and unexpected modern luxuries—where gold once filled the Georgia clay, indulgence now fills your weekend. It’s the perfect place to gather your girls for the finer things in life that let you relax, relish, and reconnect. Check out this sample itinerary for a golden weekend escape.
Sip and Shop
The combination of sipping and shopping is the epitome of girl time and a perfect activity to open the weekend on Friday afternoon and evening.
Start with a snack at the Fudge Factory, where the biggest problem you’ll have after walking in is how to choose from the 70-plus handmade chocolates, fudges, and other confections. Pro tip: order a four-flavor assortment – you won’t regret it. After you satiate your sweet tooth, peruse the Glassblowing Shop, where each piece has a unique story steeped in rich tradition, like all the ones you’ll share over the weekend.
Once you’ve had some solid retail therapy time, toast to memories in the making while you relish in the fruits of our land’s labor. You’ll love the following spots to sip in style and capture #GoldenHour for the gram.
- Naturally Georgia Wine Bar: Offerings from five distinct vineyards means there’s a vino for everyone’s taste preferences. Pinot Grigio from Engelheim Vineyards is an elevated take on classic summer refreshment, while Ole Blue from Currahee Vineyards is the muscadine blend that tastes just like a blueberry pop tart – the perfect glass for ushering in all the merriment sure to follow.
- Big Creek Distilling: Handcrafted, small batches of bourbon whiskey, gin, and moonshine have gustatory Georgia influences at Big Creek Distilling. Take a tour of the facility as you sip to grow a deeper appreciation about what’s in your cup.
Take a Spa Reset
After a cup-filling evening of reconnecting with your best girls, set Saturday morning aside to come back new in body, mind, and spirit. Poshly serene spaces all over town invite you to simultaneously unplug and recharge – just be sure to make a reservation so you’ll have ample time and space to truly retreat.
For the ultimate pampering of your hands and feet, STEAP will indulge your extremities in rituals filled with essential oils and other healing botanicals like never before. Book their most popular 45-minute premium package, complete with chocolates and a cup of one of their proprietary tea blends.
Helio Healing Wellness Center will move the concept of holistic wellness out of your group chat and into reality with innovative technologies. Cocoon Fitness Pods and HydroMassage will rejuvenate your mind and soul as you heal your body in this sanctuary where every detail has been thoughtfully designed for relaxation.
A classic spa experience nestled into the Georgia mountains awaits at Dahlonega Resort Spa. Make a spa party reservation for a crème de la crème sampler of a 30-minute massage, 30-minute facial, champagne, and a private room for everyone to call home base.
Create and Imbibe
Feeling the kind of refreshed that only our crisp mountain air can provide, saunter into Saturday lunch and more heartwarming chats through the afternoon. Here are a few squad-centric ideas:
- Lunch at Wolf Mountain Vineyards: You’ll be noshing on gourmet dishes alongside award-winning wines from the overlooking vineyard tucked into majestic mountains. Try the burrata and prosciutto paired with Chanteloup for a seasonal palate pleaser.
- The Wine Making Studio: The wonder you’ve felt as you look out on our thriving vineyards can be somewhat teleported to your home after a visit to The Wine Making Studio. Here, you get to choose the flavor, dryness level, and alcohol content with each half gallon of wine that you make.
- Gold panning: Give a nod to our glitzy past by trying your hand at panning for gold in one of our creeks and rivers – you’re able to pan wherever you’re drawn to without a permit so long as you’re only using a shovel.
- Vineyard stroll: Our vineyards were made for swapping giggle-infused stories only your girls know all the details to. Sip on a glass of Oola Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon while you stroll at Kaya Vineyards. With 12 wine-tasting rooms and 8 wineries throughout Dahlonega, you’ll wish the weekend came with a pause button to allow for enough time to sample and savor all our liquid golds.
Gilded and Glam
When was the last time you and your girls got ready together to take on the town just how you see fit? If that answer is taking longer than you’d like to admit, Dahlonega welcomes you with open arms of Southern charm to explore at Golden Hour and thereafter.
- Gold mine tour: The Consolidated Gold Mining Company offers a tour of the only underground gold mine (200 feet below sea level!) in Dahlonega with tour guides guised as miners from back in the day leading you to the depths. Be sure to bring a jacket or sweater though – the mines can be a crisp 55-60 degrees!
- Dinner at Montaluce Winery and Restaurant: You’ll feel like you’re on a top-of-the-line Tuscan holiday, complete with climbing greenery, exposed wood, and decadent stone architecture while being just a brief drive from downtown. Delight in craveable dishes like portabella wellington paired with impeccably crafted wines (we suggest the 2020 Risata). All cooking is 100% from scratch, with brick ovens at the heart of the endeavor to warm with farm-to-table flair. It’s best to snag a reservation to ensure your experience is authentically unrushed.
- Holly Theatre: Catch a show at the Holly Theatre, where no seat is more than 70 feet away from the stage to keep you immersed in the plot. To find a show during your visit, click here.
Bubbles and Brunch
Sunday brings a special peace to the region as the cool breeze blows through our meandering streets and green spaces to whimsically announce the week ahead. Before you leave town, squeeze every memory out of these last fleeting moments together with brunch, one last glass, and a stroll through boutiques to stretch your legs.
Start the day with brunch at Dahlonega Resort and Vineyard. Hot honey chicken and waffle sandwiches or brunch burgers are sure to give sustained fuel for the day ahead and chase away the Sunday scaries.
Then, toast to your collectively tenured friendship one last time (with a designated driver of course). The cherry zinger sparkling mead at Etowah Meadery or the Happy Camper Brown Ale made with smores from Dahlonega Brewery are ideal for sipping while planning the next visit to town.
For a pick-me-up a la new outfit that’s right on trend, head to Dress Up Boutique. And don’t forget to stop by Giggle Monkey Toys to pick out something to greet your littles with once you arrive home.
Dahlonega: For the Girls
Girl time. There’s nothing like it. And there’s absolutely nothing like a girls’ weekend in Dahlonega. For memories as solid as gold, start planning your Dahlonega girls’ getaway today by signing up for our newsletter and browsing our summer events calendar!
