This Is The Ultimate Girls’ Trip Destination for Wine, Wellness, and Waterfalls
When was the last time you and your best friends spent intentional, unhurried quality time together?
If your besties live close by (unlike most of mine) your typical girl time might look like:
Grabbing a quick cup of coffee
Occasionally meeting for happy hour, or
Flowing side-by-side at yoga once a week.
But whether it’s because of distance, career demands, family priorities, or all of the above and then some, I know it can be hard to give your friendships proper nurture.
What if you could get away to a place that lets you disconnect from daily drama and reconnect with each other?
Maybe getting away together is just the ticket, and I’m here to help with your girls’ trip ideas.
How does this sound?
Wine tasting
Nature walks
Coffee on the porch (or better yet, while watching the sun rise over a valley…)
S’mores around the fire pit
Gourmet dinners
Southern hospitality
Amazing? I know.
That’s why the destination I’m proposing for your unforgettable girls’ trip is: North Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
Hang with me…
Autumn on the vineyard at Limoges Cellars. Photo courtesy of Limoges Cellars.
As I write this, the trees of the Blue Ridge are beginning to debut their deciduous gowns in seasonal tones of amber, red, and yellow.
Can you picture the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains alive in stunning autumnal hues?
Inhale.
Can you feel the crisp air in your lungs, scented by smoldering cedar?
How does that charred marshmallow taste, oozing from between layers of chocolate and graham cracker?
***Runs to pack flannel*** Sign me up!
5 Reasons to Visit North Georgia for Your Girls’ Trip
Whether you want a girls’ wine weekend, a girls’ spa getaway, or a girls’ nature retreat, North Georgia can be all of those things and more.
With so many reasons to choose North Georgia for your girls’ trip, let me break it down to 5.
1) North Georgia is connected to a major airport.
A girls’ trip to North Georgia just makes sense. It’s an easy 1.5-hour drive from a major airport (Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport).
This means that from wherever you and your friends are traveling, you’re bound to find flights that work well for everyone in your group.
My friends and I traveled from Florida, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and South Carolina with zero issues.
2) North Georgia is a breath of fresh air.
I live in South Florida, close to the beach. The area is pretty easy on the eyes, with its palm trees, big banyans, sea shells, and sunrises over the ocean.
But even Floridians need a change of scenery sometimes. So, I love that in just a couple hours I can be in a completely different world.
North Georgia towns are nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, surrounded by lush forests, fairytale waterfalls, calm lakes, and chortling rivers—a feast for the senses.
So not only is it beautiful, but outdoor activities abound. Enjoy this North Georgia landscape to its fullest by staying active on your girls’ trip.
Try hiking, tubing, kayaking, fly fishing, paddle boarding, hunting, or archery. There are ample hikes for all fitness levels, including flat nature trails for leisurely walks.
Many hikes wind along rivers, where you can take a refreshing dip, and lead to views of gently rolling mountains, expansive valleys, and magical waterfalls.
In fact, there are over 700 waterfalls in Georgia, most of them concentrated in the north/northeastern part of the state.
3) North Georgia is an up-and-coming wine mecca.
Many Americans think only of Napa Valley or Sonoma County as the country’s wine regions.
But in North Georgia, you’ll find two American Viticultural Areas (AVA), the Dahlonega Plateau and the Upper Hiwassee Highlands.
Photo courtesy of Limoges Cellars.
And if you did know Georgia grows wine grapes, I wouldn’t blame you for thinking Georgia wines are sweet, mostly of the Muscadine variety, which is a North American grape native to this region.
But many of the region’s winemakers are breaking free of this stereotype with their impressive selection of dry, European-style wines.
For example, winemaker Daniel Limoges of family-owned Limoges Cellars (my favorite vineyard and winery in North Georgia) recently harvested Albariño, Vidal Blanc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot.
On his menu, you’ll find mostly dry wines, including Cabernet Franc made from his own crop. But for those who prefer something sweeter, Limoges does make delicious sangria and even hot mulled wine seasonally.
Am I wrong for thinking every girls’ trip should include bubbly?
A Limoges Cellars fan-favorite is their Blanc de Pommes sparkling white wine, made from Georgia apples in the traditional champagne style. They even have a Lambrusco-like sparkling red wine made with Chambourcin grapes from a neighboring vineyard.
This winery is one of the dozens on the North Georgia wine trail, each with its own picturesque landscape and estate-grown specialties.
You’ll easily fill a day or two sipping wine, snacking on charcuterie and food truck fixin’s, while listening to live music at any of the area’s vineyards.
4) North Georgia is embracing the elevated farm-to-table food scene.
Listen, I’m a foodie. Anyone who knows me knows I have a serious appetite. Growing up, I always finished the leftovers on my sisters’ plates. My mom says it’s how I grew to be taller than them. 🦒
So I wouldn’t send you to rural North Georgia to eat at Zaxby’s (although, if you need a fast-food stop, their chicken sandwiches are actually delicious).
North Georgia serves as a perfect weekend getaway for Atlanta’s city-slickers trying to escape the rat race for a minute, so the hospitality industry in North Georgia is stepping up to satisfy sophisticated palates.
Would it be a girls’ trip without chocolate?
Take The Mountain Top Lodge in Dahlonega, for example. At their Wit & Wisdom restaurant, you can enjoy a five-course prix fixe dinner menu on Fridays and Saturdays around their gorgeous live-edge communal dining table.
And even more exciting, once per quarter the MTL’s incredible chefs team up with Kristina and Daniel Limoges of Limoges Cellars to put on stunning Sunset Suppers with seasonal menus overlooking the vines. Katelyn of The Pop Up Poppy creates out-of-this-world tablescapes for the occasion. Check back HERE periodically for tickets.
June 2025 Sunset Supper at Limoges Cellars. God painted the sky in romantic shades of pink to match the artistic table setting. It’s giving Pride & Prejudice, am I right?!
On Thursdays at The Mountain Top Lodge’s Foxy Lady & Her Garden, you’ll find gourmet chef’s burgers and a selection of scrumptious bites and drinks.
And if you think you can’t get top-notch cocktails in rural North Georgia, think again. The cocktails served at the lodge’s bar are second to none.
Photo courtesy of Harvest Habersham.
Another favorite of mine is Harvest Habersham in Cleveland.
The menu at this farm-to-table restaurant changes daily. This means you’ll always be enjoying the chef’s imaginative creations with the season’s freshest ingredients.
Their divine dinners are served Wednesday through Saturday with guaranteed ambiance, either in the cozy interior dining room or under string lights on the porch. You won’t be disappointed.
5) North Georgia is an oasis of southern hospitality.
You and your girls will find just the right accommodations at the right price in North Georgia.
Choose between a luxury tent, a rustic cabin, a charming inn, or plentiful AirBnBs. Whatever your style and price point, you’ll find something to suit the needs of your group.
Photo courtesy of The Mountain Top Lodge.
When I’m not staying with family, you’ll find me at the Stovall House Inn. I’ll also finally get to stay at The Mountain Top Lodge this fall with the women of my Board Room Business Retreat!
(***November 2025 Update: The retreat happened, we stayed here, and it was AMAZING!!! Join us next year!***)
These are family-owned and operated establishments that can somehow make you feel like family and royalty all at once.
They focus on more than just offering a comfortable room—they've created a whole experience and are destinations in and of themselves.
It helps that they’re within easy driving distance to wineries, breweries, spas, charming towns and shops, waterfalls and hikes – meaning you’re situated perfectly between remote tranquility and plentiful activities.
And if you prefer to stay at a vacation rental in the MOST GORGEOUS location, smack dab on the Chattahoochee River, then contact me… This VRBO is so good that I’m keeping it as my little secret unless you ask me for the link directly 😉
Tried & True—I’ll Be Your Guide
As if those reasons weren’t enough, allow me to illustrate from personal experience how special a girls’ trip to North Georgia can be.
And, ultimately, by the end of this blog, you’ll have a tried & true, grab & go itinerary that you can use with your friends. Easy peasy.
In May 2024, I visited Sautee Nacoochee and Cleveland with a group of girls.
We stayed only a few nights but left feeling recharged.
My girlfriends and I have completely different stressors and demands on our time, attention, and emotion in our daily lives.
Yet somehow this girls’ getaway in North Georgia was a cure-all for all of us.
The remote, serene setting in nature set the stage for quality conversations and abundant laughter.
But add to that:
Exquisite, farm-to-table breakfasts.
Elegant estate wines (dry, not sweet – just the way I like them).
Hearty dinners made with local, seasonal ingredients.
Charm upon charm at our Victorian B&B surrounded by clucking chickens, curious cows, and baah-ing sheep.
Getting active outdoors: waterfalls, forests, and mountains—oh my!
And you have all the ingredients for a perfect girls’ trip.
There’s something restorative about rocking on the porch while rain replenishes the fertile earth…
Since our girls’ getaway was in late Spring, we enjoyed perfect warmth and were constantly surrounded by happy hues of vibrant green.
Even a couple of rain showers didn’t take away from the ambiance.
We arrived on a Friday and departed on a Monday, staying at the Stovall House Inn in the Sautee Nacoochee Valley.
Y’all, this place is a treasure.
You’ll feel like you’re visiting family when you’re greeted by owners Jeff and Erin, who make you feel right at home.
I’m not even one to say “ya’ll,” but looking at this photo, it just feels right…
And if you’ve read Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook, you may recognize the Stovall House from the book cover, with its Americana wraparound porch.
The decor in the house elegantly embodies the Victorian era during which it was built.
In the home’s parlor, you’ll find books about the property’s interesting history and significance in the valley, including handwritten entries in an old appointment book belonging to Doc Walters, who ran his clinic out of the home in the late 1800s.
A peaceful sunrise over the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The bed and breakfast has six comfortable bedrooms and is surrounded by rolling hills and farms, making it a haven of peace and quiet.
I loved the sound of birds chirping and the floorboards creaking softly beneath my feet as I took my morning coffee out to the porch.
My favorite room to stay in is the Yellow Room. When you crack open the skylight window first thing in the morning, you’ll be bewitched by the scene of nature yawning and rustling to life with the new day.
You look at this plate and know it’s gonna be a good day.
For all of us, the highlight had to be our exquisite breakfasts. Erin uses fresh ingredients like herbs from the garden and organic meat, sourced from neighboring farms.
After long days of hiking and wine tasting, my friends and I loved returning to the house to make s’mores around the fire pit using the ready-made kits provided by Stovall House.
We primarily spent our days enjoying North Georgia wine country at my favorite vineyard and winery, Limoges Cellars in Cleveland.
If you enjoy dry, European wines, I think you’ll love them too.
The weekend we visited was Memorial Day, and the owners Kristina and Daniel were celebrating the winery’s first anniversary.
There was a pop-up coal-fired Napolitana-style pizza vendor, which was out of this world. Paired with their Petit Verdot, I felt like I was in Europe.
We stayed here for hours, sipping the whole tasting flight and then some. The views of the rolling Blue Ridge foothills are truly calming, and the ambiance the owners created on their property and in the tasting room (which they built themselves) is beautiful.
So, since we did a lot of wine tasting and plenty of eating on this trip, including our B&B breakfasts, pizza, and a 10/10 dinner at Harvest Habersham, we made sure to get some exercise too.
We all hiked the Raven Cliff Falls Trail to the waterfall where we took a natural cold plunge under the cascading water. It left us feeling invigorated.
Your Turn—Plan Your Visit to North Georgia
Photo courtesy of Limoges Cellars.
Okay, we just scratched the surface of my experience…
But if you’re ready for yours, here are the ingredients you need to make your North Georgia girls’ getaway a smashing success.
You’ll be the hero when you tell your ladies, “Hey, I’ve got this. Consider the trip planned.”
Because, I know, planning a girls’ trip can often add stress to the daily grind.
It can be exhausting trying to balance each others’ schedules, coordinate logistics, and make decisions with a group.
This might be especially true if you’re the friend everyone relies on to make a plan and figure out the logistics.
Do they have any idea how time-consuming research can be?
And then, when things don’t go 100% according to plan, do you get the flak?
We’ve all known that friend who says, “I don’t care what we do! I’m game for whatever!”
But when it comes time to take the trip, they complain or question your choices.
(Yeah, don’t be that person.)
So, if it stresses you to think about coordinating a girls’ trip, let’s go ahead and lower your blood pressure.
Because making your North Georgia girls’ getaway a reality doesn’t have to be an ordeal.
Think low effort. I’m going to make this easy as pie for you.
And if you and your girlfriends find yourselves moving through my recommendations and there’s something you don’t like, here’s what you do.
Take one deep breath and one full sip of that delicious Cab Franc you’ll be holding.
Then, choose one of these options:
A) Put your heads together and improvise a substitute activity on the fly (trust me, there are plenty).
B) Complain amongst yourselves about that “Stefanie girl from the internet.”
C) Both A and B.
Your Ready-Made North Georgia Weekend Itinerary
Gather the girls. It’s go-time.
FRIDAY, DAY 01—
Arrive in Atlanta on Friday morning and make your way by rental car to Stovall House Inn.
Drop off your things, freshen up, and then head to nearby Hardman Farm Heritage Trail to stretch your legs.
For dinner, consider driving into the little German town of Helen for a beer and some German fare at Hofbrauhaus overlooking the Chattahoochee River.
Back at the inn, relax by the fire pit and make s’mores! Then retreat to your quiet room and rest up for a full day tomorrow.
The historic Hardman House. Photo courtesy of Georgia State Parks.
SATURDAY, DAY 02—
Delight in your delectable made-from-scratch breakfast. If it’s not too chilly, have it on the porch!
Head to Limoges Cellars for a Vineyard Hike & Progressive Tasting Experience led by the winemaker and owner himself.
Book your ticket ahead and arrive promptly for the 11:00 AM start time.
Afterwards, build your own charcuterie tray using a selection of jams, olives, cured meats, cheeses, crackers, pates, and more. So don’t rush off! Linger for lunch. (Also follow them on Instagram to find out about their paella parties and other pop-up events!)
Before returning to your B&B today, swing by the Old Sautee Store or the Lavender Cottage for a little shopping. You’ll find apparel, magnets, bath and body products, decor, and much more.
For dinner, treat yourself to a gourmet, fresh, and seasonal dinner at Harvest Habersham. Whatever kind of cornbread skillet they have on the menu that night, try it! (*Don’t forget to make a reservation ahead of time!)
Us after ordering the whole menu at Harvest Habersham.
SUNDAY, DAY 03—
After another delicious breakfast, get some steps in and spend time in nature.
Walk the leisurely Unicoi Lake Trail for a picturesque stroll, or break a sweat on a slightly more rigorous trail like Raven Cliff Falls.
For lunch, head to Sweetwater Coffeehouse for a bagel sandwich and a handcrafted coffee drink. Pop into some nearby shops for a souvenir.
Afterwards, maybe a spa treatment is in order? Check out the services offered at The Spa at Nacoochee Crossing.
Keep the wine tasting going at Yonah Mountain, and stay for dinner courtesy of their food truck, open until 6:00 PM.
MONDAY, DAY 04—
Sadly, it’s time to head back to Atlanta after your last amazing Stovall House breakfast.
But if a weekend getaway isn’t enough for you, linger longer!
You can easily extend this itinerary by spending time in the towns of Dahlonega, Blue Ridge, and more.
Take your time exploring historic gold-mining towns, hiking different trails, and finding your favorite winery or brewery.
Okay, this trip sounds so good that my friend and I just booked tickets for our own fall escape 😉 Hope to see you around a fire pit!
Happy exploring, friends.
~ Stef
Are you a busy girl on the go? Do you want a done-for-you girls’ trip, tied up with a bow—right down to the packing list? Or, maybe you want a private, turnkey retreat, hosted by yours truly, just for your group of friends??
Say less.
(Well, do say something though… using this form!)
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