Buildings are painted to resemble an alpine German town in the city of Helen, Ga.HELEN, Ga.Population: Approximately 650Location: Northeast Georgia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge MountainsClaim to Fame: “Alpine Helen” built in the style of small European villages in the AlpsOKTOBERFESTWhat: Month-and-a-half-long celebration of Alpine HelenWhen: September 18 – November 2Where: Downtown Helen, Georgia
Hallo, from a mountain nook tucked away in northeast Georgia that’s just about as close to Old Europe as you’ll find this side of the Atlantic.
Especially this time of year.
Starting mid-September every year, Helen turns into a tourism boomtown. The village — as it’s called by locals — with its population of roughly 650, rolls out the red teppich to over 2 million visitors who come from every corner of the globe to see the turning fall leaves and taste German eats, drink German beer.
Helen has its own chamber of commerce and owns its utilities.