Amicalola falls can barely be seen through dense forest nestled in the North Georgia mountains just a few hours drive from Chattanooga.Dawsonville, Ga., natives will tell you that the roots for American stockcar racing can be traced back to their hometown, where “shiners” sped to deliver Prohibition-era moonshine, hoping to outrace the law.
In fact, many of the skills used by today’s NASCAR racers were learned by drivers speeding illicit booze between North Georgia’s deep-woods stills.
And that history is celebrated at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and the city’s Mountain Moonshine Festival every October, when the city’s town square comes alive with cars, arts and crafts displays, clogging and music.
“It is just a great place,” said Pam Hamalainen, membership director at the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce. “Locals love living here because of the natural resources, and it has a small-town feel. It hasn’t become the big city yet.”
Dawsonville, which has a growing population of 2,536 residents, according to the U.S. census, is also home to Amicalola Falls State Park and Amicalola Falls, one of the tallest cascading waterfalls in the Southeast.