Top of Georgia Airstream Park

Last minute, Scott and I decided to go camping on July 4th. Where could we go that wasn’t booked up already? Top of Georgia! It’s an Airstream only park run by the WBCCI Georgia Chapter. It’s no reservations and costs $20 for non-members/$15 for members per night. This was our first time visiting even though we’ve been Airstream owners for over a year now so we were pretty excited.

Check in is under a wood pavilion and it’s manned by a volunteer who owns an Airstream. This seems to be a rotating job because Scott drove by a few weeks back and stopped by to check it out and there was a completely different trailer parked there. Anyway, we filled out a contact card and were told to pick any site we liked. You pay when you leave. We picked 19B because it was right next to the stream the runs through the middle of the campground. There are also sites that back up to the road which is quite busy and noisy.

Amenities

Top of Georgia is a full hook up campground: 30AMP electric, cable, and water. There are no fire pits, picnic tables, bathroom facilities or laundry. It’s a “bring your own stuff” kind of place. That being said there are several pavilions with benches and swings for gathering. There was one right in front of our site and it was the hot spot for the elderly during the evenings. There are 3 total on the campground and one of them was behind us on the other side of the stream. There was a small wooden playground next to this pavilion suited for smaller children. Several dog poop bag dispensers were also located all around the campground. This is a very pooch friendly place but all dogs much be leashed. There was a communal fire pit near the front of the park but we aren’t sure what the rules are for guests to use it. Portable fire pits are prohibited but grills are fine at your personal campsite.

The campground has several special events throughout the year. The day we checked in they were having a July 4th potluck in the banquet hall which is located just behind the check in pavilion. The banquet hall has a stage and several long tables for guests to sit at when they have events inside. This is also where you get free ice.

Cable and WiFi is included. Cable was not great and only had about 10 channels but the WiFi was very good. It’s probably the best WiFi we’ve had at any campground we’ve visited!

Things to do

Drool over other people’s Airstreams. There are so many years and models that visit the campground. It’s also a storage spot for members and there are a few campers that have been there awhile and have seen better days. I never knew how popular the Excella model was…there must have been 8-10 of them being stored.

Helen is a tourist hot spot and is known for it being the very kitschy “Bavaria in the North Georgia Mountains”. Almost all the buildings have a German theme. It’s fun for kids and is super popular during Octoberfest. There are plenty of restaurants and little shops and is a good day trip. Be prepared for crowds!

Helen is also known for its tubing down the ‘Hooch. The Chattahoochee River runs right through the middle of town and it is shallow, crystal clear and fun during the summer. It’s such a big business here that there are several competing companies but the nicest one looks to be Cool River Tubing. Not only can you tube, but they also have a really cool ropes course and zip line. This is a must stop for older kids and teens.

Hiking is great in the area. Waterfalls are abundant: Raven Cliff Falls, Anna Ruby Falls (great for little kids and older folks because it is relatively easy and less than a half a mile), and High Shoal Falls. Unicoi State Park is also about 5 miles away. The campground itself has a 1.5 mile hike right off the campground.

Conclusion

We really enjoyed our stay here. We love that we can just make a spontaneous decision to go camping and have a place to go! Check in and out is whenever you want it to be. We love looking at all the Airstreams. There were new ones, old ones, Argosys, and each of them unique. Everyone is so friendly and being with other Airstreamers is also fun because you all have something in common. The only thing we missed was a fire pit. The kids would definitely be disappointed with no roasted marshmallows. We will definitely stay here again and we would recommend it to our follow Airstreamers!