Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Final Day Of Our RV Trip To N. Georgia

Day three in the N. Georgia was spent with the Hoffer’s on a tour of wine country.  According to one site – “The Southern Appalachians in North Georgia are ideal for growing wine grapes.  The elevation, the soil and the climate combine to produce wine grapes of the highest quality and subsequently, fine wines.”  Stu, Sandy, Meakin, and Sam (MyCarolina Kitchen) drove the 30+ miles down to the campground, met up with us, and we headed across the mountains to our first stop at Blackstock Vineyards and Winery for a tasting and lunch, or so we thought. 

Sam suggested this as our first stop because they opened at 10am and they served lunch but upon arriving and inquiring about lunch were told, “yeah, we need to update our website” – no lunch.  This was too bad as they had a magnificent place to serve it as you can see from these views.

The nice young lady poured us several wines to taste and we bought a few bottles and decided to head down to Dalonega for lunch at the Back Porch Oyster Bar.  Like many towns in the area, Dalonega, has changed into a tourist town and appears to be more successful at it than others.

I’m sure having the steady income brought in by a college helps with their improvement efforts.  None of us took restaurant shots, but several of the dishes were memorable – I wanted raw oysters, but refused to pay $24/dozen for them.  Two of us had their Hatteres Style New England clam chowder and Bev and I loved it and Stu ordered a Thai Chili calamari for all to taste and it was also a big hit.  The other memorable item that Bev and I got a taste of was Sam’s shrimp and grits and we all thought it was very good.  We would definitely eat there again if in the area.  Bev’s fish taco and my fried oyster sandwich were also good but not in the same league as the others.

After lunch and brief walk in town, we headed back North with a stop at Frogtown Winery and like the Blackstock Winery, this tasting room sits on a hill with a great view.

These are shots of the tasting bar and us at it.

This place is really set of for event hosting with large indoor and outdoor areas.

We got back to the campground, said our good buys and settled in to our outside chairs to watch the light rain – right before the serious thunderstorms roared through, followed by a long, steady rain – hey we’re camping and it nearly always does that.  It was fun, as always, to spend time with the Hoffer’s and we thought it was the highlight of the trip.

All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

One year ago:  Salmon Leftovers

Two years ago: Creamy Pasta Puttanesca

Larry

8/9/2012 event date

18 comments:

  1. $24 per dozen? Yea, I don't blame you passing up the oysters.. they are good, but never THAT good :) Looks and sounds like a lovely place!

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  2. In Colorado, wine country and peaches are grown in the same part of the state. Wonder if this is true there? And don't tell Georgia, but our peaches are better. ;) I sure hope that RV of yours brings rain west.

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  3. All in all, it sounds like a great RV adventure...if it only wouldn't rain.

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  4. Beautiful country, and a light rain (or occasional storm) while camping is a given! Have a good day Larry.

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  5. It sounds as if your trip to northern Georgia was a huge success, even if it did rain (and you had to retrieve your camera).

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  6. We did have a good time together and thanks for saying the time spent together was the highlight of the trip. We thought the same about you guys.

    We drank the Viognier wine from Blackstock Vineyards last Sunday and it was very good. Also we will definitely have lunch again at Back Porch Oyster Bar. I thought their Hatteras style clam chowder was some of the best I've eaten.
    Sam

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  7. Looks like you are having a fun filled trip. The country is gorgeous I must say, and I'm so jealous for the rain. We are still in extreme drought here, but fall is soon coming with some of the wet stuff, I hope.

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  8. Larry, Good times with good friends are hard to beat! Thanks for the info on Dalonega too... At $24.00 for a dozen oysters, it's just another reason for me not to like them! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  9. There are lots of wineries within a couple of hours of here, and there's a company that specializes in bus tours of wineries. Looks like you had a great time on this trip.

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  10. I love it when it rains while camping now that I have a motor home... it wasn't so fun in the tent!

    It sounds like you had a great rv trip!

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  11. Texas and other drought ridden areas should PAY you to come camp at their farms :)

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  12. Hi Larry, We also love North Georgia... We've been to Dahlonega several times --and have stayed near there at Amicalola State Park (HUGE waterfall there)...

    Glad you enjoyed your time with friends --and at the wineries..

    Have a great Thursday.
    Betsy

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  13. What a lovely trip! Plus a great reminder that I haven't gone wine tasting in far too long.

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  14. Larry and Bev,

    What a wonderful post to share your new (blog-connected) friendships with Sam and her husband from My Carolina Kitchen! It's amazing how many wonderful places there are to see and enjoy (and savor) in the GA/TN/NC/SC area! We are truly blessed (and I'm not a native, but claim it now!). I love the photos with all of you enjoying your excursions! Keep up these types of posts if you can!

    Happy trails and buon appetite!
    Roz

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  15. It sounds like your RV problems of last year have all been solved. How nice you were able to connect with the Hoffers and have such a lovely day. I hope all is well. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  16. I love the rain when I'm tucked away at my cabin, but not at all when we are tent camping. Sounds like an excellent way to end your trip. Have a blessed weekend, Larry!

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  17. Sounds like you had a great time Larry. We'll have to check out that area some time. Did not even know it was wine country.

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