November 9, 2010 - Tuesday

     On Sunday one of the TV shows we watched was “Georgia Traveler”. They talked about Dahlonega, the site of the first gold rush in the United States. The Smith House was also talked about on the show. Because of that show we decided that would be the goal for the day.
     First we had to stop at the Mountain Gun Shop. Sam had found a rifle for $100. and he decided he wanted to get it. It ended up being a really good deal – it came with bayonet, sling and all kinds of accessories. Because he was a Veteran, Sam got 10% off and 2 boxes of free ammunition. We took the rifle back to the RV before heading to Dahlonega.

The Smith House

     It was a very pretty drive to Dahlonega. We found The Smith House just off the square. The Smith House is a hotel and restaurant. One of the interesting things about it is a few years ago when they were remolding, they found a gold mine that one of the previous owners had dug. He wasn’t able to continue the mine because the vein ran into the center of town. The town would not allow digging on his property. So he went as far as he could in secret!

Gold Ore

     The Georgia Traveler also talked about how good the food was at The Smith House. Everything was served family style. On the table was a jar of squash pickles – good. Made me think of the ones I canned a few years ago. Then the food parade began! Fried Chicken, sliced ham, rice, black eyed peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, greens, creamed corn and that was only what I can remember. It is family style but it was only Sam and I at the table. If you wanted more all you had to do was ask – but we couldn’t finish what we had! Oh and then there was dessert – Strawberry Shortcake – we got one and split it! They were right, the food was good and there was way too much!

Gold Mine Shaft

     There is an area by the restaurant downstairs where you go to the gold mine and can look into the 30ft. hole. There were displays of all the items found at the base of the shaft. And pieces of quartz with gold. Also lots of information on what to look for when hunting gold. We then looked around the gift shop and headed outside. The outside of The Smith House was in the process of being decorated for Christmas. We were greeted by the owner – what a nice guy.

Gold Mine Museum

     We drove to the town square and started window shopping. The building in the middle of the square used to be the Court House and is now a Gold Mine Museum. There were a lot of interesting shops around the square. There was a jewelry store that specialized in making jewelry from the gold that is found in Dahlonega – very pretty and very delicate.
     Sam sat on the bench and smoked his pipe and enjoyed the day as I shopped! One of my favorite places was the General Store. There were lots and lots of rocks of every kind!
     One of the things I had discovered was that I had only brought one t shirt. I’m not sure how that happened but I needed more! I had winter shirts and summer tops but I needed some in between shirts. So we headed to the Wal-Mart in Dahlonega. Not very good luck – I found only one shirt on a clearance rack but that was it. (I did get it for $1.00 so that was good.) There was a Cato in the same Shopping Center, so I got four shirts there.
     It was late in the afternoon when we decided to head back to Yonah RV Park and to our RV to relax for the night.