10 North Georgia Surprises

5. Best Georgia Wine With a View: Frogtown Cellars (706-865-0687; www.frogtownwine.com)
Damascus Church Road (about 10 minutes from the end of State 400) leads to a handsomely constructed winery. Perched atop a hill, Frogtown overlooks 45 acres of 15 grape varieties. Inclination, a white blend, is my favorite.

6. Best Coffee Stop: L&L Beanery, Blue Ridge (706-632-3242; www.llbeanery.com) 
Settle into a seat by the fire at this 1920s bank turned coffee shop. Owners Jim and Lynda Thompson value their coffee so much, they stash it in the vault. On weekends, jazz piano players add to the atmosphere.

7. Best Picnic Spot: Warwoman Dell, East of Clayton
A secluded forest provides shady tables in this valley. Rhododendrons line the gurgling Warwoman Creek. A half-mile trail leads to Becky Branch Falls, and a spur of the Bartram Trail passes through Warwoman Dell. For more information, contact the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests (www.fs.fed.us).

8. Best Bridge Crossing: Tallulah Gorge State Park (706-754-7970; www.gastateparks.org)
Visit after the park releases water through the gorge. Walk onto the suspension bridge that hangs 80 feet above the canyon floor, close your eyes, and move with the wind. Channel Carl Wallenda's courage from when he walked on a tightrope across the canyon decades ago.

9. Best Waterfall Hike: Cloudland Canyon State Park, Lookout Mountain (706-657-4050; www.gastateparks.org)
This lesser-visited area pokes out along a gorge cut by Sitton Gulch Creek. The rim trail has wondrous views, but take the challenge of the stair steps down to the two waterfalls on the gorge's side.

10. Brightest Blossoms: Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway Overlooks, State 348 (www.byways.org)
Not all of fall's palette is displayed on the trees. Sure, pullouts on a popular winding road offer spectacular vistas of autumnal splendor. But check out the masses of wildflowers planted at these parking lots.