September 2011

International Fest —It is time to "Oompah"! What’s oompah, you say? Come to Alpine Helen and find out, at a real International Fest. An oompah band featuring Bavarian music will get your toes tapping and soon you will be up dancing a polka...it is very contagious! It all takes place on the dates and times above in our outdoor beer garden at the Helen Chamber of Commerce Festhalle.

Oktoberfest — Beer, brats, bands and Liederhosen—the Helen Oktoberfest has them all! Join the longest running Octoberfest in the United States. Every year the Helen Festhalle houses the event from mid-Spetember through the first weekend in November. Enjoy German-style bands from around the country and around the world! See the Alphorns blown, the Cowbells rung and the Accordion squeezed. Grab your partner and take a spin on the dance floor to the timeless tunes of the Polka. The Festhalle is setup with rows of long tables so you can eat and drink while watching the show. Enjoy a good German beer with a Brat on a roll in a traditional Biergarten atmosphere. So bring your friends, make some new ones and enjoy the spirit of friendship and fun uniquely known as “Gemuchlikeit”

October 2011

Oktoberfest — Beer, brats, bands and Liederhosen—the Helen Oktoberfest has them all! Join the longest running Octoberfest in the United States. Every year the Helen Festhalle houses the event from mid-Spetember through the first weekend in November. Enjoy German-style bands from around the country and around the world! See the Alphorns blown, the Cowbells rung and the Accordion squeezed. Grab your partner and take a spin on the dance floor to the timeless tunes of the Polka. The Festhalle is setup with rows of long tables so you can eat and drink while watching the show. Enjoy a good German beer with a Brat on a roll in a traditional Biergarten atmosphere. So bring your friends, make some new ones and enjoy the spirit of friendship and fun uniquely known as “Gemuchlikeit”

Georgia Mountain Fall Festival — Look forward to the 2011 Fall Festival. With its mild temperatures and beautiful scenery there is no better place to be than the North Georgia Mountains in the fall. Each October, the 9-day event features exciting musical performances, educational demonstrations, a flower show and the ever-popular Georgia’s Official State Fiddlers' Convention.

November 2011

Christmas Tree Lighting — Helen’s Christmas Tree Lighting occurs on the Saturday night after Thanksgiving and helps kick-off Helen’s Christkindlemarkt and the Christmas season in Helen.

Christkindlmarkts – Christkindlmarkts are a German tradition of combining food, music and entertainment with markets of imported and local Christmas specialties in a holiday atmosphere. Come stay with us and do your Christmas shopping in the festive atmosphere of the Helendorf Inn and the Alpine Village decorated for the season. The smell of mulled cider in the lobby, the chill in the air and the jingling of bells all combine to help make the season bright—bringing back childhood memories for some and creating those memories for others.

December 2011

Christmas Parade — The Helen Christmas Parade is held annually the first Saturday in December following the Thanksgiving weekend. The village of Helen becomes a North Pole workshop during the season with parade festivities, Christkindlmarkt, twinkling lights, smiling faces and a visit from the Big Man himself!

Christkindlmarkts – Christkindlmarkts are a German tradition of combining food, music and entertainment with markets of imported and local Christmas specialties in a holiday atmosphere. Come stay with us and do your Christmas shopping in the festive atmosphere of the Helendorf Inn and the Alpine Village decorated for the season. The smell of mulled cider in the lobby, the chill in the air and the jingling of bells all combine to help make the season bright—bringing back childhood memories for some and creating those memories for others.

January 2012  

Hogpen Hill Climb — Deemed “one of the toughest races in North America,” experience the Annual Hogpen Hill Climb with an elevation change of over 2500 ft. Challenge yourself with the 5K on Friday or put yourself to the test with the 2500 foot ascent on the Saturday!

Winter “Wino” Carnival — A new tradition to the Alpine Helen area kicks off the winter Fasching schedule with a Carnival and offering limited new wines." wine.

Fasching — Also known as “Mardi Gras, German-style,” Fasching is one of the few times each year the normally staid Germans let loose and have some fun. Traditionally, it is a time to act out, caricature government officials and just blow off some steam without fear of reprisals—all in good fun. The traditional Fasching Season begins at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. This gives the Fasching Guilds in Germany plenty of time to create elaborate masks and costumes for the big celebration on the last night of the season before the fasting of Lent begins. Here in Helen, we too celebrate the weekends up to the last night of Fasching with music and merriment. So gather your friends and pick a theme. Bring your costumes and table decorations and help us celebrate!

February 2012 

Fasching — Also known as “Mardi Gras, German-style,” Fasching is one of the few times each year the normally staid Germans let loose and have some fun. Traditionally, it is a time to act out, caricature government officials and just blow off some steam without fear of reprisals—all in good fun. The Fasching season begins at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. This gives the Fasching Guilds in Germany plenty of time to create elaborate masks and costumes for the big celebration on the last night of the season before the fasting of Lent begins. In Helen, we too celebrate the weekends up to the last night of Fasching with music and merriment. So gather your friends and pick a theme. Bring your costumes and table decorations and help us celebrate!

Mini Cooper Rally — The Helendorf is headquarters for the MINI COOPER Helenblitz! This year (2011) will be the 4th year of the event and each year is better than the last. The Mini’s do tours of the Habersham Winery, who also bottles special wines for the event such as the "MINI Merlot". This year the event will be introducing some excellent white wines as well. In addition to the winery tour, the clubs will take some outstanding drives through the scenic and winding roads of the Georgia Mountains. There will also be social events, RC car races, opportunities to show off your MINI, and a charity auction. Items for auction have been donated in the past by our fantastic MINI vendors such as Texas Speedwerks, OutMotoring, MC2 Magazine, RedLine Goods, Hendrick Motor Sports/Hendrick MINI, and many more. It is a family friendly event and everyone has a great time. This is an open event so the hope is if you are a member of any of the fantastic MINI clubs in or near the north Georgia area, or eastern US for that matter, you'll attend; we have had attendees as from as far away as St. Louis and Orlando. Bottom Line: All MINI enthusiasts are invited! Contact us for details.

March 2012

Fasching — Also known as “Mardi Gras, German-style,” Fasching is one of the few times each year the normally staid Germans let loose and have some fun. Traditionally, it is a time to act out, caricature government officials and just blow off some steam without fear of reprisals—all in good fun. The Fasching season begins at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. This gives the Fasching Guilds in Germany plenty of time to create elaborate masks and costumes for the big celebration on the last night of the season before the fasting of Lent begins. In Helen, we too celebrate the weekends up to the last night of Fasching with music and merriment. So gather your friends and pick a theme. Bring your costumes and table decorations and help us celebrate!

Wine Highway Weekend — Mark your calendar for the 6th annual "Wine Highway Weekend". Last year's event was great and this year's will be even better! This is a perfect time to get back in the swing of spring activities and there is no better way to shake the winter doldrums than spending a weekend in the mountains at the Helendorf and tasting the Award Winning wines that are made from Georgia grown grapes. Be sure and visit our local tasting rooms: Sautee Nacoochee Vineyards; Yonah Mountain Vineyards; and Habersham Winery.

Annual Trout Tournament —Join the city of Helen for its 23rd Annual Trout Tournament and enjoy the excitement from one of our Riverfront rooms. The Helendorf is the perfect riverfront location to stay and cast your line in the water—and see if you can reel in $1,200 in prizes.

April 2012

Springfest Corvair Club Rally – The Springfest Corvair Club rally is hosted by Corvair Atlanta, Heart of Georgia Corvair Club and Queen City Corvair Club with events scheduled in the Helen Festhalle and all around Helen. Be sure and attend the Friday night Auto Cross, hospitality, 50/50 drawing, and valve cover races. On Saturday don’t miss the Concours, people’s choice awards, the numerous vendors in attendance, children and ladies activities, along with some outstanding drives through the scenic and winding roads of the Georgia Mountains.

May 2012

Annual Wurstfest — A celebration of the German Sausage, the mighty Wurst”! Sausage-hungry visitors stroll the Marketplatz where local restaurants will be serving serve "wurst" specialties. Festivities include beer tasting, sausage stuffing, sausage eating contests music and merriment.

Superbikes in the Smokies 2012 Ducati Rally — Come join DucatiSuperBikes.com in the Smoky Mountains and ride some of the best roads in the USA; Deal’s Gap, Blue Ridge Parkway, Suches, Cherohala Skyway, Blood Mountain and others. The Moderation Staff selected the scenic little town of Helen, Georgia as its destination and the Helendorf River Inn, Suites, & Conference Center as its meeting headquarters. In addition to the great riding in the area, there are activities such as shopping, hiking, trout fishing, tubing the Chattahoochee River, horseback riding, golf and tennis.

Winefest at Habersham Winery — This is a great time to sample the fine wines produced by the Winegrowers Association of Georgia at one location. You can enjoy great music and see the fine art and crafts made by local artists while enjoying great food and music.

Cork & Keg Beer and Wine Festival — Celebrate spring at the Helendorf and attend the Cork & Keg Festival at the Festhalle with good food, drink and music! The scenic Chattahoochee River and Northeast Georgia mountains serves as the backdrop for this new Spring festival Join our celebration of craft-brewed beers from some of the nation's best independent brewers (including Georgia's own Sweetwater Brewing and Terrapin Beer) and award-winning wines from local Georgia vintners. Meanwhile, some of the area's finer restaurants will cook up sumptuous samples from their menus, and local musicians will offer food for the sonic soul. The event will be held at the Helen Festhalle, adjacent to the Helendorf River Inn & Suites.

Southern Worthersee — Volkswagen-Audi Car Show patterned after the largest Audi-Volkswagen show held annually in Europe at Lake Worthersee in Austria.

Bavarian Fest — It is time to "Oompah"! What’s oompah, you say? Come to Alpine Helen and find out at a real Bavarian Festival. An oompah band featuring Bavarian music will get your toes tapping and soon you will be up dancing a polka...it is very contagious! Also, celebrate the country’s birthday by rock’n in the USA with a military rock band. It all takes place on the dates and times above in our outdoor beer garden at the Helen Chamber of Commerce Festhalle.

June 2012

Annual Helen–Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race— The Helendorf Inn is Race Headquarters for the South's oldest balloon event!
The people of Helen believe that Helen, Georgia is the center of their world and in Columbus' day the Atlantic Ocean was the "edge of the Earth". Thus, the annual Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race is a scenic celebration not to be missed! The race begins in Helen at 7 AM the first Thursday in June (weather permitting), and the finish line is I-95, anywhere between Maine and Miami!

Celebrations include other balloon activities, tethered rides, and local hot air balloon flights flown morning and evenings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday!

Civil War Expo— The 3rd Annual Civil War re-enactment will feature Period Sutlers villages, demonstrations, and camps. Skirmishes between the Union and Confederate "armies" will re-create some of the war's most interesting battles. The event will feature living history demonstrations and re-enactors from across the country.

July 2012

4th of July— Join us for BBQ and music by the Military Rock Band, “Loose Cannons” until 9:00 pm followed by a fabulous fireworks show in the evening.

Georgia Mountain Fair— Held at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee each year, this great fair offers carnival rides, arts and crafts, an exhibit hall, authentic mountain demonstrations and country music shows!

August 2012

Annual Schindaufest — The Schindau is a local organization whose purpose is to promote fun and fellowship and provide support for local community needs. Enjoy "A Taste of Bavaria" in the courtyard at the Festhalle. Bavarian specialties will be offered by local restaurants. What is a fest without fun and games? Test your strength with a liter of beer. Have you ever met a stein you couldn't drink from? We may have found it!