Took a short drive to Scaly Mountain, NC for the Highlands Aerial Park where we did a little zip lining. I highly recommend this adventure spot for all ages. The guides were great and the scenery was bar none. This is the best zip ever and it's called the Squealing Mare Canopy Zip Line. It is 1550' long and 210' high. Pretty amazing views as you span an entire mountainside!
On the way back to The Dillard House we stopped at the Mountain Junction General Store and enjoyed a little reminiscing with a Nehi Grape Soda and Cheerwine. They also had a vintage Coca-Cola fountain bar that I was allowed to actually pretend that I was working.
Upon returning to The Dillard House we took a little tour of the RM Rose Whiskey Distillery that is located on the grounds. This was the day that I realized that whiskey isn't really my thing. It burned my throat. The Fire on the Mountain (comparable to Fireball) was the best out of all the options I sampled, but I'm thinking I will stick with the basic fountain Coke (Zero).
After we rested a bit at The Dillard House we went to The Country Cupboard for lunch for some Southern grub. Some of us went horseback riding after lunch and then we all started out on our next journey to the Cherokee Indian Reservation in NC where we attended a show in the Mountainside Theater. It was an informative show but really, just plain depressing - if you're a typical, basic caucasian American you were portrayed exactly how you should've been portrayed. We were not nice to the Native Americans. Not much more to say - it's the truth, we were awful people. On the bright side, the lightening bugs were fun!
Day 6
Woke up and headed to Unicoi State Park in Helen, GA to hike the Anna Ruby Falls with my kinfolk. We all met up with Uncle Dave and Aunt Patricia. My cousin Dan and his wife Lisa and their kids also joined us for a picnic lunch and a little outdoor excursion. The guys hiked for a long time while we played with our reverse and boomerang features on our phones. On the way back to The Dillard House we stopped one final time at Goats on the Roof and enjoyed a little more ice cream, actually a lot more ice cream. This was not a good trip to be dieting.
Day 7
Said goodbye to Nana and Poppy and headed to Helen, GA to enjoy some touristy fun. Walked around the shops in town and even found a go-kart track. Ate some German food, beer cheese and pretzels. Tried some candy at Hansel and Gretel's Candy Kitchen. It started to rain in Helen Square and that's when Aubree was offered a walk under an umbrella with an older gentleman who was a complete stranger - that made for a great laugh! After we sufficiently explored Helen we drove to Toccoa Falls, GA to see yet another waterfall.
