A Spur-of-the-Moment Fourth of July Adventure: Helen, GA (Feat. Fried Cheese and Foot Pain)

On Thursday, July 3rd, at approximately 3:07 PM (give or take a snack break), Tiffany called me from work and said the most romantic thing she’s ever said:

“Hey… you know we have a three-day weekend, right?”

Boom. Just like that, the great spontaneous getaway of 2025 was born. I started throwing gear into the bag like I was prepping for a survival challenge on The Discovery Channel. Hiking boots? Check. Backup socks? Check. Sense of direction? Debatable.

🚗 Pit Stop: Atlanta Botanical Garden

📍 Atlanta Botanical Garden – 1345 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. Tiffany knows I’m a sucker for plants (I'm basically a horticulture nerd with a machete), so we made a pit stop at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. And holy chlorophyll, it was Alice in Wonderland meets Garden of Earthly Delights. Giant topiaries of the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, and even a slightly unsettling Cheshire Cat grinned at us from between the orchids and ferns. 10/10 recommend—even if you don’t know your begonias from your Bougainvillas.

🪴 Pro Tip: Go early. Less crowd. More weird leafy rabbits.

🥨 Dinner at [Mueller’s Famous Fried Cheese Kabob Emporium]*

📍 Mueller’s Famous Fried Cheese Café – 60 Chattahoochee Strasse, Helen, GA

*Not the actual name, but it should be.We devoured bratwurst, sauerkraut, and yes, fried cheese kabobs. Imagine cheese… on a stick… deep-fried… and served with mustard. It was like state fair cuisine met Euro sophistication and made magic.

Calories? Irrelevant. Worth it? Every stretchy, gooey bite.

🥾 The Blood Mountain “Fun Run”

📍 Blood Mountain Trail InfoSo we decided to hike Blood Mountain,

part of the Appalachian Trail. Sounds metal, right? Spoiler: no blood, just sweat, a little swearing, and a rock that looked like a disgruntled armadillo.

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The PLAN:

• 6 miles

• 3 hours

• Glorious overlook

The REALITY::

• 6 hours

• Blazing sun, surprise rock scrambles, ankle-twisting terrain

• AllTrails tricked us(just another half mile or so....)

• Still glorious overlook and beautiful trails, though.

We took on the Freeman Trail because it was “less traveled.” Translation: zero other hikers, 100% leg burn. Somewhere around hour five, I started to wonder if we’d made a pact with a forest trickster god. But we made it out. Bruised. Battered. Victorious.

And my Salomon boots? Lifesavers. #TrailTested #SolomonStyle.

🛁 Recovery Mode

Straight to the hotel. Bath. Nap. And like true warriors, we were back out by dinner.

🍖 Dinner #2: The Pink Pig BBQ

📍 824 Cherry Log St, Cherry Log, GA 30522.

You ever eat BBQ that just shuts you up mid-bite? That’s The Pink Pig. Pulled pork that melts like butter. Ribs so good you consider moving to Cherry Log and becoming a full-time rib reviewer. Tim bought a baseball hat here (because of course he did). He buys one on every trip like it’s a pilgrimage.

🍳 Breakfast on the Way Out: Dot’s Southern Kitchen

📍 1878 Helen Hwy, Cleveland, GA 30528.

This place is home to the “Cat Head Biscuit,” and no, there are no cats involved. It’s just a southern thing meaning that biscuit is as big as a damn cat’s head. Fluffy, flaky, buttery deliciousness; enough to make your heart flutter—figuratively and medically.

🎒 Final Thoughts:

We went from work call to waterfall in under 24 hours.We got a spontaneous adventure, a few blisters, and a reminder that the best memories often start with :

“Hey, you know we have a three-day weekend, right?”

We’ll be back, Helen. Save us some bratwurst and a shady hiking trail.