An excellent state park. The park is well mai rained and there are a variety of ways to stay in the park. They have a very large lodge that includes a tavern and an Italian restaurant and a very nice gift shop which is on the third floor. You can also choose from two types of cabins, glamping tents, treetop platforms, good old fashioned tent camping sites or RV/Trailer sites. I did five nights in a tent and then treated myself to a cabin for the last two nights to be well rested for my return trip. The trails are well maintained and have excellent trial signs. There is a beautiful lake and streams for fishing, swimming, paddle boating, and canoeing. There is even a zipline course for the adventurous souls. At the welcome center there is a large manicured lawn with chairs and a fire pit for large gatherings, volleyball nets and a playground for the youngsters. They even offer a free bag of popcorn and have a game room and small mountain wildlife museum. If I could give the park 10 stars I would. read more

We were expecting a hotel experience, but this is indeed a lodge! We were reminded of that fact when there was a spider in our bathroom, and a palmetto bug raced out from under the bed to hide in a crack in the floor molding. We kept our clothes and luggage up on tables after that. Later that evening a palmetto bug appeared on the ceiling and skittered just high enough to be out of reach of anything thrown at it so we just had to watch it...both nights we stayed we had to leave lights on to dissuade the bugs from coming out and getting on us or in our bags. So! A lodge. There will be bugs (biiiiig big spiders on the buildings) inside and outside I guess. The room itself was fine, the bed was comfortable and clean and the bathroom was modern. The front desk was very friendly and helpful! I also liked how the building we were in had a common area you could light a fire in and watch the big tv if there was a game on you wanted to enjoy with others. The center area has swings, benches, a nice overlook and a fire pit. I enjoyed being out here in the clean air and nice view! Not a bad place to stay, but not as clean and modern as we personally like - if you're good with more rustic and nature being in your space (bugs!) then this is a nice place, nice price, easy ride to Helen and very close to Anna Ruby falls! read more

Unicoi State Park & Lodge - Main check in building taken from building C - Sandwiches Near Me - Helen, Georgia

My post is just for the room. We went to a party for friends and needed a place to stay so we stayed here. I was really happy with our room. Our view was beautiful. We were facing the mountains. So see if you can get a room with a view. Our friends stayed here and they got a room with a bite of the parking lot. Also our room has a skylight and the ceiling was wooden so that was pretty cool. Our friends did not have that. However, their room was the same size as ours. The beds were super comfy. The room was clean with a waist high refrigerator. I would have liked more towels but I suppose they are trying to be eco friendly. We each had one towel and one washcloth. I really liked the toiletries they provided. The oatmeal bar of soap was especially nice. The toiletries were called Bathe. Might have to order the soap. The on-site restaurant is decent and the staff here were nice. It looked like a nice park but we didn't have time to check it out but the zip lining looked cool and the front desk has stuff to make s'mores which would be fun. Rooms were not cheap but I'd stay here again. read more

I had called several times to try and make a reservation for Easter Brunch. Left messages and no return call. So I traveled up to the Lodge and finally found the Front desk Supervisor and she was able to make the reservation. Cost was $25.00/person. There was a decent menu to choose from. they had Pot Roast on the menu but no mashed potatoes to go with them. I stopped by what I thought was an Omelette station and ordered my Omelette. Was told it would take 12 minutes for it to be ready. At that point there was nothing being cooked. Most other restaurants that have an Omelette station they make it right in front of you. Well when I got my plate it was no Omelette just looked like scrambled eggs with my add ons. Not happy with that. Also could have set up the Ice Tea station better where you could refill it from behind the line vice being in front and holding up the line as they refilled the dispensers. I know I will not be wasting my money on going there next year for brunch, will be looking for another place. read more

I had a pretty terrible experience here about 6 or 7 years ago, but I'm glad I've given the lodge another shot. They've done some impressive updates and renovations and the rooms and common areas are very comfortable. I'm writing this review at about 8am in one of the beds that is so cushy, I don't want to get out of it! There's lots and lots to do at the park itself, it's stunningly gorgeous with ample walking and hiking trails, a lake for swimming and boating, and really, really reasonable rental prices for canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats. Two playgrounds with modern equipment in great shape, fishing, zip lining, adventure awaits! Back to the lodge, there is a restaurant that serves a breakfast buffet for a fee of the hotel is at least 50% booked, and it is a great selection of delicious foods. The tavern was unfortunately crowded and overwhelmed both nights we were here with excessive wait times, so we didn't get to try it. I'd definitely come back again. read more

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This is a really nice lodge operated by Georgia State Parks - Coral Hospitality. They have renovated most of the resort and the rooms have fresh, modern finishings. I really liked the high ceilings and clean/modern bathrooms. The location has a really nice feel because you have views of the mountains and many attractions on site (including a zip line and food options). The state park has a ton of activities for families including archery, boating, and fishing. You can easily book these online. Overall: this is a really nice place to stay if you want to explore Helen, GA and see this part of the mountains. Very scenic and unique. Highly recommended. read more

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I've been to Unicoi State Park & Lodge around 5-6 times now twice a year for a church retreat, and it's really a nice place to be when you're visiting Helen. We've generally had good experiences until the most recent one but that's an outlier. The staff of this lodge is super nice and the rooms are usually well maintained. The conference rooms and the areas we stay are well done. There's definitely a reason why we go back... They also have free wi-fi and you can pretty much have a great stay. Whether you're having a staycation or you have a conference, or you're simply just checking out Helen, Unicoi will take good care of you! read more

Unicoi State Park & Lodge - Sandwiches Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Ana's Italian restaurant is absolutely amazing. all in one 9 course meal served family style to include salad appetizer breads Italian tenderloin pasta meat balls the best marinara sauce ever italian green beans rice and toppped off with gelato sundae and a take home cannoli. Servers Chris and Paige goes above and beyond to make the ambiance of this experi fence amazing. Tucked into the Uniqoa Lodge 2 miles from Helen Ga you do not need to miss this one. Open to public reservations necessary for Thursday thru Saturday you do not want to miss this one. Stop into Italy with food atmosphere and music at Anna's Italian Kitchen UnicoI Lodge, Helen Ga. read more

Thanksgiving bust! We convinced our extended family (22 of us) from four states to have Thanksgiving buffet dinner at the Unicoi State Park Lodge restaurant. We had advanced reservations and a private table. As we walked in they ran out of most of the main dishes and desserts. They were late refilling most everything else including plates and silverware. They explained that they had lots of walk ins. Apparently our reservations meant nothing. They could not handle the crowd - the food was undercooked or overcooked or nonexistent. They offered a discount but ruined a special family gathering. We thought this might become a tradition, but we won't be back. On the bright side, the young wait staff worked hard and were wonderful. read more

We've been renting a barrel cabin there every year for eight years. Except for the food at the Lodge and internet service, this place is perfect. read more

I have enjoyed coming to Unicoi lodge to eat at the restaurant for decades while visiting the area, but my most recent visit will probably stop me from returning. I drove to the lodge from Hiawassee for breakfast after a sunrise hike. I arrived at 9:40 and waited by the hostess stand to be seated. Several people were eating in the dining room already. Eventually a guy in a shirt and tie came out and told me to come in and sit wherever I wanted. I grabbed a plate and just got some eggs and bacon, then picked a seat by a window and waited for a server to come out and take my drink order. After several minutes of waiting, I got up and went back to the buffet and just got 2 boxes of cereal milk to drink as that and coffee were the only things out to get myself. Shortly after, I still had not seen a server so I went back to the buffet to get more food but found the buffet was empty except for a little bit of fruit. One of the employees was surprised to see me and said he didn't know anyone was still there and that breakfast was over at 10 am. Why would they tell me to come in to eat if they were about to close and not tell the employees that clear the buffet that someone had just come in? I picked up a little bit of fruit and returned to my table. Even after they knew someone was there, a server still didn't come out. I went back to the hostess stand which was still vacant and waited. I had no idea if they were going to charge me for breakfast or not since they cleared everything, and the server never came out to take a drink order. While waiting, I looked around at the entrance, there was no signage to indicate that breakfast was over at 10 am. The same guy who told me to come in when I arrived finally came out, and I told him the employees didn't know I was there and cleared the buffet, and a server never came out to take my drink order. He did not seem to care and still charged me full price $14. If he had told me when I arrived that breakfast was over at 10 am I would have just left and gone elsewhere. This combined with the quality of the food and service declining over the last several visits will probably stop me from returning. read more

Loved staying in the lodge there. We were centrally located to the things we wanted to see and do.

I probably should not say anything, but the food is wonderful, portions are huge, prices are exceptionally low. Service was wonderful. We were there just before Memorial Day and Helen was nearly empty. We will NOT miss going up there again on our next trip to Helen. read more

Came for lunch. The drive up was beautiful, the grounds were beautiful. Parking was easy. The fried fish was great, as were the fries and coleslaw. The pecan pie was amazing. I had asked to try the cheddar biscuits and that was wrong. They were slightly soggy hockey pucks. But the service was good. Everything was clean from what I could see. read more

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If I could rate it -5 I would. I travel a lot and have seen my fair share of horrid hotel rooms but this place gives me all the itches and cringes! Rooms are very outdated, DO NOT PAY MORE THAN $50 for a room. It's worse than your average motel 6. Only 2 of their buildings have updated rooms, so building D which we stayed in was not one of those. The pictures advertised are deceitful and not true to what you get. We asked for updated rooms and were told they were completely full. They had a convention here at the time of our stay, and obviously gave them priorities... On a Sunday night at 8pm we were told they don't serve adult beverages unless you were part of the convention. Way to treat your paying customers! Room 284 in building D smelled like old urine and mold, it had a huge hole underneath the bathroom sink. Room 289 in building D had some large bug crawling around on the floor. The carpets are smelly and old, I felt it was necessary to wear socks anytime my feet touched the floor and to sleep with one eye open. This place is a joke. It was so bad I decided to book an Airbnb for the rest of my trip, which was much cleaner and more updated than this joke of a place. I absolutely wish they could've either refunded us money or given us rooms which were more up to code. Save yourself the agony and book a motel or Airbnb for this price. read more

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Currently having a hotel stay for one night at this lodge. The main building is absolutely beautiful but when I got to my room, looks can be VERY deceiving. Walked in the room, one lamp doesn't have a bulb at all, bugs crawling on the ceiling, dust on the beds headboard, blown bulbs in the bathroom, an inch of dust on the bathroom vent, dead bugs still stuck to the walls, and someone's socks were still in the dresser. For $260 for a one night stay and I get this type of room? It's completely unbelievable and to think that I thought this was the best hotel in Helen to take my daughter to as a first for her during a pandemic? I was completely wrong. I understand that we are in a pandemic and such but if you're trying to go with CDC regulations, this isn't it. Here's picture proof of the current situation and how the concerns look. Not happy at all! read more

This review is for the park only. We came here to hike on this moderate temperature day. We had some confusion entering the park and finding the visitor center (which we assumed we should find first... hoping to find a map, etc.). We are going back and forth confused by the signage. We would see signs for the visitors center and then be in a camping area. We finally decided to see if we could find someone at the lodge to ask. We did find a worker who told us we had to go past the camping sites and continue down the road to find the visitor center (did not mention to us it would not be open, though, which would have been useful to know). We finally found the visitor center discovered no bathrooms are available and the center was closed. We did find a map and it said all of the trails could be accessed from the lodge area so back we went to park there. We found the lake trail (finally...there are literally no signs from the lower parking lot saying how to get to it or that you should park up near the zip line area). The lake trail is not the easiest to navigate. There needs to be more signs to make it more obvious for new guests. We had to ask people how to get around the lake because who would have thought that in a state park you have to walk down a road (crossing the bridge where the water is) to get to the other portion of the lake trail. Its confusing. If you ever get approached my an eagle scout or girl scout needing a project, please suggest that they make more signage for your trails (especially along roadways). Also, it would have been helpful to know that there were many other places we could have parked for this trail that would have been easier to access than parking near the zip lines. The trail itself is good and the trees are marked appropriately which helps. We did not have time to do the other trails. If we had not had such difficulty finding the visitor center and then navigating the one path we probably would have had time to check out the bottom loop trail, also. At any rate, it was a nice day and the lake views were lovely. We just did not care for walking along the road with cars whizzing by us occasionally. read more

Several years ago, it was much better. The price for the buffet has soared, while the quality, and quantity of the food choices has dropped. -- We used to go there to eat every time we were in the area, but we no longer eat there since they they now want much more $$$ for much less, or lower quality, food. read more

Plenty of parking and good service. Came here for Sunday brunch, only $14 a person and even less with military discount. The bacon was crisp and the sausage was spicy! Biscuits and gravy looked wonderful (didn't try due to diet). Fruits are abundant and fresh (I had strawberries, honeydew, pineapple but there was also blueberries, cantaloupe etc). Will be back. read more

Went for breakfast. Only 2 tables being used. Waited and waited to be seated. Finally got a seat then waited for someone to take our order - and waited. When they finally took the order they brought half the order - it was incorrect. Then went to get the other order - it was totally wrong. Just sent it back. They gave us the meal for free but I would have enjoyed a full breakfast without the ordeal. Food they got correct was good enough. read more

I LOVE the state park, but the deluxe 3 bedroom/2 bath cabin we stayed in left much to be desired. It was dirty, the air conditioner units need cleaning, and there were carpenter ants taking over in the upstairs bathroom. When the air conditioner units were blowing cool air, they were spewing out bits and pieces of black dust and the air smelled like mildew. My children found two pills laying on the floor, and when we looked them up, they were anti-psychotic medicines. It's a shame that such a beautiful state park has such poor accommodations. I will not return for overnight lodging in the state park unless it is in our tent or camper. read more

We did the zip lining and the two guides took care of us. Very knowledgeable. Safety oriented.... Would recommend in a heartbeat.

The park is beautiful and definitely worth a visit. We hiked to Anna Ruby Falls and zip lined, Highly recommend the Level 3 Zip which crosses over Smith Lake several times and has longer, faster lines. read more

The food here is delicious. We enjoyed the food a lot. Anastasia was our server and she took great care of us. Excellent food and excellent service. read more

Unicoi State Park & Lodge - Fried chicken, Mac and cheese and collards. Delicious! - Sandwiches Near Me - Helen, Georgia

Stayed in the lodge, beautiful view from building D! The only thing I would change is the blankets. We didn't have any thick blankets just some sheets, an the weather was 58/33 degrees when we stayed up there. read more

We stayed in a two bedroom barrel cabin. This place was in so much need of repairs. The floor in front of the kitchen sink was rotted out and covered with new linoleum. It would give a few inches every time you stepped on it, we were worried that we would fall through that floor. Kitchen & bathroom cabinets were worn and old looking. The wood around the doors was rotting. The fireplace smoked us out, probably needs a chimney sweep. The bathroom had bad repair jobs around the tub. The sheets were stained and the bath towels were old. The kitchen cooking supplies were very sparse. The coffee mugs were cracked with stains in them. There were 65 steps to get to our cabin from where we had to park. There was a guy that worked at the front desk who self identified as a female. His coworker had to call him her. read more

Let me start by saying that I am not comparing the Lodge or staff to that of a Hilton, Marriott or like chain. I am comparing this experience to that of dozens of other state parks that we have stayed in over the years. This place is a first class S#%T show. To start shortly after we made our reservations we needed to move it by one day. When you leave a message they tell you when they will call you back by. That is a lie. After calling and leaving messages and e-mails for a solid week I finally got someone on the phone. We tent camp, cabin camp, RV camp and if we have to and it is available we will stay in the lodge. So the draw to this place is the "adventure center". They have archery and a BB range that you can add on to your room package. But where you try to go use it your told that the classes have priority and you have to come back. Even if there are open lanes. The GPS Scavenger hunt is a joke because they programmed in the wrong start point so finding 2 of them was even tough. The room are not bad, they are very tired and need updated but it is about what you would expect at a state park. The sheets are stained so that was a little gross and they don't give you enough of anything for a family of 4. On the second day on we had to go get new coffee cups in the lobby because they don't refresh disposable coffee cups. I would recommend for better food and experience stay in Helen and come to the state park to hike or fish. read more

Unicoi State Park & Lodge - Sandwiches Near Me - Helen, Georgia

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We ate here for the first time in ages a few weeks ago and it was horrible. I got the pork chop which was ok but absolutely NOT worth the price they asked for it. Our waitress was surly and never smiled. I don't think she liked it there either. read more

The rooms here are old and need renovation. We just checked in and the place smells of mildew. Room was pictured with two chairs and a table by the window, definitely not there and will not fit there. Our room is also dusty and just outdated, the loft area is literally a mattress thrown up there with nothing else, and it's soooooo HOT up there. No one would be comfortable up there. Next time we will definitely pay the extra $$ to stay at the Holiday Inn Express like we first looked at. read more

Helen was busy so we headed up the road to Unicoi Lodge restaurant. Had lunch and it was delicious. Garlic Parmesan wings and French Dip were yummy. read more

Terrible food and way over priced!! Will have to do better for my family to go back again! Used today have great buffet and Trout every day-no longer read more

Went to have lunch before shopping in Helen. Had visited here with kids many years ago and always enjoyed. Usually a buffet but this time of year not enough traffic so we ate on the menu. Definitely try the fried green tomatoes! Wife and I split the club sandwich. Very good and fresh, wheat bread especially tasty. Waitress was a little stressed because lunch crowd larger than expected but she remained friendly and sweet. Looking for a good value and comfort food, drive out to the lodge and sit awhile! read more

Super clean and cozy rooms, very professional management and friendly staff, and a great place to get away for the weekend! I will definitely be back!! read more

Beautiful mountains. Hiking was amazing but the hotel room at the lodge smelled of mildew, was outdated and not well maintained. Staff was nice. read more

A nice state park lodge, with 2-star level management. Housekeeping of common and public areas is shoddy. We received no housekeeping of our room after the first day. Apparently you get nothing for the $14 per day lodge fee (plus added taxes at end of stay). Restaurant menu is very limited and food was mediocre. This might be OK for a short family stay, but not suitable for a relaxing, high class adult vacation. You might look elsewhere for that... read more

I had a buffet lunch there while participating in a large gathering of musicians. The plates that were out on the buffet bars were filthy! Many had old dried food stuck to them as well as smears from what appeared to be grease. The service was poor: I asked for a glass of water and it was never delivered. The food offered was not good: chicken was dried out, mac and cheese was over-cooked and lousy, ditto for the veggies. The health department should check this place. Shame on the state of Georgia for permitting this situation in one of its state parks! read more

Not my best experience here. Got moved because the original room water didn't work. Didn't get the King bed in the move. No discount for the trouble. New digs are dusty, and trash behind the beds. The lodge has seen better days and service. read more