Clayton, Georgia

“It takes a small town to keep you humble.”

Bess Streeter Aldrich

While driving up to the North Georgia Mountains and into Rabun County, Georgia we found ourselves in a beautiful mountainous area with lush forest, spectacular views, and waterfalls all around us. The leaves were past their peak and were falling like snowflakes as we drove up the curvy roads. There was a slight chill in the air but considering we were at the end of November, it wasn’t bad at all. The earthy smell from the falling leaves was present and they blew passed us as we drove. It was a beautiful day to be in the mountains.

We saw a sign for Clayton, Georgia and pulled off the highway to check out this mountain town and grab a bite to eat. We had driven by here many times before but never pulled into the actual town. When we drove down Main Street we instantly fell in love with this charmingly quaint town. We found a parking spot right on Main Street and started our jaunt around town.

Walking down Main Street we loved how it was all decked out for Christmas. Looking passed the stores, we noticed Black Rock Mountain standing proudly at 3,640 feet high and was an amazing back drop for this town. As we strolled down the street, we stopped and check out some of the unique stores in town. They have craft shops, many unique gift shops, galleries, dining, lodging, and even a wine tasting shop.

We couldn’t get over how nice the people were in this town. It was a great shopping experience especially for Black Friday. We couldn’t get over the Ace Hardware store that sold a little bit of everything. They had frozen foods, fishing and hunting gear, Christmas decorations, house hold items, and furniture. You name it and they had it. No wonder it seemed everyone we passed had an Ace Hardware Store bag in their hands.

There are many great dining choices in this town and it was hard to choose one. We saw the restaurant called Fortify Kitchen and Bar, that had good reviews and decided to give them a try. Joe ordered their meatloaf and I ordered the Elk Burger and both were delicious.  We sat at a high top table next to the front window and we were able to people watch. We loved watching the families stroll by with their excited children and gift finds. We saw many people taking their pooches out for stroll. We felt like we had stepped into a Rockwell painting. It was nice to sit for a while before walking to the other side of Main Street to explore more.

We enjoyed seeing sitting areas, some were made of stone and the park with the gazebo and war monument. It was a pretty day and perfect for walking around. We heard it was a busy day in this town today since many were doing their Black Friday shopping, looking for the day after Thanksgiving sales. There are just under 2,000 people who live in Clayton and here call it their home.

This city is only 3.1 square miles and sits at an elevation of 1925 feet. The town is in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains and at one time was Cherokee lands. It originally was called The Dividings and then changed to Claytonville and finally to Clayton. The original name, The Dividings was because three important Cherokee trails divided the land. Later two of the trails were improved as main roads being US 23/441 and US 76. Clayton was incorporated in 1823 and named after a prominent congressman, Judge Augustine S. Clayton who also served as a Georgia Senator and then elected as a US Representative.

We were told the movie Old Yeller from 1957 and the movie Grizzly from 1975 was filmed in this county and in Clayton. It is beautiful country up here and we really enjoyed the town of Clayton. Hopefully next time we will have more time but we will come back and explore more another time. It is a great place to stop, stretch your legs, and grab a bite to eat. Till next time. Bye for now.