Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 6/1/26

We took a long Memorial Day Weekend Road Trip up north to Clayton, GA, Tallulah Falls, GA, and to Sylva, NC. Let’s explore!

Stop 1

First stop is the beautiful Bridge Creek Inn nestled in the heart of North Georgia’s downtown Clayton. Being Clayton’s Main Street living room. It is THE place to explore local establishments and play in the mountains close by!

In the lobby, step into rustic-modern vibes that permeate the space to match the mountain town. A cozy fireplace in the corner, leather chairs and a couch for relaxing. There is also concrete floor, wood slats on the ceiling, and an unforgettable bear painting! A small coffee shop sits in the lobby for a caffeine boost or a snack during the day. And live music fills the air on Friday night and if you walk down the hall, they have an art gallery of local art!

The rooms are spacious and airy with touches of modern yet rustic headboards, moody dark accent wall, and lake, fishing, and mountain artwork on the walls. The bathroom is inviting, clean, and modern. And outside the windows is a view of downtown Clayton and the mountains surrounding the town.

The Vandiver is the on-site dining option in the lobby. It is an American-style tavern that is a regional culinary journey with dishes from steak to duck and craft cocktails. We got a couple of cocktails, a bread service and two entries, the Duck breast and steak frites.

We started with the corn bread and sorghum butter bread service is fluffy corn bread with sweet creamy butter! My first cocktail is the Auroral, a cantaloupe martini. It has boozy vodka, earthy and sweet cantaloupe, with bright lemon for balance, earthy basil. Our waitress recommended and was surprised by how much I liked it.

For our dinner I got the Duck Breast. It is tender and juicy with sweet sorghum glaze that perfectly pairs with the savory duck, comes with tender sweet potato gnocchi, earthy kalettes, and a tangy blueberry gastrique. I paired my duck with the Vandiver Old fashioned. It is boozy eagle rare 10-year bourbon, sweet bitters, cherry, and an orange twist for balance. John got the streak frites. The steak is charred outside, tender and juicy inside with a bright spicy peppercorn sauce. It is served with crunchy fries with a tangy blue cheese aioli and bright arugula salad!

Stop 2

Our second stop on our road trip was the Tap Yard at Tallulah Adventures. It is only .4 miles away from Tallulah Falls and just south of Clayton, GA. Newly rebranded, they have an outdoor yard for lounging, yard games, playground and climbing wall for the kiddos. Inside, the open-air restaurant has a large fireplace for the winter months, a long bar offering beer and wine, as well as an array of bites from sandwiches to bowls. The perfect stop after visiting the beach or the falls!!

We started with the tart yet refreshing Black Widow Cherry Cider. For our appetizer we got the smoked chicken wings. They were hearty and meaty chicken tossed in a spicy and sweet hot honey sauce.

For lunch we got the Shortline Sandwich and the Burrito Bowl. The sandwich is tender grilled chicken, earthy pesto, garlic aioli, roasted red peppers, tangy pickled onions, and arugula all served hot! It is delicious and served with seasoned fries. The burrito bowl is huge! It is filled with earthy black beans and creamy guac, tender chicken, sharp cheese and lettuce, tangy Pico de Gallo on a bed or rice. I paired the food with their crisp and cool Riesling.

Stop 3

Greetings from Sylva, NC and the Hotel Sylva in the North Carolina mountains! The hotel is in the perfect location to play in the mountains but also stay and enjoy the downtown vibes that Sylva, NC has going on!

Hotel Sylva is a newly renovated downtown hotel in Sylva, NC. It is a comfortable and cozy, a mountain retreat if you will. Outside each room is a pair of rocking chairs, a nod to Americana, leisure, and great for relaxation. The rooms are cozy and have large comfy beds, a beautiful leather headboard, dark blue paneled walls, and a relaxing bathroom. The lobby is also inviting, and they have everything a traveler needs in there if you forget something. Plus, everyone is so friendly from your neighbors to the front desk!

Sylva, NC really was a surprise to me! It is a small town with vibes of bigger cities like Asheville. Their courthouse is perched on a high hill next to the hotel and it is a spectacle! Long steps up to it lined in American flags for the holiday! And the views from the hill are breathtaking with the mountains behind the town! And they have so much to do from record stores and eclectic shops, tons of restaurants to choose from, three breweries, and a few bars as well! We had the best time exploring Sylva.