Travel North For The Winter
Traveling to north Georgia is an obligation during the winter time. With even the slightest chance of seeing snow, it’s a go-to for those in the southern part of the state.
Pack your bags for a trip to the mountains of Helen, Georgia and a stop at the famous Nora Mill Granary. John Martin came to Georgia for gold, but constructed the granary in 1876. Dr. Hardman, governor of Georgia from 1927-1931, then bought the granary and named it in memory of his sister, Nora. In 1998, the granary was purchased by a group of investors. Though it has changed hands several times, one thing has stayed the same: the water- powered grist mill uses the original 1,500 pound French Burr Stones to grind and produce all kinds of mixes.
Watch the Fain family, millers of the granary, use the stones to grind the grains. Not sure if you are a fan of home-made goodies? Feel free to try a sample! Nora Mill serves samples of freshly made hot grits as well other treats. You can interact with the employees, then shop around. Pick up a bag of grits, bread or pancake mix to take home and make.
The granary also offers homemade candies and jams and cast-iron cookware, just like your Nana uses. Making Nora Mill’s grits in your own home is incomparable to anything you can find at your local grocer. Anyone from the South knows how to make grits, but just in case you are a little lost, Nora Mill’s hand-bagged items come with a recipe on the back! A pound of freshly grinded grits costs less than $5. A two pound bag of biscuit and pancake mix costs less than $7. The foods and cookware purchased at Nora Mill’s Granary are the perfect gift.
If time does not permit a stop to Nora Mill’s Granary, there is an online shopping center. Though it cannot compare to the antique feel of visiting the granary, it does provide the antique taste once the product arrives at your doorstep! The granary sits right in the valley of the North Georgia Mountains and on the Chattahoochee River, so for the men in your life who dread shopping and being awed by antiques send them out to the dock behind the granary to feed the rainbow trout in the Chattahoochee River.
