Moonshine Festival Tour
Join us for our special Moonshine Festival Driving Tour during the most glorious time of the year in the South! We’ll stay in north Georgia at the fabulous Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa where we’ll be pampered for three nights and then on to the gorgeous lakeside Lanier Islands Resort & Spa. We’ll drive mountain roads to experience the incomparable Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee and the fabulous but less known Rattler. We will visit the Miles Through Time Automotive Museum, spend a fun day at Caffeine & Octane Lanier Raceway and end with the Moonshine Festival & Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville. And of course, all fabulous accommodation, gourmet meals, cocktails and beverages, and an amazing compendium of fees and taxes are all included. Don’t miss out on all the fun! Call us today to register!
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Luxury accommodations
- Cocktails, wine & beer in the evenings
- Experienced drive guides
- All meals per itinerary
- Gratuities, taxes and entrance fees
- Who’s Who booklet
- Gasoline and car washes
Itinerary
DAY 1 - Arrive in Young Harris, Georgia
Sunday, October 19th
- Arrive in Young Harris, Georgia; check in to Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa
- Welcome Cocktail Party and Dinner
After your arrival at the Brasstown Valley Resort and once you’ve checked in, you’ll have the rest of the day free to explore the hotel and the surrounding area. Please be sure to have a full tank of gas when you arrive so our adventures can begin in the morning! In the evening, we’ll meet for a welcome cocktail party before enjoying a delightful dinner at the hotel.
DAY 2 - Day Drive to the awesome Rattler & Wheels through Time Museum. (~ 235 miles)
Monday, October 20th
- Breakfast at Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa
- Drive The Rattler
- Lunch at Cataloochee Ranch
- Cocktails and dinner at Brasstown Valley Resort
Enjoy another delightful breakfast at the Brasstown Valley Resort. After breakfast, we’ll depart for Hot Springs, NC, where we will hop on NC 209 – The legendary Rattler.
The Rattler, located just outside of Hot Springs, twists and turns all the way to Lake Junaluska, NC. Traveling through the Pisgah National Forest and over the Great Smokey Mountains, The Rattler offers some of the most beautiful US driving you will ever experience.
Once you’ve successfully driven The Rattler, you will understand why all the others were merely preparation drives. There are over 234 twists, turns and curves from Hot Springs to Lake Junaluska. Many think The Rattler is better than the Tail of the Dragon, Hellbender, or The “Snake” of the Devils Triangle for scenic beauty and for enjoying your driving skills.
We’ll stop along the way for a delightful, casual lunch at the Cataloochee Ranch just outside of Maggie Valley. Then we will explore the “Wheels Through Time Museum”. Afterwards, we will again jump in our cars and head back to North Georgia and our fabulous hotel, the Brasstown Valley Resort to rest and relax before we regroup for pre-dinner cocktails and dinner.
DAY 3 - Drive the Tail of the Dragon & the Cherohala Skyway. (~230 miles)
Tuesday, October 21st
- Breakfast at Brasstown Valley Resort
- Drive The Tail of the Dragon
- Lunch at our favorite Smoke-N-Bonz in Tennessee
- Return via the Cherohala Skyway.
- Cocktails and dinner at Brasstown Valley Resort
Enjoy your last delicious breakfast at the Brasstown Valley Resort in preparation for our fun day in North Georgia.
Today, we’ll first drive to Deals Gap, along the North Carolina–Tennessee state line, bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and near the Little Tennessee River, to take the challenge of the Tail of the Dragon!
The Tail of the Dragon, with its 318 curves in 11 miles, is America’s number one motorcycle and sports car road. Designated US 129, the road has no intersecting roads nor driveways, houses or businesses to hamper your travel. The road gets its name from its resemblance to a curvy dragon’s tail and has been a route used for centuries by Cherokees, early American settlers and even herds of buffalo. It was first paved in 1934 and was pretty obscure until the motorcycle enthusiast Doug Snavely discovered it in the 1990s. You’ll love it!
After the Tail of the Dragon, we’ll stop along the way for lunch at our favorite restaurant in Tennessee.
Then, we will enjoy more gorgeous scenery and thrilling roads as we drive the wonderful driving route of the Cherohala Skyway and back to the Brasstown Resort in the late afternoon with time to relax and freshen up before cocktails and dinner.
DAY 4 - Miles Through Time Museum, Wolf Mountain Vineyards, Lake Lanier, GA. (~ 107 miles)
Wednesday, October 22nd
- Breakfast at Brasstown Valley Resort
- Visit Miles Through Time Automotive Museum
- Lunch at Wolf Mountain Vineyards
- Drive to Lake Lanier, GA
- Cocktails and Dinner at Lanier Islands Resort & Spa
Enjoy a delightful breakfast at the Brasstown Valley Resort in preparation for our fun day in North Georgia. Please have your luggage in the lobby ready to load and check out.
Following breakfast, we will depart from the hotel and head to Clarksville, GA where we will visit the fascinating Miles Through Time Automotive Museum. Miles Through Time is a nonprofit, co-op style “living” automotive museum where you’ll find displays that have been donated to the museum or are privately owned by people in the community who want to showcase their beloved automobiles and memorabilia for everyone to enjoy. The museum strives to preserve and share over 100 years of automotive history in the mountain town of Dahlonega.
Next, we’ll head toward the Georgia and Wolf Mountain Vineyards, known for its hillside vineyards, charming fieldstone & cedar winery and inviting hospitality. We’ll stop here for a delicious lunch, overlooking the valley below.
We’ll stop along the way for a delightful lunch at Wolf Mountain Vineyards. Then, we will hop in our cars and enjoy more gorgeous scenery and thrilling back roads as we drive to Lanier Islands Resort & Spa in northern Georgia.
After you check in and refresh, we’ll meet for cocktails before a wonderful dinner at the Lanier Islands Resort.
DAY 5 - Lanier Raceway
Thursday, October 23rd
- Breakfast Lanier Islands Resort
- Fun Day at Lanier Raceway
- Lunch at Lanier Raceway
- Dinner and cocktails at hotel
Enjoy a delicious breakfast at Lanier Islands Resort. Following breakfast, we’ll depart for the nearby Lanier Raceway.
The Lanier Raceway is owned by Caffeine and Octane, an auto events & multimedia business conglomerate. The track offers eight different layouts, including three Hot Lap layouts, three competition layouts, an oval race layout and the open layout.
The 0.375-mile paved oval track, built by championship racer Bud Lunsford, originally opened in 1982. The track is known for its rich history of oval racing and the complex now offers drifting, race karting, autocross, car shows, festivals and more. Our fun day at the track will include Autocross and road course laps. We’ll also enjoy a fabulous lunch at the track. Our plan is to have a morning and an afternoon driving group.
We will return to our hotel after our exciting track day for a delightful cocktail hour, where we will swap stories of our experiences at the track, followed by a fabulous dinner at Lanier Islands Resort.
Perhaps today is a good spa day for the ladies?
DAY 6 - FREE Day at Lanier Islands Resort and the surrounding vicinity
Friday, October 24th
- Breakfast Lanier Islands Resort
- Lunch on your own
- Dinner and Cocktails at Lanier Islands Resort
Enjoy a fabulous breakfast at the Lanier Islands Resort. Today is a free day at this incredible lakeside resort. You’ll have the day to embrace the allure of Lanier Islands, where a plethora of amenities awaits. Spanning over 1,200 acres of breathtaking landscapes, Lanier Islands Resort will provide you with thrilling experiences among lavish comforts, all set in gorgeous natural surroundings.
Lanier Islands Resort offers so many amenities for you to explore: a game arcade, fitness center, fire pits, heated outdoor pool, six bars and restaurants, 18-hole golf course, water park, beach swimming, boating, Tranquility Spa, hiking trails, paddle boards, six pickleball courts and more. Enjoy your day! We will meet again in the evening when we’ll indulge in a delightful Cocktail Party and Dinner at the resort.
DAY 7 - Moonshine Festival & Georgia Racing Hall of Fame
Saturday, October 25th
- Breakfast at Lanier Islands Resort
- Private Bus one-hour transfer to the Moonshine Festival in Dawsonville, GA (no driving today)
- Lunch in Dawsonville on your own
- Georgia Racing Hall of Fame
- Dinner at Lanier Islands Resort
Enjoy your breakfast at the legendary Lanier Islands Resort before enjoying the ultimate celebration of tradition and flavor at the Moonshine Festival in Dawsonville, GA. This iconic festival, deeply rooted in the history of moonshine making, promises an unforgettable experience. From the thrill of witnessing live distillation demonstrations to the delight of tasting a variety of authentic moonshine flavors. This festival is a must-visit for enthusiasts and curious souls alike. Celebrate the rich heritage of Dawsonville and immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere filled with music, food, and of course, moonshine.
We will also visit the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville. Established in 2002, the museum serves to preserve the auto racing achievements of notable racecar drivers from Georgia. The museum holds numerous artifacts, including a 1948 car driven by Red Byron and the Ford racecar driven by Gober Sosebee in the Daytona 500. As of 2024, the museum has 130 inductees, all of whom have either previously been a racecar driver, contributed to the sport, or contributed to the museum itself. The cars on display are spectacular and cover everything from the days of Moonshine Runners in the North Georgia Hills, all the way up to today’s NASCAR Cup Series Champions.
At the end of this fun day, we will return to Lanier Islands Resort for our Farewell Dinner and cocktails.
DAY 8 - Depart for Home
Sunday, October 26th
- Breakfast Lanier Islands Resort
- Say out Goodbyes,
- Depart for home
After a delicious breakfast, please check out of the hotel for your drive home. We hope you enjoyed our special Moonshine Festival Rally tour!