Trip Summary

Favorite Experiences

What I Wish I Knew

Trip Summary

When you think of Georgia, you think of cities like Atlanta and Savannah, right? But the state has so much more to explore beyond the cities! Nature! Hiking! Rafting! Camping! And so much more!

So when my husband and I were looking for a place to celebrate a birthday, we looked no farther than Georgia! We have a tradition of having fun experiences with each other on our birthdays rather than giving each other gifts, so for my birthday this year, my husband planned for us to go on a whitewater rafting trip! He had gone whitewater rafting as a kid (I had rafted as a kid, too), but we had never gone together, so he thought it would be a cool thing to add to our list of experiences together. So we headed off to Clayton, Georgia to raft the Chattooga River (the same one featured in the movie, Deliverance)!

We got in the day before we were supposed to meet our excursion, so we did some hiking and came across some cool trails in the process! The first one was at Black Rock Mountain State Park, and given that we went in the summer in the middle of a heat wave, we packed up our water and stuck to the shorter trails. The first one was Tennessee Rock Trail–a quick 2.2 mile trip with a nice overlook.

Parking was easy and plentiful, and the whole trail was shaded which was amazing on such a hot day. The trail was easy to follow and wasn’t crowded at all.

The overlook is also sizable and a nice payoff for minimal effort. You also cross an area where there is a sign for the Eastern Continental Divide, so that was a cool bonus.

So for its easy, well-marked trail, plentiful shade, and beautiful overlook, this hike gets my vote! The trail was enough to stretch your legs and experience nature before enjoying everything else the area has to offer!

Tennessee Rock Trail: A

We had gotten an early start and had plenty of the day left by the time we finished, so we decided to do another trail–this time at Tallulah Gorge. This area was a lot more popular given the bigger parking area and crowds, but I could see why as there were a lot more viewpoints on this trail and picture opportunities. We took the Tallulah Gorge Lookouts and Cascade Falls Trail, and it was an unusual trail in that it was a loop that intertwined a lot so that you were almost always at a viewpoint or on your way to one, so it was a fun way to see a bunch at one time.

The biggest attraction was a major waterfall that emptied into a river, and it was nice taking pictures and enjoying the views. There are also a lot of benches on the trail, so if you need a break, there are plenty of resting spots. However, this trail is very hot, and I found myself missing the shade cover of our previous trail, so if you go, just double-check your sunscreen and water!

Totally worth a visit! It is one of the more popular attractions in the area, so definitely go!

Tallulah Gorge Lookouts and Cascade Falls Trail: A

However, after a day of hiking, you know you’ve worked up an appetite, so I’ll tell you just the places to go! After hiking all day, my husband and I stopped at Universal Joint–a popular place in Clayton that was super cute and had plenty of inside and outside seating.

I got the gyro and my husband got the burger, and both were fine. The gyro actually looked and tasted like one of those pre-made sandwiches you can find in the freezer section at grocery stores, so I probably wouldn’t recommend that. The tater tots that came with both meals were overcooked, too (so much so that some of them even disintegrated when you picked them up–much to my husband’s surprise and then amusement as he couldn’t stop laughing at the tot that was in my hand one second and all over the floor the next, ha!). So while the meal was a bit disappointing, it was we needed to fill our hungry tummies after hiking all day.

There was also only one person serving the entire restaurant (inside and outside), so service was understandably slow, but we didn’t fault the place, because we felt bad for the only server. She seemed incredibly busy, so if you go and the place is still very short-staffed, just be patient.

So for its lackluster food, it loses some points, but it did have a cute outside section with hanging lights that would be really fun to sit in at night. The beer selection was also fairly plentiful, so it is definitely worth a visit if you need a place to chill for a bit (it is in a central location, too, and very walkable to the rest of the town).

Universal Joint: B

But let’s get to the better stuff! When we stayed, my husband and I wanted to get pizza/Italian food and were so torn on whether we should try Fortify Pi or Mama G’s…so we went to both! One was before our rafting trip, and the other was after, and both were noteworthy!

I’ll start with Fortify Pi–this place had the better-looking pizza pictures on review sights, so we got a pizza and cheese bread to go. It smelled delicious and was fresh from the oven, so it was a difficult wait smelling all that goodness in the car! The pizza, however, is on the thin side (much thinner than the pics indicate) and tasted quite salty (the cup of marinara that they provided for the cheese bread was even saltier, so we ended up not eating that at all). It was a little sad as we had hyped ourselves up for some amazing pizza, and it ended up being lackluster, so just adjust your expectations if you go.

Though, who knows…perhaps we just went on an off-day, because one of the guys who worked at the rafting place we went to later said that he worked as a cook a few nights a week there and could attest that the food was good. So maybe go when he’s working? He made great food at the campsite, so I am thinking we just went on an off-day when their best cook wasn’t working. Definitely worth another try sometime!

Fortify Pi: B 

Okay, I’ve been holding out the best for last…Mama G’s! Oh, my goodness–quite possibly the best Italian food I have ever had.  They serve all kinds of food there from pasta to pizza to various other dishes, and everything is glorious! My husband had the lobster ravioli and I had the tortellini, and both were absolutely delicious! Both were cooked so well and with such an assortment of ingredients that you didn’t even need anything extra! No parmesan, no extra sauce, no anything–it was PERFECT the way it was!

The food was fresh, too, and came with some tasty bread rolls. The restaurant was clean, had quick service, and the prices were reasonable, too. Even though we couldn’t eat everything in one sitting, we took the rest to go, and it was just as good eaten cold later on. A wonderful meal!

So I highly, highly recommend this place. I still think about their pasta and how good it was. It was by far the best meal of the trip, so if you only make one stop to eat in the area, go to Mama G’s! You won’t be disappointed!

Mama G’s Italian Restaurant: A+ 

Whew, you’d think after all that eating, there couldn’t possibly be room for any more places to review, right? Well, there’s one more, but this is a brewery–and a good one at that! Down the road from our hotel was Currahee Brewery, and it seemed to be highly rated, so we took a stroll to check it out!

They have plentiful seating inside and outside–the outside area being especially nice, because people sit around on the chairs and benches with their pups, and we all had fun making friends and talking with one another. The brew selection is also plentiful, the service always quick and courteous, and the place was clean. We actually ended up going there twice because we liked it so much, so I highly recommend it! It’s the perfect place to unwind at the end of the day before walking back to your hotel!

Currahee Brewery: A

But don’t worry, the best is yet to come! Our hotel was the biggest surprise of all! My husband picked it out since he was surprising me and planning the whole trip (*swoon*), and hot dang, he did a really good job! We stayed at the White Birch Inn which is right downtown, and it was the cutest place!

From the courtyard outside to the beautifully decorated inside to all the extras they offer at the hotel (from its daily wine and cheese offerings to their chocolate strawberries in the room to the plentiful included breakfast), it was a lovely stay! The staff was very sweet and courteous, the rooms were huge and beautifully decorated, and the place was so relaxing (the hotel has a policy for no guests under 14, so the place had a quiet vibe, and you never heard your neighbors or anyone running in the hall).

The inn stood out so much, because they had so many extras that I had never seen, even at fancy hotels. A turn-down service every night. A free specialized breakfast made to order (you fill out your breakfast order the night before). Free wine and cheese. Plentiful amenities. It was truly a gem!

So you know my husband got major points for booking such a great place and well, the hotel gets points, too! Totally recommend this place! It was in the perfect location and stood out as being a wonderful place to stay! An excellent place all around!

White Birch Inn: A+

After all this, you probably want to hear about the main event, right? The whole reason we even went to Clayton, Georgia? The river rafting? Well, I won’t disappoint you! The trip we took was epic! After checking out of our hotel, we went to the main office of Southeastern Expeditions where we would meet our crew for the two-day river rafting excursion that included Section III, camping, then Section IV the next day.

After checking in, gathering our gear, and loading up the bus, we set off for our adventure! There were about seven boats of seven people each including the guide, so the bus was full, but we were all brimming with excitement as we quickly traveled into rural South Carolina–out of cell range and into the wild that was the Chattooga River!

My husband and I were paired up with a father and his three kids, one of them being the youngest allowed on the trip (12 years old), and they ended up being a terrific group to work with on the river! They were very experienced (they had rafted over 30 rivers) and listened to the guide, worked hard in paddling, and worked like a team when everyone had to huddle in as we dropped over the falls. The group really helped ease my worries, because I knew we were in good hands, and our guide, Dakota, was excellent as well. He filled the hours with fun stories, instructions on how to line up before each rapid, and cheers when we made it through each one.

It was really the perfect day, and we even had bonuses where we stopped and swam through some of the rapids at our lunch spots. There were rocks you could jump off, tide pools where you could wade then jump out into the current when you were ready, and the guides helped you through each one. They were also very safety-conscious and had ropes available at each stop, ready to get you if you didn’t swim fast enough to the side.

The only scary part of the Class III section was Bull Sluice, a Class IV+ rapid, and the guides really ramp up the fear in sharing stories of it beforehand. Trips to the hospital. One girl had dislocated her knee. Another guy broke his ankle. The guide even had multiple broken teeth from falling out at the falls. He would then tell us what to do if we fell out–where to flatten out so you didn’t hit the rocks, where to ball up in a defensive position as you fell over the edge, where to hold your breath as long as you could before you popped back up from the water. Then he smiled that broken-toothed smile, and this is when I started to get nervous. I had never done bigger rapids like these, but our team had been great so far–I had to hold my faith that we would make it out in one piece!

And we did! It was a major drop that you could feel as the boat fell hard, but we had all made it to the bottom of the boat, paddles pointed up as instructed, eyes scrunched as we weathered the water and watched it fill the boat–but then as soon as our guide started whooping and hollering, we knew we were through! What a rush!

The Bull Sluice was one of the last rapids before we reached our camping site, so when we reached the shore, we were still exuberant from making it through. The campsite is a primitive camping space alongside the river, and the tents and sleeping mats are already set up for you. They tell you to bring a sleeping bag and a backpack of your stuff and you give those to the guides before you get on the water and they haul all that stuff down to the campsite for you, so that was nice. I will say that if you do the camping trip, make sure that you either put your stuff in a water-tight bag or pack a trash bag around everything, because a lot of stuff was wet when we retrieved it. Some of the tents were wet inside, too, so we ended up airing everything out, and it was okay later at night, but just an FYI–don’t bring anything that can’t get wet or would be ruined!

Once everyone got set up in their tents, the camp cook started to make dinner, and what a spread! Steak, trout, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, salad, peach cobbler, and a whole assortment of snacks and drinks awaited! It was amazing, and no one expected a huge meal at the end of the day in the middle of nowhere, but there it was!

The fun lasted until late at night as a lot of people stayed up drinking (so bring your earplugs if you go to bed earlier!). The boats didn’t leave on the second day until about ten, so the morning was nice and leisurely as we sat along the river bank and watched the steam/fog rise from the water.

It was very peaceful, and the camp cook had an equally impressive spread for us for breakfast! Tortillas with sausage, veggies, and an assortment of sauces was a great way to get charged up for the day ahead–this day, we would tackle Section IV of the river!

For the second day, we got all new guides (they have to be certified for certain sections of the river, so all the advanced guides came out on this day), and it was humorous to watch them all come down the trail to our camp–you could tell these were the advanced people–scruffier looks, brighter hair, more serious faces, and more broken teeth! We also got new groups on this day as not as many people were going to raft Section IV, so everyone got rearranged into their rafts. This is when my nerves started to fray, because we got separated from the family that worked so well the previous day and got grouped up with a group of three that had not done so well the previous day–as in not following directions, not paddling, and it had caused them to never line up how they were supposed to before each rapid. This day was the far more dangerous day–when working as a group was key to not getting injured–so when I saw our group and then our guide who looked much younger than even my freshman students, I was starting to rethink if this was such a good idea.

Luckily, our guide, Austen, was great, and even though he was young and very quiet, he was knowledgeable about the river and did his best to guide our boat the best he could. We kept getting stuck due to the uneven weight of the boat (and some people not paddling when they should!), but he and my husband made quick work of getting out in the middle of the rapid and rocking the boat until we were free again.

But the scary stuff was still ahead–the Five Falls, a set of five Class IV-V rapids all within 1/3 of a mile. As soon as you were done with one, you were heading to the next, and Austen very seriously told us what to expect if we were to fall out. On some of the rapids, there were people on the sides with ropes, but if you missed them, you were on your own–you would go down the next rapid by yourself. Stay away from the rocks. Hold your breath. Swim hard to the side. Extend your body out so you don’t hit the rocks. Get into a defensive ball as you go down the rapids. Or better yet, just don’t fall out. Then he looked at us, no, really, please don’t fall out. And this is when my heart really started to race. We weren’t on a good start–the boat wasn’t working as a team, people weren’t listening, and we were already making mistakes.

And the falls really were stacked together. We made it through Woodall Shoals. Then Seven Foot Falls…which felt every bit of seven feet as we dropped down hard then were stuck as the boat quickly filled with water.

There are small holes at the bottom where water can drain out, but the volume was significant as our poor guide kept screaming at us to paddle, for God’s sake, PADDLE! And we did and finally got out…but we hadn’t even reached the Five Falls yet, and my nerves were so frayed at this point. One of the guys in our boat even told the guide to let him out, because there was “no way he was doing this shit,” and the guide said, too late! It would actually be more dangerous to climb around the falls than to raft through them, so this was the only way.

Luckily, we had our final lunch stop before that section of the river, and we hung out at a beautiful waterfall on the side of the river.

This was also a chance for our heart rates to settle a bit before the Five Falls, because the stories! So many stories from the guides about how dangerous they were, and there just seemed to be one after another. Broken bones, stitches, broken teeth, concussions…I get it that the guides tell these stories for the rafters to take the rapids seriously, but they were freaking me out. I didn’t want to be the next story they told on the river…

And then the time came…the Five Falls were ahead, and we would have to forge through without stopping. Before that, there was Deliverance Rock. It was only a Class III rapid and shouldn’t have been a difficult one, but we didn’t line up right, people weren’t paddling, and we almost hit it.

There was a photographer at that vantage point, and afterwards, we could see the quick succession of when the guide saw it, then when the person in front saw it, then the rest of us, then the looks of terror as we all dove out of the way. Then after we grazed it, the looks of horror and disbelief as we rose our heads, looked at each other, and saw that we were all still alive. “We about busted our faces on that one,” my husband said, and he wasn’t lying!

But there was no time to process it because we had to line up for the next one, and the next one, and the one after that. There would be a drop of 75 feet over the course of 1/3 mile, and there was no stopping now. The Entrance, Corkscrew, Crack in the Rock, Jawbone, and Sock ’em Dog were ahead.

We made it through one, then we didn’t line up right again and instead of falling over the next one front first, we were floating sideways. The rapids were wild so that you could only really see where you were paddling, and I made the mistake of looking where we were headed–just as we sideways tipped over the edge. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any scarier, it did!

Then Crack in the Rock. Then the Jawbone. The Jawbone was actually a rapid that they hardly ever did because the water levels made it too dangerous. But the water levels were good today. So we are going to try it, said our guide. Try it?!

But there was no time to think, because we were in the thick of it. It was a high drop, and we were close to making it, but the front of the boat dipped down too far, kicking up the back…throwing out the guide, my husband, and me. In the rush of the water, you are so disoriented that you can’t tell which way is up, down, sideways, but I felt air, and when I surfaced, I had a paddle in one hand, a water shoe that had flown off in the other, and the boat was to my right. But then I tried to remember…what for the instructions for this one? Did you have to swim to the shore? Jump back in the boat (my assigned rescuer was also in the water)? Spread out so you didn’t hit rocks? Ball up? Panic!

Luckily, this was the best rapid you could fall out in (and not know what to do), because the pool at the bottom was deep and the current weak enough that you could swim to the side without worrying about going downstream. So that’s what we all did–laughing as we put our water shoes back on, threw paddles back in the boat, and got ready for our last rapid of the day–Sock ’em Dog. But then our guide noticed that our raft had popped! Apparently, it doesn’t happen often, because our guide’s eyes widened as he said “Oh, shit!”

We could hear the hissing of the air escaping, and I wondered if they carried patch kits or what the protocol was, but nope, we were heading to the next rapid, like, oh, well, keep going!

And Sock ’em Dog was no joke as we crashed through, but then….peace! Calm! Sun! We were at the end! We had made it! And oh, my goodness, the relief when everyone hooked their rafts to the tow boat for us to be taken to the bus that waited for us…the sheer relief! Here, everyone shared their stories of their close calls, their falls, and the float back to the bus was full of laughter, fun, and yes, sweet relief.

When we got back to the main office, our sleeping bags and backpacks were waiting for us, and there were dressing rooms and showers where we could change and get ready for the drive home. The pictures taken during the trip were also available, and while they were the most expensive pictures I had ever seen on an excursion ($130), they were good quality and were clear with good lighting, so you do pay for the expertise behind the camera. It was then that I noticed that the front person in our raft had flipped off the camera on the best pictures! I mean, seriously! It’s one thing if you are the only one on the boat, but don’t ruin the pictures for everyone else, especially when they are $130 to purchase. I’m still irritated by that, so the pictures you see are the ones where fingers are edited out (or we were scrambling so hard that there was no time to flip off the camera)…

All in all, though, it was a great trip, and I highly recommend it for an adventurous trip down the Chattooga River. Our guides were excellent, the food was wonderful, and while you can’t pick your boat partners, we had great ones on the first day! Definitely give this trip a go!

Southeastern Expeditions Overnighter Adventure: A 

What was hilarious was after we got home, and my husband was looking through old pictures, he saw that he had actually rafted down the same river years before! He had gone with a bunch of guy friends, but the river was much higher then, so he didn’t recognize the rapids, but how funny is that! It just goes to show you how much the river can change, too, with the water level, and our guide mentioned that when they study the river and get certified, they have to practice on the river at multiple water levels because the best route through them are different.

But it also shows you that the river is just as scary on high levels as they are on low levels–so much that they become unrecognizable, ha!

Favorite Experiences

After all that adrenaline, there was nothing like the relief at the end, knowing that we all made it! Going through the Bull Sluice on the first day was really fun and working so well as a team with our first boat, and the excitement and cheers as we got through it was awesome, too. The camping experience was fun, too, and the quiet morning sitting by the riverside while everyone was still sleeping was nice and peaceful.

In Clayton, Mama G’s and the White Birch Inn were the highlights, but all in all, this trip was definitely one to remember! My husband knocked it out of the park when planning this vacation, and I would totally do a river rafting camping trip again–and the Chattooga River is one of the best places for it!

What I Wish I Knew

Okay, I’ve got a list! I’ll go in the order of things on our trip. If you go hiking in Georgia, you have to pay to enter/park at the state parks, and there are various stations were you can pay for a pass. However, once you get a pass, that is good all day, so try to visit more than one to get your money’s worth! We were able to visit Black Rock Mountain and Tallulah Gorge on the same pass, so that saved some time and made it convenient to visit several places.

There is also a cool tunnel nearby–Stumphouse Tunnel. It is a little farther away over the South Carolina border, and it is an unfinished railroad tunnel that leads to a dead-end. The pictures looked cool, and we were thinking of visiting, but then ran out of time. So if you have some extra time and want to explore more, check it out, because I wish we had more time to see it!

Also, while Clayton is a small town, parking is pretty limited, and you are stuck with mostly meter parking. There are signs outside the White Birch Inn that you can only park out front for a few hours, but when we asked the front desk attendant about it, she said that the city never enforces it, and luckily, they didn’t. If they did, it would be very difficult to find parking for the night, but we were relieved that we didn’t get any tickets. So just something to know if you are worried about that, too.

Finally, if you decide to raft the Chattooga River, placement in the raft is key! The guides will likely place you where you have to be in the raft, but if you have a choice, there are pros and cons to each position. For example, the people in front get the best views, are most visible in pictures, and have the most room at the bottom when you have to huddle down. The middle is probably one of the better spots as you are pretty centered, but the back (where my husband and I were) had its drawbacks. While you could see better where the boat was going and how it would tip over each rapid, you also got sort of a kick-back if your boat was front-heavy, and this made it hard to stay huddled (or if you didn’t huddle fast enough, it jettisoned you out of the boat). Also, you are the most obscured in pictures (and if you wore hats like my husband and I did to protect your face from the sun, then your faces are even more obscured). So not the best for pictures or for balance, but you are closest to the guide and can hear instructions better (and your lifejacket can be caught if the guide has a free hand).

Oh, and if you are rafting with other people, please don’t flip off the camera. That was such a mood buster, and ruined some really nice photos, so don’t do that. The guides don’t explicitly say not to do that, but some people need reminding, so the guides can help with this, too.

There’s actually a travel forum here with more suggestions of what to do in the area. It doesn’t look like it is updated often, but it could be something worth checking. I also post reels and TikToks regularly of all the places I’ve reviewed on here, so if you want to see some videos of what to expect, check out my social media here:

TikTok: @touristyteacher

Instagram: @touristyteacher

Facebook: @touristyteacher

Happy travels!