Travel

15 Things To Do In Northwest Georgia: Small Towns, History, Eats, and Breweries

Share Our Happy!!

As we made our way southwest from I-75, along GA-151 towards Rome, the scenic drive was beautiful. My eyes were drawn to the small mountain tops right behind homes, and the uncrowded back roads away from any big city. But don’t let that fool you, because there are many things to do in northwest Georgia, despite it being covered in small towns. We wish our stay had been longer, and can’t wait to go back.

Mountain view in northwest Georgia
Mountain view in northwest Georgia Photo Credit: When in Rome, GA

First, Why Did We Decide on Northwest Georgia?

Stopping in northwest Georgia was a short drive from our previous stop over in north Tennessee, and brought us a little closer to home. Plus, I’ve been following fellow blogger Erin, over at When in Rome, GA for over 2 years. Her blog is full of details on northwest Georgia’s small towns. Intrigued by her posts, and our desire to visit new, off the beaten path, small towns, it made perfect sense to visit. 

Next, Where to Stay in Northwest Georgia?

Historic home rental on Airbnb
Historic home we rented in Rome, Georgia (photo courtesy of Airbnb)

Wanting to experience the area like a local, we chose to rent a home with VRBO. This quaint little two bedroom, turn of the century home is completely remodeled, and so cute. Also, located just outside main downtown Rome. 

Among many other beautiful old homes, the neighborhood was adorable, clean and safe. Don’t worry if this home isn’t available, because when I was looking for a rental, there were plenty to choose from on Airbnb. 

Things to do in Northwest Georgia For All Ages

Downtown Rome, Georgia

Broad St in Rome Georgia
Broad St in Rome Georgia

Rome stands out among the small towns in northwest Georgia because of it’s unique location. Three rivers, the Etowah, Coosa, and Oostanaula come together forming Between the Rivers Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Rome Area History Center Fountain
Rome Area History Center Fountain

Broad Street is the main road through town, and it’s full of original buildings. Mitchell Plaza is along W 3rd Ave and the Rome Area History Center. You’ll find this fountain, and it’s home to the Register of Historic Places marker. 

CocaCola wall in northwest Georgia
CocaCola wall in Rome, Georgia

Don’t miss the old Coca-Cola painted wall. Very popular in the small Georgia towns. 

Rome Georgia’s Clock Tower and Museum

Rome Georgia Clock Tower
Rome Georgia Clock Tower

One of Rome’s most notable landmarks is their clock tower and museum. Nestled atop Neely Hill, you can see it from just about anywhere in Rome. Sadly our short visit did not allow us to visit, but I would love to do this next time. You can read more about the tower history, and museum from Erin, with When in Rome GA

Take a Walk Along the Rivers

There’s lots of trails along the rivers. One is the Heritage Park Trail, where Lock Bridge crosses just over the end of the Oostanaula River. Have you ever seen a lock bridge? It’s neat to check out all the different locks, and makes for some great photo opportunities. 

Myrtle Hill Cemetery 

Myrtle Hill Cemetery is home to one of the most unique, under-rated, patriotic sites we’ve visited. The Grave of Private Charles Graves, Tomb of the “Known” Soldier. 

In 1918 Charles was killed, and originally buried in France during World War I. His body was brought back to the US on March 29, 1922, and chosen to be buried next to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. Charles’ flag covered coffin was paraded in New York along with generals, admirals, and politicians before his mother refused to let him be buried in Arlington. Instead, she chose to have him buried near family in Rome, Georgia. 

Tomb of Known Soldier in northwest Georgia
Tomb of the Known Soldier, Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Rome, Georgia

The following year, after his mother’s death, his brother agreed to have Charles moved to Myrtle Hill Cemetery when local citizens decided he should be buried in a place of honor. Charles has since remained in Myrtle Hill Cemetery, guarded by bronze machine guns, and is the center of Veteran’s Walkway. 

View of Downtown Rome, Georgia
View of Downtown Rome, Georgia from the top of Myrtle Hill Cemetery

Be sure to either walk or drive to the top of Myrtle Hill Cemetery, because you do not want to miss this view of Rome.

Where to Eat in Rome

Moe’s Original BBQ

Moes Original BBQ in northwest Georgia
Moes Original BBQ in Rome, Georgia

If you’re a BBQ loving family like we are, then you’ll love Moe’s. Plus it’s located right by the Lock Bridge. After dinner, you can take a walk to the bridge, or around town. 

Crawdaddy’s Seafood and Grill

We were very sad to hear about the closing of Crawdaddy’s. Matt gets all the credit for finding Crawdaddy’s. None of us were sure what we were in the mood to eat, but boy did this hit the spot. Louisiana cajun and creole cuisine fills the menu. In full Louisiana style, they also had my favorite beer from Abita Brewing, a Louisiana brewery. 

Shrimp & Crawfish Etouffee
Shrimp & Crawfish Étouffée at Crawdaddy’s

I had the shrimp & crawfish étouffée, and it was by far one of the best seafood meals I’ve ever had. We all agreed we’d go back to visit Rome, just to eat here. All the desserts were to die for, so be sure to save room. 

Calhoun, Georgia

The Rock Garden in Northwest Georgia is a Must See

Entrance to The Rock Garden
Entrance to The Rock Garden

Thanks to Roadside America, we found The Rock Garden. Located just outside of downtown Calhoun, you can make a stop on your way or out of town. 

Castle in Rock Garden in northwest Georgia
Castle in The Rock Garden

Filled with over 50 miniature well known buildings, built out of rocks, pebbles, shells, broken glass, and more. At the entrance to the garden, grab a guide map. This will tell you what all the all displays are as you walk the trail.  In addition to building displays, there’s a walking trail, picnic tables to bring lunch, and benches to take time to reflect. 

Where to Eat in Calhoun

Trackside Pizza

Trackside Pizza in northwest Georgia
Trackside Pizza

Whatever you decide to do around the Calhoun area, consider Trackside Pizza for lunch or dinner. We ordered takeout so we could eat at Freight & Rail Brewing, and their pizza hit the spot. So cheesy, just the way we like it on a meatlovers. 

World’s First Coca-Cola Wall in Cartersville, Georgia

First Coca-cola wall sign in northwest Georgia
First Coca-cola wall sign in Cartersville, Georgia

Found on the side of Youngs Brothers Pharmacy, this Coca-Cola sign was first painted in 1894. Although it changed over the years, in 1994 the wall was restored to its original look. 

Lookout Mountain is on the border of northwest Georgia and Tennessee, and crosses over into both states. We didn’t visit during our most recent trip, but we did stop a couple years ago. 

Girls on Rock Bridge in Northwest Georgia
Girls on Rock Bridge in Lookout Mountain, Georgia at See Rock City

We made our way up to Lookout Mountain through Chattanooga, but you can also get there through Georgia. So, it makes a great day trip. 

See 7 States Overlook in northwest Georgia
See 7 States Overlook from Lookout Mountain

See Rock City is a true gem of nature with winding paths through majestic trees, gardens, and rock formations. Widely known for their “See 7 States” overlook, and See Rock City below. 

In addition to visiting Rock City, you can purchase multi-tickets for both Rock City and Ruby Falls. Just a couple miles away, over the border into Tennessee, is Ruby Falls, an underground cave waterfall. We were able to do both the day we stopped. I honestly had no idea Ruby Falls was so far underground in Lookout Mountain, but it was something my girls still talk about. 

Things to do in Northwest Georgia For Adults

Let’s not leave out the adults when visiting northwest Georgia. In this little corner of Georgia, west of I-75, and north of I-20, there are three breweries. They’re all pretty close together, so easy to check them all out. 

Freight & Rail Brewing Company

Freight & Rail Beer Flight
Freight & Rail Beer Flight

First we visited Freight & Rail Brewing Company in downtown Calhoun. Sadly, after being shutdown for too long, they had to close. Such a shame, because we really enjoyed this brewery.

Drowned Valley Brewing Company

Drowned Valley Brewing Flight
Drowned Valley Brewing Flight

Historic downtown Cartersville is home to Drowned Valley Brewing Company. Although listed under adult things to do, we had our two teenage daughters with us. They offer several games, such as cornhole, shuffle ball, and a new to us game called Sapo. 

Sapo Game at Drowned Valley Brewing
Sapo Game at Drowned Valley Brewing

Sapo is a Peruvian game, and we had a lot of laughs attempting to perfect this game. If you want to play Sapo, you have to get the coins from the beertender, because they only have one set.

Let's Taco Bout It Food Truck
Let’s Taco Bout It Food Truck

Drowned Valley Brewing hosts food trucks out front, and we were lucky enough to try Let’s Taco ‘Bout It Food Truck. Serving a mix of authentic and fusion tacos, there’s plenty to choose from. They also serve rice bowls, and nachos. 

Rome City Brewing Company

Rome City Brewing Flight
Rome City Brewing Flight

Another closed business due to shutdowns. Found in the heart of Between the Rivers Historic District, Rome City Brewing is right on Broad St. A beautifully restored and maintained building, but we were only able to see the second floor due to closure of the main floor. Loved the atmosphere, and could imagine spending lots of time here if we lived in the area. While sipping on our flights, Matt found previously mentioned Crawdaddy for dinner. 

The Foundry Growler Bar

The Foundry Growler Bar in northwest Georgia
The Foundry Growler Bar

Just a couple streets away from the Airbnb we stayed in, we had driven past The Foundry a couple times. But, it wasn’t until after the beertender from Freight & Rail Brewing told us to go there, that we decided to stop. 

Wall of beer at The Foundry
Wall of beer at The Foundry

A craft beer heaven for those looking for a wider variety of brews on tap, bottled, or even canned. Not only can you get growlers filled, but they also carry both cold and warm beer, cider, seltzer, and more. You can mix and match, and purchase individually. Best part, there’s not a huge uncharge, which means you can get most bottles and cans for $2.00 each. Wish there were more places like this. 

Final Thoughts on Our Visit to Northwest Georgia

Three nights is not nearly enough time in northwest Georgia, but we enjoyed all the places we got to see, and things we got to do. There are so many more historic places in the area I would love to visit, but we were there in late July, and it was very hot still. A visit in spring or fall would be ideal. You can use both Georgia High Country and Roadside America to help plan your own trip.

Our yearly summer road trips from Florida to Michigan have allowed us the chance to see many places along the I-75 highway. We would love to hear about your favorite stops along the way. For more on Georgia, check out our stay in middle Georgia on Lake Sinclair, just east of Macon.

Share Our Happy!!

Julie Gazdecki

Julie is owner and founder of How We Find Happy. As an optimist, the name is perfect as we share the ways we find happy living in Florida, visiting breweries, spending time with our adult children, and getting away on some couples trips. As previous residents of Michigan, we still spend lots of time each year visiting our family up there, along with new and favorite places. My hope is to encourage others to spend time exploring this beautiful world, and finding happy in unexpected places.

11 thoughts on “15 Things To Do In Northwest Georgia: Small Towns, History, Eats, and Breweries

  • Tricia Snow

    I am ready to explore the other side of Georgia. West Georgia has eluded me and I have heard that it is awesome!

  • I’m not very familiar with Georgia, especially NW Georgia. I tend to get through the Southern States as quickly as possible. 😉 Not my favorite part of the country – glad you found all the good stuff!

  • So many fun things to do in Northwest Georgia! I especially love that rock garden, clock tower, cemetery and Lookout Mountain. And what a charming and historic Airbnb you found!

  • lisa manderino

    Wow, lookout mountain is so cool! I bet summer was hot in this area!

  • Northwest, Georgia looks adorable! I love small towns and learning about the history that goes along with them. The rock castle is cool. I downloaded that app and look forward to using it next month when we head to NH.

  • Julie Gazdecki

    We weren’t really familiar either, before reading When In Rome, GA. Northern Georgia is beautiful.

  • Julie Gazdecki

    I am ready to explore more!! It’s just so beautiful up there, and so much history.

  • Julie Gazdecki

    A lot that you would enjoy.

  • Julie Gazdecki

    It was pretty hot, especially at the Rock Garden. We did Lookout Mountain a couple years ago at end of September, and that was perfect!

  • Julie Gazdecki

    Yay! You will love using the app to find things you never knew about.

  • Wow, I had no idea this was in Georgia! Looks like a really cool place to explore! Thanks for the great information!

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