Im thinking of a 10 day vacation to the mountains of Western NC and Northern GA next summer. Ive vacationed in the Blowing Rock/Boone area before as well as the Gatlinburg, TN side of the Smoky Mountains and seen a lot of the Smokies along with the Biltmore at Asheville, NC. I have not been down to the area south of Asheville and east of the Smokies and have not yet ventured into the Georgia Mountains. I live in the Washington DC, so im probably going to want to spend the night on the way down and back up probably in Virginia. So, heres what im thinking:

Day 1- Drive to South-western Virginia down I-81 or possibly push to Asheville, NC for the night.

Day 2- Drive to the town of Helen, GA

Day 2 through 6- Stay in Helen, GA to explore the North Georgia Mountains including Brasstown Bald, Anna Ruby Falls, Dahlonega, GA, Amicacola Falls, Tallugh Gorge, possible day-trip down to Stone Mountain near Atlanta

Day 6- Drive to Brevard, NC

Day 6 through 10- Stay in Brevard, NC to explore the Transylvania County waterfalls, Gorges State Park, day-trip to Chimney Rock, NC, Catalochee area of GSMNP, explore the areas of Highlands and Cashiers, NC, drive some of the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville

Day 10-Route 29 through Virginia and Overnight in Virginia

Day 11- Home

Sounds like a well thought out plan. Did you have any questions about anything on your trip?
Are you sure you like the southern section of the BRP?
I like the Virginia section from Fancy Gap to the south end of the Skyline Drive. If you got to Front Royal in daylight you could make it home and save the money for a hotel.

I recommend staying somewhere other than Helen. On the internet or in a guidebook, it sounds like a cute, quaint mountain town. The reality is something different. Helen decided some years ago to put Alpine facades on its buildings to attract tourists. A good description would be Disney's Epcot meets north GA, in a tacky, tourist trap kind of way. It's a fun place for an afternoon, but you should consider staying elsewhere. Helen is basically a one street town. On weekends and even some summer weekdays, traffic gridlocks the town. It would slow down your touring to get in and out of Helen each day.

The places you list to see in north GA are otherwise great places to visit.

You might start in Dahlonega and then work your way northward through Brasstown and up into NC.

Skip Helen. Stay anywhere NE of it. A great thing would be to rent a house on Lake Rabun or Lake Burton. Check VRBO for ideas. Otherwise rent a cabin or stay in a hotel in Clayton or Dillard. Use it as a base to explore the area. We can give you a list of great things to see and do in the area. Two of the state parks are in Rabun County. Do you want to hike? Stroll? Go rafting? Horseback riding? Let us know. There's lots to keep you busy in that area.

Perhaps I should just stay in Highlands, NC and use that as a base to exploring the sights I listed in NC and GA. Brasstown Bald dosent look far from there. Thanks for the tip on Helen, I was going to stay there because it looked neat, but dosent sound worth it. Highlands , NC sounds lovely and high elevation too.
Thanks