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If you like adventure and exploration, you may wish to go on a backpacking trip, a canoeing adventure, or go rafting, kyaking, or tubing down the rapids in the various rivers such as the Chatooga, the Chattahoochee, or the Nantahala. You may prefer looking for arrowheads, exploring for caves or caverns, or prospecting and panning for valuable gemstones or gold nuggets.

Interested in animals? Our guests have reported seeing lots of wildlife near the cabin. Even a bear or deer will occasionally meander through the yard. Bird watchers can enjoy viewing a large variety of birds including eagles, owls, turkeys and hummingbirds.

How ‘bout a little mountain music? Real mountain folk frequently gather at various locations with their guitars, harmonicas, harps, banjos, dulcimers, fiddles and other instruments, to entertain you with picking, singing, clogging and dancing to genuine mountain music. Many of their songs offer tales of regional folklore, legends, and local history. You might even hear some old fashioned Hillbilly yodeling.

CradleCrest cabin is located near the summit of Screamer Mountain in a magnificent section of the north Georgia mountains, part of the Blue Ridge/Smoky Mountains’ South Appalachian Region. The cottage is surrounded by an array of high peaks, rolling slopes, and wide valleys that provide a panoramic overlook of some of God’s finer creations. The elevation is approximately 2,800 feet above mean sea level. It is only about seven miles to North Carolina and nine miles to South Carolina.

It is said that Screamer Mountain was so named when a local woman, while making lye soap, was frightened by an approaching stranger. Of course he meant no harm, but the lady didn’t know that, and she threw the lye into his face! His screams could be heard all over the country as he ran down the mountain. True? We don’t know! But it makes for an interesting tale.

The porches of CradleCrest face north, providing some of the best mountain views available from the cabin. Once the evening becomes too dark to see the wide mountain vista, the town of Clayton, below, puts on a nice light show. This is especially true during the winter months when the foliage is less dense.

The highest mountain across the valley is Black Rock Mountain, with a summit approaching an altitude of 3,600 feet above mean sea level. There is a State Park at the top. A little to the right and well beyond Black Rock State Park are the mountains of North Carolina. To the west of Clayton, the Appalachian Trail is nearby, which is very popular to many hikers.