Gold Mining, Haunted Spirits At Heart Of GA's Most Eccentric Towns

Oddities can almost be found anywhere, including in Georgia, where World Atlas says lies 13 eccentric and unique towns.

The list, released on July 11, showcases Georgia's unconventional and peculiar cities. Traveling to one of these towns may bring about a Bavarian or a haunting experience.

Areas reminiscent of gold mining and classic junkyard scenery are featured, and one of them was the birth home for former President Jimmy Carter.

Here are the 13 most eccentric towns in Georgia, per World Atlas:

• Dahlonega
• Clarkston
• Helen
• Senoia
• Milledgeville
• White
• Alto
• Calhoun
• Plains
• Thomasville
• Tallulah Falls
• Jekyll Island
• Americus

Few of these Georgia towns have been significant draws for filming. Senoia once set the scene for "The Walking Dead" and "Fried Green Tomatoes."

Legendary actor Burt Reynolds visited Tallulah Falls to film "Deliverance" in July 1972.

"Tallulah Falls ranks among the most beautiful towns in Georgia, thanks to its stunning outdoor scenery and wealth of natural spectacles. The town draws adventurers with the expansive Tallulah Gorge State Park. Sinking to a 1,000-foot depth, this marvellous provides hikers with sweeping natural vistas, highlighted by the free-falling Hurricane Falls. The scenic Tallulah River snakes through the towns, and numerous vantage points, such as L'eau d'Or Falls, offer 360-degree panoramas of the majestic waterway," World Atlas reported.

RELATED:

• Billion-Dollar GA Film Industry Thriving Amid Global Decline
• Jimmy Carter: Final Hours To View Late President In ATL
• This Is The Most Charming Small Town In GA, New Report Says
• GA Beach Ranks Among Nation's 25 Best Of The Best, Tripadvisor Says

Dahlonega was once a flourishing mining town after gold was found in the 1820s. The town later shifted from mining to wine-making, but there were still "lingering spirits from the sins committed during America's second major gold rush," World Atlas reported.

In January 2024, travel magazine Afar said Dahlonega was the most charming small town in Georgia.

More hauntingly discoveries may be made in Milledgeville, formerly Georgia's state capital, where World Atlas reported sits the abandoned remains of "one of the largest asylums ever built."

Disgruntled spirits and former hospital patients may haunt hundreds of ancient buildings, according to World Atlas.

Beyond the more than 25,000 graves in Milledgeville are the car graves in White, where Old Car City USA features at least 4,000 classic cars scattered across a 34-acre automobile junkyard, World Atlas reported.

Alto is home to a school bus graveyard with more than 100 decaying school buses, World Atlas reported.

Beer lovers gather annually at Oktoberfest in Helen, a town that celebrates the German culture and Bavarian lifestyle; and of course, before the summer ends, beachgoers can visit Jekyll Island, which houses an award-winning beach.

See more about these towns here.

ALSO SEE: Get The Latest Local News (For Free!) With One Quick Tap