Hotel Spotlight: Cedar House Inn, Dahlonega
Exterior of Cedar House Inn, Georgia (courtesy, Cedar House Inn & Yurts)
The contrast between the sprawling Atlanta ‘burbs and this eco-friendly hideaway in the north Georgia woods couldn’t be more complete. Just 70 miles north of the beating heart of the “New South,” Dahlonega’s Cedar House Inn & Yurts lives almost entirely off the grid and on the land. The three-room cedar inn features a passive solar design that maximizes heat from the sunshine, while quarry tile floors in the living area collect heat from the winter sun to cut back attached heating costs. Two well-appointed yurts on the property’s naturally landscaped grounds up the eco quotient, with composting toilets and low-wattage lighting. The list of environmentally friendly accolades and initiatives goes on. But don’t think this is some austere hippie commune with nothing in the way of good living: organic breakfasts of fresh-squeezed orange juice, free-range eggs, and French toast with homemade seasonal syrup fuel smooth the hardest day out on the area’s many hiking and biking trails. Or you could just grab a good book and relax in the inn’s flower- and bird-filled garden amidst blazing fall colors or spring wildflowers.
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