Information About the Area from A Guest Blog

A recent guest of Cedar House Inn and Yurts wrote a great piece on their stay at the inn and what they did in the area. I thought the blog entry would be of interest to guests who have not stayed with us or familiar with the North Georgia mountains and all it has to offer.

The weekend they stayed with us was also the Georgia Wine Highway weekend.

To view the article visit guest blog.

New Tasting Room at Wolf Mountain Opens

Stay with us and visit Wolf Mountain's new tasting room.

Wolf Mountain Winery announces the opening of their new Winery Tasting Room. The foyer to the winery level has been enclosed in glass offering an additional 1200 square feet of space with majestic vineyard and mountain views.

The center of this space now focuses on a large four-sided stone and cedar bar that can accommodate up to 50 tasters with the ambiance of our adjacent cask room and wine cellar.


An antique wine library, wine displays and an array of 19th century French Wine artifacts highlight the retail space located adjacent to the bar area.

For more information visit web site.

Spring Wildflower Fest 4/11/-4/12/09

Stay with us and visit Amicalola Falls State Park for the Wildflower Fest 4/11-4/12/09.

Park naturalists will be leading a guided wildflower walk each day. The hike is about 2 miles and moderate in difficulty. Along the walk along the Appalachian Trail approach trail you might see Crested Dwarf Iris, Star Chickweed, Rue Anemone, Trillium, Violets and Bluebells.

A native plant specialist will have a presentation on how to use nursery grown native plants in your garden. Nursery grown stock will also be available to take home.

A new addition, The Artists' Path, will feature 15 local artists demonstrating their skills.

For more information on this event visit Amicalola Falls Web Site.

Dahlonega Winery Hours For 2009

Many guests who visit our inn enjoy the many wineries in the area for tastings, tours, lunch and special dinners. Below is a listing of the wineries and the 2009 hours of operation.

Montaluce Winery and Estates

SATURDAY, MARCH 28 20 for 20 Tasting Special 20 for $20 Wine U, 4PM-6PM Join Montaluce sommelier Chad Ortis in the Montaluce Tasting Room for a casual, fun filled afternoon with an array of excellent 'every day,' wines. Stock your wine cellar with delicious wines you can afford to drink every day. Enjoy the 20 wines in this tasting and we'll deduct $20 from any retail case purchases. Later that evening, wines from the 20 for $20 tasting will be available for guests to pair with dinner at Ristorante Le Vigne.

501 Hightower Church Road, Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-482-0118

Three Sisters Vineyards

Tasting Room at Three Sisters Vineyards
Hours for 2009------

Thursday/Friday/Saturdays 11am-5pm
Sundays 1pm-5pm
Weekdays By Appointment.

439 Vineyard Way, Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-865-9463

Wolf Mountain Vineyards

Vineyard Cafe
Thursday-Saturday 12-3pm

Sunday Brunch
Sundays at 12:30pm & 2:30pm
Reservations Required

Winemaker's Tour
Saturday & Sunday @ 2pm

10th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Enjoy Live Jazz with recipes inspired by Atlanta's renowned chefs including Wolf Mountain's Executive Chef Tommy Chantharath.

180 Wolf Mountain Trail, Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-867-9862

Frogtown Cellars

Tastings available Friday 12:00PM-5:00PM, Saturday 12:00PM-6:00PM, and Sunday 12:30PM-5:00PM.

Sunday Winetaster's Brunch Hours of Operation:
Winetaster Brunches are served on Sunday in two seatings 12:30 and 2:30pm.
You will be served 3 courses with wine pairings and handmade desserts for only $35 + tax and gratuity. Check the calendar. Reservation required.

Visit Frogtown Cellars
700 Ridge Point Drive, Dahlonega, GA 30533
706.865.0687

Blackstock Vineyards and Winery

Monday - Saturday: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday: 12:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

BlackStock Vineyards and Winery, Dahlonega, Georgia USA. 706-219-2789

Winery web sites are listed on our
wineries page.

Recycled Clothespin Bag

At Cedar House Inn we always try to hang out our bed and bath linens on the clothesline outdoors weather permitting.

We bought a vinyl clothespin bag a year ago that became very tattered quickly. We tried to extend it's life with duct tape. The sunshine apparently caused the premature death.

We have been looking for an replacement and saw some on the internet made from organic cotton. They were expensive.

We also recycle everything that can be recycled when guests check out of the inn. One item my wife saved was a hemp Earth Shoe bag that a guest had left last year.

My wife surprised me and made a really neat hemp clothespin bag that we used today.

All she did was cut out an opening for the pins and added a plastic coat hanger for hanging.

Coat hanger and bag now having another life with a different use.

Recycle.....Reuse

White House Organic Farm

What a great idea for Obama to set a great example for all Americans to eat locally and organically. Also to motivate others to have their own backyard garden.

Bye Bye Birdie at Holly Theater 3/20-4/4

Come stay at Cedar House Inn and Yurts and see Bye Bye Birdie....

Agent and songwriter Albert Peterson finds himself in trouble when hip-thrusting rockin' and a rollin' superstar Conrad Birdie is drafted into the Army. Albert's secretary and sweetheart, Rose Alvarez, comes up with a last-ditch publicity stunt to have Conrad Birdie record and premiere a song before he is sent overseas. She makes Albert promise to give up the music business and to start teaching English at schools. ("An English Teacher.") They plan to have Birdie sing Albert's new song "One Last Kiss" and give one lucky girl from his fan club a real "last kiss" on The Ed Sullivan Show before going into the Army.

Performances March 20,21,26,27,28th April 2, 3, & 4 at 8PM
March 22, 29th and April 5th at 2PM

69 West Main St., Dahlonega, GA 30533

Call 706-864-3759 for tickets or visit Holly Theater link on our availability calendar on our web site for online tickets.

2009 Dahlonega Celtic Music Festival

I posted earlier about this popular festival. Please note this video that provides even more information.

Innkeeping & Right Livelihood

At Cedar House Inn we receive a number of guests living in the city who are questioning their current state of living. They commute great distances to jobs that do not provide fulfillment or security. We certainly came from a similar situation in the past. We tell some our of story at About the Hosts on our inn web site.

One thing that we learned early on in operating a five unit bed and breakfast in the country was that we needed to have multiple streams of income. The inn provides the majority of our living expenses most of the year. The one exception is during the winter months when the area is not appealing to tourists. Times can get lean and we have created other income streams to help us survive.

My wife has a part time tutoring position at nearby Brenau University in Gainesville. She tutors international students two days a week in writing. It is a great release for her to get away from me and the inn as well as making a little extra money. She also tutors children locally and receives leads through her tutoring web site Dahlonega Tutor.

I am the environmentalist in the family and sell eco friendly products on our web site Eco Store. I sell composting toilets and composters primarily but am always looking for additional products. Guests frequently ask about starting businesses using their skills or interests and I created another web site, web income that covers the topic.

Whatever income sources we have discovered fit into our right livelihood philosophy. Our inn is eco friendly because that fits our passion. Our side income opportunities also relate to who we are.

Your Water Footprint

I was reading our Green Hotels newsletter yesterday and there was a short article on water footprints. We have all heard about carbon footprint but water footprint was new to me. Water is a resource that should be conserved. Some say water will be the next oil in terms of scarcity of fresh water supplies.

At Cedar House Inn we value water and try to conserve it as much as we can. Low flow shower heads and sink aerators have been installed in all bathrooms. Guest reminder stickers are in the bathroom asking guests not to waste water. We use low flush toilets throughout the property and have composting toilets that require no water. Guest bed and bath linens are not changed daily (unless requested) to save laundry water. An Energy Star washing machine and dishwasher have also been installed that use less water compared to conventional appliances.

In our owner's area we have a bucket to catch the cold water coming out of the bathtub faucet prior to the warm shower water arriving. We use it to flush the toilet or water the plants. We also use the "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" philosophy in our bathroom. I save my "liquid gold" for reuse as nitrogen fertilizer (see earlier blog post on this topic). We turn off the sink when we brush our teeth is another water saving tip.

A few months ago we installed a new metal roof to capture rainwater more efficiently. We have not installed rain gutters and barrels yet. Our yard is a freedom lawn that requires no water. Native drought tolerant plants have been planted as well.

In terms of shopping the Green Hotels article mentioned the water footprint of products we purchase. For example 20 gallons of water to make a pint of beer, 132 gallons for 2 liters of soda, 500 gallons to make a pair of Levi's stonewashed jeans. Even some foods have a higher water footprint depending on where they are grown and the type of plant.

I am not suggesting we give up beer or quit wearing bluejeans. I do think we all need to be more mindful of our water usage and footprint.

The Green Hotels newsletter referenced an article on this topic published in Currents, The Wall Street Journal, 2/17/2009 by Alexandra Alter.

Appalachian Music Jams

Stay at Cedar House Inn and enjoy the free music jams on the historic square.

North Georgia’s mountain music pickers and singers flock to the Dahlonega, Georgia Gold Museum State Historic Site every Saturday, April 18 through November 7. Listeners and musicians alike enjoy the acoustic bluegrass and old time string music on the Public Square.

Visitors enjoy an afternoon and evening (even a few days) of fun with downtown Dahlonega’s extensive dining opportunities and linger for some great shopping at the 50 retail stores in the downtown area.

As the name implies, the Appalachian Jam gives traditional mountain music players the chance to get together and celebrate the kind of music that has been performed in the Appalachian Mountains for generations. Musicians are invited to bring their instruments and gather on the historic Public Square to jam with the scheduled musicians. Everyone else should come on down and listen or dance.

Organic Harvest Dinners

Guests staying at the Cedar House Inn have an opportunity with advanced planning to enjoy an organic vegetable harvest dinner at the local certified organic vegetable farm, Revival Gardens. The next dinner is Saturday March 21st,6:30-8:30PM.

The revived, first-growth greens and wild greens are full of flavor.
Join them for the first outdoor dinner of the growing season!

If you can't make this dinner plan another time. Reservation required and the dinners fill up fast.

What a great way to lower your carbon footprint and eat healthy food grown in a sustainable eco-friendly manner. A localvore dining experience. Stay green at Cedar House Inn and eat green at Revival Gardens.

Schedule and information at web site

Crimson Moon Entertainment For March- June 9th

I received the following from the Crimson Moon which has great entertainment for guests who stay with us at Cedar House Inn & Yurts in Dahlonega. They not only have great food but the shows are also very good.

March thru June ’09 Entertainment Calendar SO FAR!

REGULAR WKLY. offerings, of Tom & Julie Show (Wed & Thur.); Open Mic Night( Mondays’ til 3/17 –then moving to Tuesdays!); and our Traditional Jam Sessions every Sunday afternoon!

FOR MORE INFO ON THE ARTISTS, GOOGLE THEIR NAME + MUSIC, OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.THECRIMSONMOON.COM

Tickets/seats NOW on sale for the following shows:

Reed Waddell, David Berkley & Abi Tapia: FRI, 3/13 $12 Advance $14 day of show

Blueground Undergrass: SAT, 3/14 $20 advance $25 day of show

Live and Local at The Moon featuring TREES LEAVE: FRI, 3/20 $12 Advance $14 day of show

Gove Scrivenor & Buddy Mondlock: SAT, 3/21 $14 Advance $16 day of show

Songwriter’s In The Round Showcase: MON, 3/23 featuring Dahlonega’s own
Bryson Wilkins, Barry Bailey, and Dana Marie LaChance $5 Advance $7.50 day of show

Randall Bramblett with Spencer Durham: FRI, 3/27 $16 Advance $18 day of show

Montana Skies with Opener TBA: SAT, 3/28 $14 Advance $16 day of show $10

Songwriter’s In The Round Showcase: MON, 3/20 featuring three talented songwriter soon to be announced! $5 Advance $7.50 day of show

April

The Way Mores: FRI, 4/4 (Don Henley, Sally Barris & Tom Kimmel)$14 advance $16 day of show $10

Ralph Rodenberry & Phyllis Tanner-Frye: FRI, 4/10 $14 advance $16 day of show $10

Donna Hopkins & Diane Durrett: SAT, 4/11 $16 advance $18 day of show

The Peasall Sisters: FRI, 4/17 $16 advance $18 day

Robin and Linda Williams w/Opener TBA: FRI, 4/24 $25 advance $30 day of show $18

May

Michelle Malone: SAT, 5/2 $18 advance $20 day of show

Will Kimbrough w/Opener TBA: FRI, 5/29 $14 advance $16 day of show.

June

Shawn Mullins w/Alex Woodard: FRI & SAT, 6/5 & 6/6 $25 advance $30 day of show $18

Col. Bruce Hampton & The Quark Alliance: SAT, 6/19 $20 advance $25 day of show $12

The Solstice Sisters Summer Solstice Concert: SUN, 6/2 $14 advance $16 day of show

SOME OF THESE SHOWS WILL SELL OUT VERY FAST!

Best not to wait too long to reserve your favorite seats! Call 706-864-3982(preferably 2 pm to 6 pm) or go to the RESERVATIONS* page on our web site

Three Sisters' St. Patrick's Day Celebration 3/14,15

Three Sisters' St. Patrick's Day Celebration
March 14h & 15th 12:30-5:00PM

Open Saturday 11-5 and Sunday 1-5

You’ll be seeing GREEN Saturday and Sunday March 14th & 15th at Three Sisters Vineyards (12:30-5PM) during our annual St. Patty's Day WINE Celebration. They will have complimentary tastes of their wines and Sweet Grass Dairy “Green Hill” semi-ripened cow’s milk cheese. They will also extend our paid "Georgia Wine Country Tasting" for both days.

For more information visit website

Celtic Music Festival 3/27-3/29/2009

"Can You Hear The Pipers Playing?".....It's Coming.....
Dahlonega's 2nd Annual Celtic Music Festival!

Mark your calendar for March 27, 28 and 29, 2009!

Exciting concerts by Highland Way, Alex Beaton and Emerald Rose to name a few! Don't miss the "Celtic Village", located in Hancock Park, which include workshops and demonstrations, concerts and dance! Explore downtown Dahlonega and enjoy the Artists and Vendors booths, as well as sample savory and sweet culinary delights!
Tickets to Celtic Village: $7 adult admission

For more information visit
Festival Info.

New GMO Label

I just read in Green America that an estimated 70% of processed foods in the USA contain genetically modified organisms (GMO's) as ingredients with the exception of certified organics. Until now consumers had no idea of what was in the processed food.

My wife and I decided several years ago to limit our consumption of processed foods. We tend to shop the perimeter of the grocery store which eliminates the interior aisles which are filled with the processed foods. We also tend to eat a lacto ovo vegetarian diet for health and environmental reasons.

At the Inn we also try not to serve processed foods to our guests. We also use organic milk and eggs.

While GMO foods have not been proven to be harmful we choose to take the necessary precautions and avoid GMO foods.

If you are interested in this topic visit Non-GMO Project's Verification Program.

Can Now Recycle Number 5 Plastics

We try to recycle everything we can at Cedar House Inn. One thing we cannot is number 5 plastics. Number 5 plastics are those medicine bottles and yogurt cups for example.

According to the new Green America magazine we just received Recycline has started the "Gimme 5" program where they will accept number 5 plastics and Brita water filters for recycling. They will make eco friendly products such as toothbrushes, razors, mixing bowls, food storage containers and more with the recycled plastic.

The "Gimme 5" bins for recycling will be at selected Whole Foods Markets or the plastic can be mailed to Recycline. Unfortunately our Whole Foods is too far away from the inn.

For more information contact Recycline.

Yurt T Shirts and More

I just linked to a web site that offers yurt T shirts, sweat shirts, tank tops, hats, mugs and more. Check out Yurtopiafor more information. We also have them linked to our eco store page of the inn's web site. Our regular yurt guests will have to add these great items to their yurting wardrobe. Get yours today.

Laundry Day at Cedar House Inn

We had a great weekend with a full house for Saturday night. With check out Sunday morning we normally start the process of stripping the beds and doing the laundry. Yesterday was a cold and blustery day so we waited until today to start the laundry.

Our main reason for wanting to do the laundry on a sunny day like today is so that we can use our solar dryer instead of the electric clothes dryer.

Our washing machine is a Fisher Paykel EcoSmart machine that uses little water and has a high speed spin cycle. The high spin gives us linens that our not totally wet but damp. This is perfect for our solar clothes dryer.

Our solar dryer, aka clothes line, not only saves energy since we are using the sun but also acts like a bleaching mechanism since the sun bleaches out the whites. Things hanging on the line also smell good.

Unfortunately many municipalities and neighborhoods do not allow for backyard clothes lines. They think they are ugly which I disagree. I like the money we are saving and the eco-friendly aspect of using the sun.