• North Georgia Zoo & Farm (Cleveland, GA)

    North Georgia Zoo & Farm is a great place to visit with your family, especially if your kids enjoy animals.

    That turtle and zebra have familiar faces….  Thankful that the girls still occasionally “humor” me with the cheesy pictures!

    Baby goats!

    This porcupine has a fantastic breakfast, look at all those fruits & veggies!

    The beaver is munching on his veggies too!

    Beautiful animal!

    Are you sure you don’t have another treat for me!?

    Albino Kangaroo napping in the shade!

    Singing dog, so wanted to hear it actually sing!!!

    Brina loving all the animals!

    Jake and Karlie waiting for the Animal Show to start

    Soft….of course the girls wanted at least one when they found out that they sale them at this location

    Fascinating to watch it run awhile!

    A lot softer than we expected.

  • Oasis Cedar Creek Cabin (Cleveland, GA)

    Beautiful with the wood, large windows, and open floor plan!

    My husband and I recently had a weekend away in Cleveland, Georgia while the girls were on a school field trip to Charleston, SC. The Oasis Cabin we stayed in was beautiful!  It was in a great location with the peacefulness of the woods and mountains while conveniently located near Helen, Georgia if you wanted to go out to dinner or exploring.  We ate at the Cowboys & Angels restaurant while in Helen which was very good.  It was a much needed weekend away together.

    The cabin was perfect and furnished with a lot of fun extras.  It had simple yet beautiful decorations, not the typical “bears, fish, and other cabin decor”.  The bath robes were very comfortable and we enjoyed playing several rounds of pool together.  We played board games, ate out on the deck, and relaxed together.  We could occasionally hear the construction workers who were building a couple of the surrounding cabins, but nothing too distracting.

    There were some cleaning issues that we had with the cabin, but after emailing Cedar Creek Cabins with the information we originally felt like it was worth visiting Cedar Creek Cabins again to see if the experience is better.  Now we are not sure if we will visit any of their cabins in the future.

    We are still very thankful for a special weekend together.  We went home refreshed and relaxed!  Just wish the people taking care of the cabins followed through with their promises and that the cabins were cleaned better.

    View from the pool table – looking towards the kitchen and bedroom areas

    PROS:

    • Gorgeous cabin with a spacious floor plan, huge windows and a lot of nice features
    • Pool Table & Board Games
    • Fairly Private Back Deck
    • Charcoal Grill
    • Keurig Coffee Machine was really nice + they left a few coffee K-Cups to use as well as a re-usable one if you brought your own ground coffee
    • Washer & Dryer
    • Blender – wasn’t aware of this one prior to arriving, but we love smoothies
    • Plenty of Storage for Food & Snacks in the cupboards
    • Comfortable King Size Bed
    • Super Soft Bath Robes
    • Automatic Recliners in the Couch
    • Fireplace
    • Jacuzzi Bathtub the huge tub that was really comfortable, does take awhile to fill up though!
    • Large Walk-in Dual Shower
    • Hot Tub on Deck nice, but needed more chlorine had a mildew growing in it by the second night so we did not get into it again after that night
    • 2 TV’s – one over the fireplace and the other by the bed & jacuzzi tub
    • Nest Thermometer was easy to use
    • Landscaping looked freshly done and really nice (new mulch)
    • Nice Loveseat Wicker Furniture on the Deck could sit or lay down on it.  We played games on the deck, ate snacks, and relaxed
    • Small Community Playground – it was small and a little faded, but was a nice touch for any families coming to visit with small kids.
    • Nice neighborhood – We felt safe enough to walk through the neighborhood and found several other families doing the same as well.

    Super soft bathrobes!

    CONS:

    • Check the Dishes prior to using!  We found a lot of dirty dishes that had been put away, possibly from the previous renters, but most of them should have been noticed by the cleaning staff.  For example – Several of the knives in the knife rack on the counter were very dirty with chunks of food on them.  Multiple items (plates and cups) in the cupboards had food chunks on them and the bowls had liquid in them.  If you opened the silverware drawer it was obvious by just looking that the silverware was not cleaned prior to being put back into the drawer.  After pulling out several dirty items we ended up washing everything before using it.  Thankfully we brought extra dishwasher soap and a bunch of disposable items because we ended up running all the silverware and a bunch of dishes through the dishwasher prior to leaving.  If you are going to require guests to wash the dishes prior to checking out then the housekeeping staff really should do a quality inspection of the dishes when cleaning the cabin to make sure that they are actually clean prior to the next guests arrival.  Honestly, it was gross and would have been an easy thing to correct while housekeeping was already in the cabin cleaning.  We realize that it was most likely the previous guests that put dirty utensils, pots & pans, and serving items back in the cupboard, however, it was pretty obvious just by glancing that the dishes were put away dirty especially when opening the silverware drawer or pulling a plate out of the cupboard or a bowl with standing water in it.  No one wants to wash dirty dishes from the previous guests in a cabin while on their vacation.
    • Top rack of the dishwasher was missing the right end cap causing the rack to come off the roller or get stuck in place.  Wasn’t a big deal other than it made using the top rack of the dishwasher more difficult to use.
    • Bring extra toilet paper! We had 2 partial rolls of toilet paper that was supposed to last for 4 days for 2 people (the one on the roller was almost gone and the one on the back of the toilet was already half used).  We ended up getting more toilet paper to get us through the weekend.
    • Fireplace thongs would be very helpful when maintaining the fire.  Not a huge problem just would make it more convenient for the guests staying in the cabin.
    • Basic Cooking Supplies especially if you plan to cook.  Maybe we cook more than the average guests or have stayed in cabins with a lot of “extras”.  There was no cooking spray, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or pyrex dish or pie plate to cook in.  One jelly roll pan and a set of pots & pans was it for baking.
    • Ability to be a Gated Community, however, the gate was never locked (even though we were given a gate code) and we were in and out multiple times every day
    • Rough Road with a lot of large pot holes the last half mile or so to the entry of the entrance.  This is probably more of a county maintenance issue, but visitors need to be aware of the road condition as it is one you’ll want to the cabins so take it slow to avoid potholes.
    • Some construction noise. This cabin community was obviously still being built.  Several cabins next to us were still being built, overall the noise from construction was minimal (mostly hammers, saws, and normal construction noises).  We could hear one of the workers radios playing if we were outside, there were several port-a-potties near our cabin, and they did work on both Saturday and Sunday so there was construction activity even on the weekend.
    • No Cabin Signage. Had to call them to figure out which cabin it was because there were no signs and we drove around the entire complex twice.  They told us where it was located and said that the construction workers had knocked over the sign and one was on order.
    • Need updated directions. Followed the directions exactly, but it appears that they have added more cabins and roads since writing the instructions because they did not lead to the correct cabin.
    • High Speed Internet – while they did have internet it did drop a few times or was really slow.  It may have been from all the construction around us because we noticed it most on Friday of our stay.
    • Landline Phone – while it was nice having the phone in the cabin we got multiple phones call from people trying to solicit money and/or services.  After a day we ended up unplugging the phone because the only time it rang was when someone was trying to advertise their services and we had our cell phones that worked decently while at the cabin.

    Overall we had a refreshing and relaxing time together.  The cabin itself was gorgeous and other than the kitchen the rest of the cabin was fairly clean.  The housekeeping not checking the dishes and the property managers failure to follow through with their promises were our biggest disappointments, really all else was minor and expected with a new community.

    We contacted the property managers and they were apologetic regarding the dirty items in the cabin.  They also offered to give us a discount on our next stay in any of their cabins.  We let them know that we were staying at another one of their cabins again in April with our kids.  Gave them the dates, the cabin we were staying in and everything, but never heard back from them again regarding the discount.

    We held off posting the review because we wanted to give them a second chance prior to posting it.  We feel like they dropped the ball in a few ways and not convinced that it would be a company we would use again which is sad because they are within a reasonable driving distance from home making it a convenient weekend place to visit.  Plus the cabins could really be a wonderful relaxing and enjoyable place to stay especially if you don’t have to clean up the previous guests messes!

    PLEASE for the sake of your future guests make sure that the cabins are cleaned better no one wants to pull out dishes with the last guests food on them AND don’t offer to fix issues or offer a discount on future stays if you do not intend to honor that promise.

    View from the kitchen & dining area bedroom, jacuzzi tub, and shower

    Relaxing on the deck lounge.  Comfortable and relaxing!

    Decorations were simple and elegant.  Not the typical “cabin” decor which was really nice!

    Loved hanging out with my man for the weekend!

    Relaxing on the couch in front of the toasty fire!

  • Cowboys & Angels Restaurant (Helen, GA)

    Jake and I went away for a weekend while the girls were on a Student Council Leadership Conference.  We stayed in Cleveland, Georgia not far from Helen.  After Jake was done with work we headed into Helen to grab a bite to eat.  We had looked at a few restaurant reviews prior to going so we had an idea of some of the places we may want to check out.

    Once in Helen we parked on the edge of town and took a stroll through the quaint little shopping area.  We passed several of the restaurants that we were considering.  We finally settled on Cowboys & Angels Restaurant When we first arrived there were only a couple tables inside (but they were reserved) and several tables available outside.  We considered staying because it was probably going to get cooler as it got darker.  The hostess and staff reassured us that they had outdoor heaters.  They found us a table in an area that would be a little warmer and a little quieter.  A musician from Nasheville, TN was singing on the outdoor patio, but wasn’t too loud.

    The weather was a little bit cooler, but it was still comfortable.  The staff was quick and accommodating.  The food was delicious.  Jake had the Longhorn Burger with Broccoli.  I had the Grilled Maverick Chicken with a House Salad both were delicious.

    Pros:

    • Location is in the heart of the shopping and tourist district of Helen, GA
    • Food was delicious and for a reasonable price
    • Atmosphere was good with live music
    • Hospitality was excellent and pleasant with prompt service from the staff

    Cons

    • Limited indoor seating.  If it is a cooler day when you visit and the restaurant is busy you may be eating outside.
    • NOTE: Staff indicated that they were in the process of expanding and hope to have more indoor eating space in the future (not sure of the exact plans or timeline).

    Overall:  Yes, would definitely try again on a future visit to Helen, GA.  They would probably benefit from more indoor seating especially during the cooler months, but I can imagine it would be a really neat venue for eating on the porch & patio throughout the Spring and Summer seasons.  The food was great and the service was excellent so if you are looking for somewhere to eat while visiting the area we recommend you check them out.