Definitely Oktoberfest events going on, not sure exactly what, but there are definitely events. Lots of places to eat, I'd suggest Hofer's bakery ( he's an Av owner and his breads and cookies and everything is is wonderful!), Kopper Kettle Fudge shop, Hansen and Gretel (mmmm Grand Marnier and Kahula truffles), and I'm told if you want pretty authentic German food Bodensee is the place to go. Just about a mile north of Helen , is a cool little shop called Fred's Famous Peanuts, fried, boiled peanuts, peanut brittle, and lots of other stuff. Unicoi State Park is a couple of more miles past Fred's, and there's Anna Ruby Falls there. A few more miles north is Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. In Helen , there are all kinds of little shops with some cool stuff and some weird stuff.