In the late 1820s, gold was discovered in North Georgia near the mountain towns of Dahlonega and Helen – starting the first major gold rush in the US, after a smaller discovery in North Carolina. The Georgia Gold Rush lasted for more than a decade, from 1829 to the early 1840s. By 1831, there were an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 miners working between the Etowah and Chestatee Rivers alone, all looking for fortune.  This population crush only contributed to the tensions that would lead to the removal of the Cherokee and Muskogee (a.k.a. Creek) Indians.  Learn more about this fascinating yet often forgotten part of history with a tour of the Dahlonega Gold Museum, a Georgia State Historic Site in the center of the picturesque town of the same name.  After time on your own for lunch and exploration, go 200 feet underground  - and channel your inner child – for a look at mining techniques of 100 years ago.  Who knows? You might strike it rich!