Unicoi Lodge and Conference Center

Restaurant gets 5 stars! Lodge gets a –5. But If you are near helen georgia cancel your lunch plans and come here to feast! Their fathers day buffet is amazing as i sit here having to Unilocal about the prime rib, coconut shrimp, bbq salmon, ribs, sauteed veggeies, fried chicken, fresh garlic mashed, soup and salad bar and desserts galore! All for 12.95! All u can eat! Get here! 6 – 19 Restaurant deserves the highest rating. I was amazed at the quality of the prime rib. I’m a tough critic and I’m amazed. The lodge, however, is what costs this review. Comfy bed, but Mildew smelling corridors, bee infested lower bathrooms, and over priced for the amenities. Just a step above red roof inn. Not happy with the lodge at all.

Disappointing, use to brag on this place now just another seller of pre-​made food. If you are looking for copious amounts to mediocre food then it is a good value. Bur if you want made from scratch then go elsewhere.

Stayed in a 2 bedroom barrel cabin. Plenty of room for our four and a had a great view!

The restaurant is not worth the money. Food is poorly done. Desserts are store bought. We got there 30 minutes before closing on a Sunday and the food was poor picking, overdone, bread and other items inedible.

Is it possible to give HALF a star?^
Let’s see, our room was over booked so we ended up walking into a room with another family in it.
Lunch was good, until i got a glass of milk that was old and clumpy. Still had to pay for it but every person i mentioned it to can only say «oops i’m sorry»
i’d go back not eating there.
but i’ll drink there, they have a pretty cool little bar.

CONS: Website leads you to believe there is swimming at the lake on the premises. However, it’s a hike, not for little kiddos. Better to drive. Overpriced buffet and no ala-​carte options unless you go to their bar for $ 15 sandwiches. Not a single coin operated laundry machine on the premises (lodge) for dirty laundry (which happens when you hike a lot). They have ice machines and coke machines. Please, they’re not that expensive esp. after your $ 3m renovation.
PROS: Family friendly. General Manager David was very cool, sympathetic and offered to build us a bonfire, for just me and my wife. That’s hospitality. Thank you and keep up the good work. Hope to see you again.

Not what the Web site made it out to be
Ad said room with loft and mountain view.
It’s a ladder and a view of a ditch.
Parking is rediculous the employees park next to the rooms and guest walk. Wouldn’t
Have been an issue if we had know ahead of time.

My wife and I stayed here once before and we got an email for a night and free breakfast deal and decided to go for it for a night.
The stay overall was nice, relaxing and enjoyable. The only thing that really upset us and other people that were at the lodge at the time was that they did not have their breakfast buffet as I was expecting as well as some other people there since we overheard everyone asking why there wasn’t a buffet.
Despite us not having to pay, the prices on the menu for the food was overpriced in my opinion, I could have gone to cheesecake factory for lunch for those prices. My wife and I both got upset stomachs after eating the breakfast which ruined our plans of hiking that day.
The previous time we stayed the buffet breakfast was great, but if you are planning on going for breakfast I recommend asking if they will have the buffet before you go.
They are also in the middle of renovations still.

We had this recommended to us and my family is a huge fan of breakfast buffets so thought this would be a no-​brainer. In fairness, we got there at around 10am and that is when the buffet ends.
Pros: Our server was very attentive and friendly (she offered to have the kitchen make more eggs even though it was after 10am because my kids loved them so much and ate them all. Buffet was good, not great but had a decent selection.
Cons: THE PRICE! OVER $ 50 for 4 for breakfast was pretty steep, especially since the cost for the buffet was not listed anywhere.

Best place for lunch! the price was $ 12.00 per person and the food was very high quality southern fare. The restaurant was pretty empty and the staff very friendly.

We were sadly disappointed last weekend in attending the annual Unicoi Lodge craft show. We’ve gone for many years, always ended up buying more than we planned, the art was so good. And the wonderful buffet, always so crowded you shared a table with strangers who became friends for an hour. This year, the place is in the hands of private contractor. Far fewer vendors, and too many of them at a «hobby crafting» level. No more wonderful quilts hanging in the atrium. The fine gift shop is now a snack bar. («Make your own waffles!») We heard from a couple of the remaining artists that the restaurant has gone down hill too. We didn’t stick around to eat this time.

We had eaten here a few years ago and loved the pan fried trout that was on their buffet. A big disappointment this time.
Apparently the restaurant is under different management and I can’t say it is better management. When we got there, I saw that there was a huge pile of the pan fried trout. That didn’t bode well, as this isn’t something that gets better with sitting on a hot buffet table.
It was downhill from there. The trout was soggy and overcooked. I actually waited and waited until that pan was empty thinking the next batch would be fresh and taste better. When it came out, it did not taste any better.
There was all the usual stuff on the buffet also. I took small amounts of a few items, none of them were good. The desserts looked good, but tasted like cardboard.
The hostess is very nice.

wonderful cabins! you can get a 3 bedroom with lakeview deck and fireplace or a barrel cabin that is a bit smaller.
the only downside: there is only one bathroom
but full amenities!!!

We used to come to the Lodge to eat all the time and the food was always excellent. We went tonight for dinner only to find out that the restaurant is now under new management. The menu has changed and the food was HORRIBLE! The lemon chicken was cold and the roast beef was soggy. The buffet items were cut back to only one table instead of two. We brought friends and we were so disappointed. When we complained we were told the cooks were tired, sorry! Unfortunately, we won’t be back to eat here again!

i stayed here when i was very, very little and i remember having a blast because back then, parents actually spent time reading, playing board games, talking to, or hiking with their kids… instead of giving them an iPad and letting them mouth off.
anyway. we always come here when in helen to do the hike from the lodge to helen and back. and it’s been a while since we’ve eaten there, but they offer an all you can eat dinner buffet. the only reason we partake is for the trout. it is cooked whole fish with the head on. and if you can muscle your way past the bus loads of elderly and obese diners, the food is pretty good. i ate 3 trout and that was pretty much it. the cauliflower soufflé was also pretty good. i mean, it’s a buffet, it’s not a Top Chef restaurant.
surprisingly, they serve beer! the dinner meal is only served from 5 – 8. 14 bucks per person.

Very nice setting for getting away or for a corporate seminar!

Not a bad place to spend the night. I was here for a wedding at Smithgall Woods, so of course it was more of a place to crash at the end of the night than anything else. The front desk clerk was nice, check-​in was easy. The room is a bit dated, but you shouldn’t expect flat screens and such from a state-​run hotel. The view of the woods was beautiful, though. My only real complaint is that the AC unit is pretty loud when it kicks on and off.

I didn’t stay inside the lodge, but I did go camping within the park. I went into the lodge to get a campsite ($ 14 plus $ 3 parking) but it’s around $ 70-​$ 80 to stay in the lodge or cabin.
The lodge itself is nice and well designed. It was nothing ritzy or anything, but then again it’s in a state park. They have a restaurant, and several fireplaces that are surrounded by couch’s. Also, they have nice rocking chairs outside, and plenty of trails to hike. The game room, is small, and if the machines are not working properly, they are happy to give you your money back.
All the cottages on site are so cute, and the area is VERY clean. There are clean bathrooms and laundry sites all around the grounds. The lights have a motion sensor.
Unfortunately, camping was a little too cold, and around 9pm we went to the lodge to see if we could get a room. They told us it would be cheaper to go in town (2 miles away). I appreciate the honesty.

If you’re planning on having a conference here, beware. This site lacks some fundamental materials for putting on a good show (e.g. wireless mouse, long VGA cables, VGA adapters, more than 3 microphones, adequate parking, etc.). There is a nice atrium for breaks, however, that is furnished (for a price) with good snacks, drinks and nice accouterments for coffee. If you’re just coming to stay and take in the sights, it’s nice, not fabulous, but nice. The Lodge rooms are comfortable enough, and the bathrooms have the soap, shampoo and conditioner dispensers that I love (no plastic containers to waste). The Restaurant in the Lodge is OK, not good, but adequate. The usual suspects are all accounted for on the buffet: fried chicken, black-​eyed peas, collards, etc.