From 140 Acres of Wilderness to a North Georgia Mountain Resort: The Story of Forrest Hills

Long before Forrest Hills became a destination for romantic getaways, mountain weddings, family reunions, group retreats, and peaceful weekends in Dahlonega, Georgia, it was simply 140 acres of North Georgia wilderness—and a dream.

There was no electricity. No running water. No collection of cozy cabins tucked among the trees.

Just a piece of forestland in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and a family who believed it could become something special.

A Dream Takes Root in Dahlonega

The story of Forrest Hills began in 1977 when Frank Kraft purchased 140 acres near Dahlonega, Georgia. His vision was to create a place where people could unwind, forget about the outside world, and recharge.

That summer, his 17-year-old son, David, and 19-year-old daughter, Denise, arrived from West Palm Beach, Florida, to begin bringing that vision to life.

Neither had much building experience. What they did have was determination, creativity, and a love for the mountains.

"I always loved Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett movies," David recalls. "I loved the mountain climate and the quiet. I was thrilled to be here."

Denise felt much the same way.

Growing up, she had dreamed about someday living in a cabin surrounded by pine-covered mountains.

"I did not think about how I was going to do it," she says. "I just knew that somewhere in time I was already there on a farm in the mountains."

Seven hundred miles from the Florida flatlands where they grew up, that dream was about to become very real.

Building Forrest Hills From the Ground Up

David and Denise didn't exactly know "jack" about building a resort—or even a log cabin.

But they built one anyway.

Then another.

And another.

The first cabins that would eventually become Forrest Hills Resort in Dahlonega were constructed largely by hand and without electricity.

The siblings worked with hand tools and used a clear hose filled with water as a level. They hauled water from the creek, drew drinking water from a 110-year-old hand-dug well, and sometimes worked from construction plans their father had sketched on restaurant placemats during his visits to Georgia.

"I came here with the most building experience and that was very little," David remembers.

Life on the property was rustic in every sense.

David and Denise bathed in the mountain creek and, as vegetarians at the time, lived largely on beans and sprouts—a mixture they nicknamed "gorp."

Mix gorp with peanut butter and it became "yuk."

Eat enough gorp and yuk, and eventually it became "gross."

"We are no longer vegetarians," David later admitted.

Surviving a North Georgia Winter

Summer eventually gave way to fall, and fall brought a challenge the Florida-raised siblings weren't quite prepared for: a bitterly cold Georgia winter.

Temperatures remained below freezing for weeks.

"We were living the life of Davy Crockett," Denise recalls. "I wouldn't do it again, but it was such a wonderful old west way of living."

Despite the challenges, the Kraft siblings kept building.

Their father traveled to Georgia every couple of weeks to help teach them what he knew, while their brother Stephen also assisted with construction during the property's early days.

Slowly, their patch of North Georgia wilderness began to take shape.

Falling in Love With Dahlonega

As Forrest Hills grew, so did the family's love for Dahlonega and the North Georgia mountains.

Surrounded by the layered peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains and near the beginning of the Appalachian Trail, Dahlonega was filled with the history, scenery, and mountain character they had been searching for.

"Dahlonega really was the place of my dreams," Denise says.

The property itself had plenty of history.

After purchasing the land, the family discovered evidence of at least 19 old still sites—no longer in operation, of course—a reminder of North Georgia's colorful mountain past.

But it wasn't only the area's history that captured the Kraft family's imagination.

It was how the mountains made people feel.

"We came with a sense of passion to create a healing place," Denise says. "We had nothing to compare it to; we just were ruled from the heart."

"We wanted to invite people to our home and so we made it our home—a big home. We knew what we loved and that's what we presented."

That idea became the heart of Forrest Hills.

A Resort Shaped by Its Guests

Forrest Hills didn't grow according to one carefully written master plan.

It evolved.

Guests would visit, experience the property, and make suggestions.

A restaurant.

Horseback riding.

Walking trails.

Meeting spaces.

All-inclusive packages.

Victorian-style cabins.

And the Kraft family listened.

"If it wasn't immoral, illegal or life-threatening, their wish was our command," Denise says. "After three times of hearing the same suggestion, we made it happen."

Little by little, Forrest Hills grew from a handful of cabins into a family-owned North Georgia mountain resort where guests could stay, dine, celebrate, gather, explore, and reconnect.

Turning Family Talents Into a Family Business

Eventually, younger sister Michele joined David and Denise in the family business, bringing her talents for marketing, photography, party planning, and hospitality to Forrest Hills.

"The neat thing about our family business is that we each have our parts: David builds it; Denise decorates it; and I tell people about it."

David focused on construction, landscaping, and preserving the natural character of the property.

"I like putting flowers and surprise bushes in here and there and having beautiful, natural trails," he says. "We really want to keep the place looking natural and in harmony—cabins and woods and flowers."

That philosophy helped shape the Forrest Hills guests experience today: a place where cabins, wooded surroundings, mountain scenery, and outdoor experiences feel connected to the landscape rather than separate from it.

The Beginning of Weddings at Forrest Hills

One of the biggest chapters in the Forrest Hills story began with a relatively small idea.

Michele suggested weddings.

True to the family's philosophy, they started small.

She created "An Intimate Wedding & Honeymoon for Two," a romantic package that included a minister, gazebo ceremony, wedding cake, toasting flutes and beverage, honeymoon cabin accommodations, dinner by candlelight, and breakfast.

"It went over very well," Michele recalls.

That might be an understatement.

What started as intimate ceremonies eventually grew into one of Forrest Hills' signature experiences.

Today, couples come to the resort for North Georgia mountain weddings, Dahlonega weddings, intimate ceremonies, elopements, receptions, and romantic honeymoons, surrounded by the scenery that first captured the Kraft family's imagination decades ago.

More Than a Place to Stay

Over the years, Forrest Hills continued evolving.

Private cabins became romantic escapes complete with features such as hot tubs and fireplaces. Rooms, suites, group accommodations, dining spaces, meeting rooms, wedding venues, horseback riding, carriage rides, spa experiences, and other activities became part of the Forrest Hills experience.

But the family's original goal never disappeared.

They wanted guests to come here and stop.

To relax.

To eat good food.

To spend time together.

To enjoy the mountains.

And to return home feeling rejuvenated.

"It's not just a place; it's a feeling," Michele says. "It's a world that's been developed by our hopes and dreams and the hopes and dreams of our guests."

A Family Dream That Continues Today

What started in 1977 with 140 acres of wilderness, two teenagers, hand tools, creek water, and a very big dream became something generations of guests have now experienced for themselves.

Couples have fallen in love here.

Families have reunited here.

Companies and groups have gathered here.

Brides and grooms have said "I do" here.

Guests have celebrated anniversaries, escaped to private cabins, explored Dahlonega, ridden horses through the North Georgia countryside, shared meals, and simply enjoyed having somewhere to slow down.

Each of those experiences has become another small part of the Forrest Hills story.

"We built something, people would come and they would make comments and, if we heard it enough, we'd add it," Michele says.

"This whole place is an evolution of that process, that dream."

And decades later, that dream continues.

Come Write Your Chapter at Forrest Hills

Whether you're searching for a romantic cabin getaway in North Georgia, a Dahlonega mountain vacation, a North Georgia wedding venue, a family reunion destination, a corporate or church retreat, or simply a peaceful place to escape for the weekend, Forrest Hills Resort welcomes you to become part of the story.

Come explore the mountains.

Stay awhile.

Make memories.

And discover the North Georgia retreat one family has spent generations building.