Sautee Nacoochee is a rural center for art and culture in White County
In northeast Georgia, Sautee Nacoochee, sometimes shortened to Sautee, is known for its strong artistic community and rural lifestyle. “There’s an arts center and a museum, and the whole area has a history of potters,” says Patricia Bower, Team Leader at Keller Williams Lanier Partners who works throughout northeast Georgia. The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia inside The Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center is one of the few museums in the world dedicated entirely to folk pottery. In addition to art, history permeates the area, preserved in the ancient Sautee Nacoochee Indian Mound, the 1850s slave cabin and the Sautee Nacoochee History Museum.
Visitors from the nearby town of Helen may also stop by Sautee’s cultural attractions, just as plenty of Sautee residents head to Helen for specific events in that town. “Sautee connects to Helen, the area’s tourist trap town,” Bower says. Helen, the neighboring town styled like a Bavarian village with old-world half-timbered architecture, is especially popular with visitors during Oktoberfest and Christmas. While Sautee Nacoochee sees some visitors, its base of year-round residents is primarily composed of artists seeking community and quiet country living.
Home prices and features in Sautee Nacoochee
Drivers won’t find any stoplights in Sautee Nacoochee, and that fact is directly related to the lack of cars in the area. “There’s no traffic; the only traffic is created by a tractor going down the road,” Bower says. “That will slow you down, but it doesn’t happen a lot.” Homes are sparse amongst the trees, fields and quiet country roads. The ranch-style homes and farmhouses tend to have enough land for a large garden and trees for shade and privacy. Prices typically range from about $370,000 to $560,000, with occasional farm estates listing for as much as $2 million.
The Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center
Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center is a regional hub dedicated to the arts, the environment and community building. The center has three art galleries featuring the work of local artisans. One of the center’s museums is the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, which showcases the past 200 years of folk pottery in the area. The center’s theater hosts a wide range of performances, from standup comedy to ballet to jazz shows. Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center also hosts youth summer camps, art classes, contra dancing and open mic nights. Its indoor and outdoor venues host large community gatherings, like the donation-based community breakfasts once a month and the Sunday farmers market in the warmer months. Visitors to the eight-and-a-half-acre campus can stroll along the walking paths and explore the gardens and native plant nursery.
Outdoor attractions in Sautee Nacoochee
Although Sautee Nacoochee doesn’t have parks, there are plenty of outdoor attractions to explore, from tubing down the Chattahoochee River in Helen to zip lining through the trees at Nacoochee Adventures. Perhaps the area’s most prominent land feature is a large, grassy mound surrounded by grazing cows: the Sautee Nacoochee Indian Mound, a centuries-old burial ground and archaeological site, is characteristic of the South Appalachian Mississippi Culture. The landmark is part of the Hardman Farm State Historic Site, where visitors can learn more about the mound while touring the 1870s mansion and farmstead.
Students zoned for White County Schools
White County Schools, rated A-minus on Niche, serves the area. Students may attend Mount Yonah Elementary, rated B-plus, White County Middle, rated A-minus and White County High, rated B-plus. White County High offers dual enrollment through North Georgia Technical College and Truett McConnell University, allowing students to earn simultaneous high school and college credits.
Locally owned stores and eateries in Sautee Nacoochee
This rural community has a handful of locally owned places to eat and shop. Open for over 150 years, Old Sautee Store is the state’s longest-operating store and attracts locals and visitors alike for its rustic charm, Swedish cheese and displays of 19th century goods. The store sits next to Old Sautee Market, a quaint, grass-covered hut that sells sandwiches, pimento cheese, chicken salad and ice cream. Harvest Habersham serves colorful and creative farm-to-table dinners four days a week. Located next door, Sweetwater Coffeehouse is recognizable by its covered porch seating. Sautee Nacoochee is also home to Scrappy Shak, a craft supply store, and other locally owned gift shops. Grocers and retailers like Ingles Markets and Walmart Supercenter are about 10 miles away in Cleveland.
Proximity to rural highways and Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Sautee Nacoochee is a rural, car-dependent area about 95 miles northeast of Atlanta. Farms lie on the south side of State Route 17, which runs east-west through the community. State Route 17, also called the Unicoi Turnpike, follows the path of a former buffalo trail and trading route used by Native nations many generations ago. State Route 255 connects Sautee to other parts of White County and neighboring Habersham County, including Northeast Georgia Medical Center, the nearest hospital, which is about 13 miles away.
