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Forrest Hills Resort to Celebrate 50 Years of Family Ownership and Mountain Hospitality
Family-Built North Georgia Getaway Marks Five Decades Since Three Teenagers Began Constructing Six Cabins By Hand on Remote Mountain Property
DAHLONEGA, Ga. (Oct. 6, 2026) — Forrest Hills Resort, a leading North Georgia destination for getaways, group retreats and weddings, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2027, marking five decades since the Kraft family began welcoming guests after three teenagers built the resort’s first six cabins by hand. Forrest Hills Resort has grown into one of North Georgia’s best-known mountain destinations for romantic getaways, weddings, family vacations and corporate retreats. But according to co-owner David Kraft, the resort’s heart hasn’t changed.
“When we started building the first few cabins, we never imagined what Forrest Hills Resort would become,” says David Kraft. “We wanted to create a place where people could come ‘For-rest,’ reconnect with nature, spend time together and leave feeling renewed. That’s always been the idea behind the name Forrest Hills. Fifty years later, that’s still why we come to work every day.”
When Frank Kraft purchased the property in 1977, the family was living in Florida, and the rugged North Georgia site had no electricity, running water or telephones. David Kraft was 17 when he and his older siblings, Denise, 18, and Stephen, 21, moved to the property and began building the resort’s first six cabins, using mostly hand tools. Frank traveled back and forth from Florida, often sketching building plans on restaurant placemats as he helped bring the family’s vision to life. Stephen later moved west, while David, Denise and eventually their younger sister, Michele, who joined the family at the resort about a year later at age 13, continued building the resort.
The original six handcrafted cabins have evolved over five decades into a full-service mountain resort featuring private cabins with hot tubs, suites, group lodges, wedding venues, horseback riding, carriage rides, dining, meeting facilities and a wide variety of recreational amenities. Throughout its growth, Forrest Hills has remained family-owned and operated, with multiple generations of the Kraft family continuing to shape the guest experience. David Kraft oversees construction, landscaping and stewardship of the property, while his sister, Michele Kraft DeBlois, leads business operations and the guest experience. Together, they continue to expand the resort while preserving the peaceful mountain setting that inspired its founding.
Rather than following a master plan, the resort’s additions were often inspired by guest requests over the years.
“People would tell us what they wished they could do while they were here,” David Kraft says. “If three guests asked for something, we’d figure out how to make it happen. That’s really how Forrest Hills has grown, by listening to our guests.”
The anniversary also celebrates the countless milestones guests have experienced at the resort over the past five decades. Generations of families have returned year after year, couples who honeymooned at Forrest Hills have later celebrated anniversaries there, and thousands of weddings have taken place on the property.
Today, Forrest Hills is recognized as one of North Georgia’s leading destinations for weddings and mountain getaways. The resort has been named among Georgia’s top romantic destinations, and its mountain barn and horse-drawn carriage experiences have received national and international attention.
Throughout 2027, Forrest Hills Resort will celebrate its golden anniversary with special events, guest experiences and opportunities to reflect on the family’s journey from six rustic cabins in the woods to one of North Georgia’s most beloved mountain destinations. Over the past five decades, Forrest Hills has hosted more than 2,000 weddings, welcomed hundreds of thousands of guests and preserved 110 acres of mountain property. Three generations of the Kraft family have helped shape the resort along the way.
“People ask us what we’re most proud of,” David Kraft says. “It’s seeing families come back with their children and grandchildren, couples celebrating anniversaries where they honeymooned and guests telling us Forrest Hills feels like home. That’s been the greatest reward.”
Looking ahead, the Kraft family plans to continue investing in the property while preserving the natural beauty and family atmosphere that have defined Forrest Hills for nearly five decades.
For more information about Forrest Hills Resort and its 50th anniversary celebration, visit forresthillsresort.com.
ABOUT FORREST HILLS RESORT
Founded in 1977, Forrest Hills Resort is a family-owned mountain resort on 110 wooded acres near Dahlonega, Georgia, about an hour north of Atlanta. The resort opened with six cabins built by hand before the property had electricity or running water. Today, Forrest Hills Resort offers 37 private cabins with hot tubs, five group lodges with a total of 56 lodge-style hotel rooms, a restaurant with three dining rooms, seven meeting rooms, two wedding gardens, a wedding chapel, a bridal salon and groom’s lounge, horseback riding, general store, massage spa, fitness room, game room, pool, pickleball, volleyball, firepits and a nature trail. Still owned and operated by the Kraft family nearly 50 years later, Forrest Hills has welcomed guests and has become one of North Georgia’s best-known destinations for weddings, romantic getaways and mountain vacations. In 2023, U.S. News & World Report named Forrest Hills Resort one of Georgia’s 16 most romantic getaways. Learn more at forresthillsresort.com.
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