Currahee Military Museum — Attraction in Toccoa

Sitting in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains 90 miles north east of Atlanta, is a little town called Toccoa whose WWII history comes alive during the annual Currahee Military Weekend held the first weekend in October.

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and get to know hundreds of WWII enthusiasts who like me, have a passion to tell their family stories. It was a privilege to meet Brenda J. Carlan, Executive Director at Camp Toccoa at Currahee, Inc., Lynn Hack, President, and Lynn Foote-Rachwal of the Toccoa Stephens County Historical Society and be interviewed by Operations Manager and On Air Personality, Connie Gaines on WNEG 93.1 FM.

Toccoa’s beautifully restored 4,400 sq. ft., 1915 train depot houses the Welcome Center, Chamber of Commerce, Historical Society and the Currahee Military Museum and together, they celebrates and preserves the legacy of the more than 18,000 WWII paratroopers who arrived in Toccoa to start their training. Sixteen hundred men from the first 5,000 who came into Camp Toccoa became the renowned 506th Parachute Infantry Division (PID) of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. If you are not familiar with their story, the famous "Easy Company," is told in the award winning HBO series "Band of Brothers" - the story of Easy Company of the US Army 101st Airborne division and their mission in WWII Europe from Operation Overlord through V-J Day.

Downtown Toccoa has been beautifully restored thanks to Main Street Program that was created in 1990 to revitalize the buildings and has been accredited by the National Trust for historic preservation since 1999. There is a sense of nostalgia when entering into the fully restored restaurant like at X-Factor and walking on the wooden floors that creek. I’m sure if these walls could talk, they would share passionate stories of the past and present. The town’s folks are friendly and welcome you with a warm ‘hello” giving me the sense of immediately becoming a part of their community. Specialty shops, art galleries, restaurants, a community theatre, and jewelry stores adjacent to the historic courthouse square call Toccoa their home.

There are many other sites to see around Toccoa including the 186 ft. waterfall located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College. Higher than Niagara Falls, it is the tallest on the east side of the Mississippi River.

Their annual events also include the Ida Cox Music Series, Taste of Toccoa, Summer Movies at the Ritz, Costume Parade, Harvest Festival, Christmas Fest, and Christmas Parade.

Toccoa is also the center of a thriving music scene being the home of the Toccoa Symphony Orchestra. The symphony exists to provide quality symphonic music to the region and to bring together musicians from throughout northeast Georgia and the surrounding states.

The “Miles Through Time Automotive Museum” located on 876 E Currahee St, is a co-op style automotive museum in a restored 1939 dealership. There are over 100 years of automotive history on display. Vehicles can be stored, listed on consignment, for sale by owner or donated and everything is displayed as museum exhibits.

Annually held on first Saturday of October, is the six-mile race is held along the Colonel Sink Trail, the same trail used by the paratroopers as part of their training for combat. Known as one of the most daunting races in America, the common refrain is "Three Miles Up And Three Miles Down." The race is part of the Currahee Military Weekend, which features World War II military reenactments in a staged military camp, weapons demonstrations, book signings, a parade through the downtown historic district, a hangar dance at the airport, and a special banquet featuring keynote speakers and veterans.

Book Authors this year included: Cynthia A. Sandor – “Through Innocent Eyes – The Chosen Girls of the Hitler Youth” - available online at...

What a gem! This museum houses one of the most incredible collections of WWII history surrounding the American Paratroopers, especially those of the 101st Airborne, 501st, 506th, 511th and the 517th PIR. These are the men that trained at Camp Toccoa. The anchor piece of the museum is a stable from Aldbourne, England where the 506th staged several times during the war. After looking at the vast collection of items in the museum, you can make the short 5 mile drive to Camp Toccoa where these Paratroopers trained. Part of the Camp is buing rebuilt to include a pavilion to host events, four authentic Barracks constructed from the actual wood of the original barracks. There is also a C-47 jump plane that is in the process of restoration on the site. The original road and walkways are preserved as well as one building that was left standing. You can even come and run Currahee Mountain, just like the Paratroopers did as part of their training. If you are a fan of the Band of Brothers or Saving Private Ryan movies then the Currahee Military Museum and Camp Toccoa at Currahee are bucklist items not...

Firstly, I must state my bias: I have a love for the 506th Infantry Regiment, because I was a member from 2005-2009, when it came back to the 101st ABN DIV (AASLT), and it was, for a time, it's own standalone brigade. So, that said, I love this museum. I'd like it even if I wasn't in a photo of the uncasing of the colors, but I do have to brag about that just that little bit. The horse stalls are made cooler by the story of how they were transported from England. Just the number of M-1 Carbines in their collection is great for a little museum. I even enjoyed the gift shop, as the prices were not outrageous, as I have always expected in any gift shop. It was very nice running into a few fellow Currahees (although a couple generations earlier than my time) while I was in the museum. Also, it was a pleasure speaking with the docent in the gift shop. There is a ton of great stuff in the museum. Toccoa is worth the drive for this...