Green Eyes Festival

06/01/2026

BEARS!🐻

While we were on our trip to Blue Ridge recently, we saw this whole family of black bears go by the cabin!

While not a cryptid, Black Bears might explain a lot of sightings of odd phenomena across Southern Appalachia. They are surprisingly common, with an estimated 5,000 in North Georgia alone, and compared to other bears, they can stand up more easily and even take a few steps while standing. When they stand, they often can be nearly 7 feet tall, so sightings of standing Black Bears might explain a few Bigfoot and Dog Man sightings in the region. It certainly doesn’t explain the footprints though…

05/29/2026

Fog rolling in over Crawfish Spring🟢🟢

A few quick fun facts about the spring that makes up the heart of Chickamauga;

🦐The original name for Chickamauga actually was Crawfish Spring!
🌸Despite the spring being home to many crawdads, it is actually named after a local Cherokee chief!
💧The spring pumps out 14 million gallons of water every day!

05/28/2026

The Green Eyes team took another trip down to Expedition: Bigfoot!👣

If you’ve never been, this is a great museum all about the lore and history of your favorite hairy cryptid that is located in gorgeous Blue Ridge, GA, just a short drive from Chickamauga.

Alongside being our area's only cryptid museum, they are also huge supporters of the local folklore and cryptid community, as they helped to sponsor the festival last year!

Make sure to plan a trip down to check out Expedition!

05/27/2026

Do you have a spooky story to tell? Then come to our first open mic!🟢🟢

June 12th from 6:30 PM until closing time, the Green Eyes team and Southern Shadows will be hosting an open mic night at Railhead Station for folks to come tell their spooky stories of real odd occurrences in our area.

Stories that we are looking for include:

👻Ghost stories and paranormal encounters
🦇Local family legends
🟢🟢Cryptid encounters
⛰️Fun regional folklore

To submit a story and speak is just a $5 charge that can be sent to the Southern Shadows Paypal ([email protected]) or Venmo (-reardon-1), just make sure to include contact information in your payment so that you can be worked into the schedule.

Storytellers will also have the chance to win prizes based on who tells the best tale, including the chance to tell your story LIVE on stage at the Green Eyes Festival!

If you don’t want to tell a story but want to hear them, there’s no door charge to come and listen, just make sure to also try some of the awesome food and drinks offered by Railhead! See you at the Open Mic!

05/26/2026

Happy Dracula Day!🦇

While the famous Transylvanian Count never saw our mountains (as far as we know), Southern Appalachia is not a stranger to vampiric tales. The most famous of which is that of the Dillsboro Vampires.

This local legend from the not-too-distant hills of North Carolina tells of a family by the name of the Alforts, who arrived in the mountain town of Dillsboro in 1788. Almost as soon as the family arrived in town, folks started to go missing, their bodies eventually found with bite marks on their necks. It didn’t take too long for locals to connect this sudden spree of odd murders to the new folks in town, and soon a mob gathered at the Alfort property.

The tale claims that within their home, they discovered three coffins, one for each member of the family, and when they opened one, Mrs. Alfort arose from the coffin to hiss and attack them. Thinking fast, they dragged her and her husband outside to tie them up, before throwing them back into the home and setting it on fire. As the home burned down, they saw Mr. and Mrs. Alfort perish, but no one ever saw if their 15-year-old son, who was suspected to be in the third and unopened coffin, burned in the home with them. As a result, folks in the area have been claiming for centuries now that the teenage vampire might still be walking the mountains of North Carolina, searching for blood…

05/22/2026

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

05/22/2026

05/21/2026

Was Pattie the Bigfoot a hoax?🟢🟢

Dillan and Nate tackle that idea and discuss recent theories in the first episide of our new Campfire Tales series!

This is going to be a long form content series where we focus on big topics in the cryptid/paranormal community and unique local lore you might not know! Hope you like it!

05/21/2026

👻 OPEN MIC GHOST STORIES OF CHICKAMAUGA 👻

Hosted by Southern Shadows, Railhead Station & the Green Eyes Festival

📍 Railhead Station — Chickamauga, GA
🗓 Friday, June 12, 2026
🗓 Friday, September 4, 2026
🕡 6:30 PM Until Close

The haunted heart of Chickamauga has always been filled with stories.

Stories whispered around campfires. Stories passed through generations. Stories of Green Eyes lurking in the darkness, phantom soldiers wandering forgotten roads, strange encounters near the battlefield, haunted railroad tales, unexplained voices, eerie lights, and moments people simply cannot explain.

Now we want to hear YOURS.

Join Southern Shadows, Railhead Station, and the Green Eyes Festival for an unforgettable evening of local folklore, paranormal storytelling, food, drinks, laughter, chills, and community as we celebrate the legends that make Chickamauga unlike anywhere else in the South.

Whether your story is terrifying, emotional, mysterious, historical, or simply strange — this is your opportunity to help preserve the folklore and haunted history of our region.

🎤 Guests are invited to submit:
• Green Eyes encounters
• Ghost stories
• Battlefield hauntings
• Railroad ghost tales
• Family legends
• Paranormal experiences
• Local cryptid stories
• Historic Chickamauga folklore

🏆 PRIZES INCLUDE:
🥇 1st Place — Opportunity to tell your story LIVE at the Green Eyes Festival
🥈 2nd Place — Southern Shadows prizes & tour discounts
🥉 3rd Place — Merchandise, gift certificates & local prizes

🍔 Railhead Station will feature food & drink specials throughout the evening.

🕯 Want to really get in the mood before the event?

We strongly encourage guests and storytellers to experience the Haunted Heart of Chickamauga Tour in the days leading up to Open Mic Night. Hear the chilling legends of Green Eyes, wandering spirits, battlefield hauntings, Cherokee folklore, and the eerie history that continues to linger after dark — then come share your own stories with the community.

🎟 Story Submission Information:
• $5 Story Submission Fee
• Stories will be vetted for public presentation approval
• Limited storyteller spots available

Story submission fee may be sent via:
• PayPal: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
(major credit/debit cards accepted through PayPal)
• Venmo: -reardon-1

Please include your contact information with payment and Courtney will personally reach out to schedule a chat regarding your story submission.

Even if you don’t want to tell a story, come listen, enjoy the atmosphere, meet fellow lovers of folklore and the paranormal, and be part of an evening dedicated to keeping Chickamauga’s legends alive.

Because the dead do not wish to be forgotten — and neither should their stories.

05/20/2026

Snaaaake!🐍

It is snake season in our region, but folks shouldn’t be too worried! Most snakes in our area are harmless, like this black water snake that we stumbled upon in a park.

North Georgia is home to only two dangerous snakes, and those are the Copperhead and the Timber Rattlesnake, both dangerous due to their venom. The Copperhead is more often encountered as they often make their home in wood piles, but they can be hard to spot due to their great camouflage. Timber Rattlers tend to be rarer, preferring rugged mountainous forests as their homes, and only rattling if they feel truly threatened.

While the odds of you having a dangerous encounter with a snake in our area are low, it's still best to keep an eye out, especially for hiding copperheads!