I am from this area and my wife is from Northwest Georgia literally 25 miles from here. We live only five minutes from the VRBO and are available within minutes.
We both are still working (part time) and enjoy hiking with friends, boating on Weiss Lake, which is a very lovely lake. People travel from all over to get here. Top notch Bass Master trail for those who fish. We love going to Cherokee Rock Village in Leesburg, Ala. where it is ranked the top 5 in rock climbing in the country. A side note, we do not climb. Southern end of the Appalachian Mountain also know as Lookout Mountain. It has over 100 primitive camp sites and about 18 RV sites, no hook ups but great bathroom facilities. over 38 states frequent this park every year. The view is lovely overlooking Weiss Lake. Many other venues are within 30 minutes drive such as Noccalula falls, Desoto Falls, Little River falls, and close the the home town, Ft Payne home of the Famous country group Alabama. Just 30 minutes in Rome, Ga is the Famous "Martha Berry Collage", is is a must read if you haven't heard about it. Rome also have a minor league baseball team, The Rome Emperors, which is a feeder team to the Atlanta Braves.