Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery, Dawsonville

Throughout history, the words "legal" and "moonshine" have rarely gone together. But Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery is changing that notion—and it's a good thing, too, considering it operates under the same roof as Dawsonville City Hall.

Here, master distiller Cheryl "Happy" Wood creates moonshine from recipes that are more than 150 years old. She learned them from her grandfather, Simmie, a free-spirited moonshiner himself, and creates a selection of hooch including Georgia Corn Whisky, Georgia Mountain Apple Pie, and White Lightning 109.

Perhaps none of the distillery's creations, though, stand out quite like NASCAR driver Bill Elliott's moonshine. Indeed, the popular NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville", has his own line with the company—a fitting partnership considering that the distillery is also neighbors with the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.

To share these recipes and more, the staff leads distillery tours, during which guests can get a sample of their sweet, sweet mountain dew without trying to squeeze it out of the Appalachian Mountains themselves