How it All Began

Read a little about the couple behind Cardinal Hill and follow along on our crazy, amazing ride!

Little did we know our future was behind us!

We are Jay and Tina, the owners of Cardinal Hill in Dahlonega, Georgia……the Wine Country of North Georgia. Ten years ago we didn’t even know Georgia HAD wine country!

There is irony in this picture above, which was taken in 2019 as we were vacationing with family in Dahlonega. We stood on the patio of this lovely winery not realizing there was a beautiful 50 acre property in the vista behind us. We definitely didn’t know this property would become our home a little over a year later. The story goes like this…..

In 2016, as the last of 5 children entered her sophomore year in high school, we began the search for more northern roots that would take us on a new adventure away from South Florida. We had raised a family in the suburban beauty of Jupiter, Florida, but we knew we were ready for something new and very different. For 3 1/2 years we searched every major city in the southeast and decided that we would make Knoxville, TN our new hometown.

In the summer of 2020 ( a year after the picture above), we trekked to Knoxville to find our new home. It needed to be a unique property. Not only were we making the move, we were bringing with us my mother, my sister and Jay’s parents. We needed a commune!

We thought it might be interesting to also find a rental property in that cute little Wine Country town of Dahlonega that we had visited the year before, so we flew into Atlanta and drove north to view some properties before driving on to Knoxville to find our real house. Those who know me are not surprised to hear that I entered both towns with a spreadsheet ready with pricing, address, square footage, amenities and special characteristics. It’s the “special characteristics” column that started it all for us here in Dahlonega. This where it gets interesting.

A listing in Dahlonega caught my eye. It sat upon 50 acres in the Dahlonega Wine Plateau (special characteristic). Intriguing, however based on pricing I thought the listing might have a typo and actually be a 5 acre property. That was more what we had in mind for a rental. Just to verify, I told the realtor we wanted to do a drive-by and check it out. He changed the course of our life by mistakenly scheduling a full viewing.

We pulled up the long gravel drive to the top of the hill. One of my favorite stories from childhood is one my dad told me at least a thousand times about a little dog named Sparkie who lived in a white house perched on the hill. The house we were approaching was just as my childhood imagination had painted it all those years ago. We exited the car and walked to the front of the home. The decision was made in that instant before ever entering the home. As we drew in the beauty of the landscape before us, the 3 1/2 year search was over and we were moving to rural Georgia instead of suburban Tennessee.

The view from our front door

We made this major life change during the height of the world falling apart in 2020. We literally followed a hurricane from Florida up to Dahlonega and started our new life on Halloween Day 2020. We have never looked back.

Much of what has transpired was never in our original vision when we landed here. But we knew when we started this new adventure that we would need to be still and listen to what our journey needs to be. And it has been quite the journey……job changes, renovations, 1 vacation rental, 2 vacation rentals, 3 vacation rentals, more renovations, a garden, alpacas, a greenhouse and a TV show! It has been exhausting, frustrating, exhilarating, thrilling and blessed.

That home that sat behind us as we smiled for a sweet summer vacation photo must have known we would come back to her when the time was right. We are grateful beyond measure and so excited for the road ahead and all we have planned!

❤️ Jay and Tina