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Blue Ridge, GA
Posted on 7/19/22 at 10:57 am
Posted on 7/19/22 at 10:57 am
I previously posted about a fall trip in NC. However, we're now looking at Blue Ridge, GA. Is this place worth a 5 day trip (with 3 kids)? If so, any recommendations on what to do, where to stay, where to eat/drink, what to see, hikes, etc.?
6
Posted on 7/19/22 at 11:07 am to GentleJackJones
We used to go every year for a Fall trip with the kids. Plenty to do there. Plenty of places to stay from Ellijay, to Cherry Log, to Blue Ridge.
Ellijay Apple Festival. This is fun if you are there.
Mercier Apple Orchard. Is great for the kids.
Ocoee Whitewater Rafting. Ride the bull baw.
There's plenty of hiking to be done there as well. We never did much of that and more just chilled than anything else. There are several places to eat in Blue Ridge and a brewery as well.
We enjoyed the area as it is rather close to us from Birmingham. If driving, might I suggest taking 411 from Gadsden to Cave Springs to Blue Ridge. Much more scenic and lots of small towns to go through.
Ellijay Apple Festival. This is fun if you are there.
Mercier Apple Orchard. Is great for the kids.
Ocoee Whitewater Rafting. Ride the bull baw.
There's plenty of hiking to be done there as well. We never did much of that and more just chilled than anything else. There are several places to eat in Blue Ridge and a brewery as well.
We enjoyed the area as it is rather close to us from Birmingham. If driving, might I suggest taking 411 from Gadsden to Cave Springs to Blue Ridge. Much more scenic and lots of small towns to go through.
Posted on 7/19/22 at 11:17 am to Aubie Spr96
I don’t think the Ocoee is running in the fall. Check. And if so look at age limits. There are some good rapids there.
Mercier is fun but be prepared. The store is like a big Cracker Barrel. They sell local stuff but also stuff that’s from nowhere near Georgia. I was disappointed my first time going there. The tasting room is great.
Mercier is fun but be prepared. The store is like a big Cracker Barrel. They sell local stuff but also stuff that’s from nowhere near Georgia. I was disappointed my first time going there. The tasting room is great.
Posted on 7/19/22 at 12:03 pm to Tigertown in ATL
quote:
I don’t think the Ocoee is running in the fall. Check.
I couldn't believe they were running when we went. It was cold. What made it worse was getting soaked to the bone and not having any dry clothes. I won't make that mistake again.
Posted on 7/20/22 at 7:01 am to Aubie Spr96
Ya that river is a bit cold even in the summer.
I’ve never been on the Nantahala but I’ve heard it’s pretty icy.
I’ve never been on the Nantahala but I’ve heard it’s pretty icy.
Posted on 7/20/22 at 7:44 am to Tigertown in ATL
quote:
I’ve never been on the Nantahala but I’ve heard it’s pretty icy.
Has to be. Doesn't seem like air temp gets over 70 in there.
Posted on 7/20/22 at 10:40 am to h0bnail
I’ve rafted both. Nantahala is colder but it does get warm in the gorge.
Enjoyed them both; Nantahala is more for beginners than the Ocoee.
Enjoyed them both; Nantahala is more for beginners than the Ocoee.
Posted on 7/20/22 at 11:01 am to GentleJackJones
YES!
We went for Christmas and it was great! The downtown scene is great!
We did the waterfalls/hikes near by....assume that will be great with the leaves changing colors in the fall.
Day 1 - Atlanta (coke tour/eat BBQ at Fox Bros) travel up to check in cabin.
Day 2 - Mercier Orchards, Roam around Downtown Blue Ridge, went to a Vineyard near by Bear Claw, stopped at a Brewery there as well then went relax at cabin.
Day 3 - Hiking Day ( picked out waterfalls/hikes in the area) Hemlock Falls Hike
Goats on the Roof
Tallulah Falls
Anna Ruby Falls
Wrapped up the day and had a sunset meal in Helen, GA. It was lit up for Christmas. Great little town...definitely check this out!!
Day 4 - Amicacola Falls, explore Ellijay downtown, another vineyard stop, then late lunch in downtown Blue Ridge on way back to cabin to relax for afternoon
Day 5 - Hang out at cabin
Day 6 - Drove back....
There are SOOOO Many more things to do and we just did what we could with the climate of that time of year for christmas... but such a great little hidden gem. I would recommend this area to people who want to do a Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg style vacay without the insane amount of tourists... I've been to both and this area is alot more peacful as has a ton too offer!
Enjoy!
We went for Christmas and it was great! The downtown scene is great!
We did the waterfalls/hikes near by....assume that will be great with the leaves changing colors in the fall.
Day 1 - Atlanta (coke tour/eat BBQ at Fox Bros) travel up to check in cabin.
Day 2 - Mercier Orchards, Roam around Downtown Blue Ridge, went to a Vineyard near by Bear Claw, stopped at a Brewery there as well then went relax at cabin.
Day 3 - Hiking Day ( picked out waterfalls/hikes in the area) Hemlock Falls Hike
Goats on the Roof
Tallulah Falls
Anna Ruby Falls
Wrapped up the day and had a sunset meal in Helen, GA. It was lit up for Christmas. Great little town...definitely check this out!!
Day 4 - Amicacola Falls, explore Ellijay downtown, another vineyard stop, then late lunch in downtown Blue Ridge on way back to cabin to relax for afternoon
Day 5 - Hang out at cabin
Day 6 - Drove back....
There are SOOOO Many more things to do and we just did what we could with the climate of that time of year for christmas... but such a great little hidden gem. I would recommend this area to people who want to do a Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg style vacay without the insane amount of tourists... I've been to both and this area is alot more peacful as has a ton too offer!
Enjoy!
Posted on 7/20/22 at 12:08 pm to GentleJackJones
Lots of good suggestions so far. I'd also include the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. It runs from Blue Ridge 13 miles (about an hour) to the border towns of McCaysville, GA and Copperhill, TN, pretty much following the river the whole way. You get a two hour "layover" to explore the two little towns, and then another 13 miles/hour ride back to Blue Ridge.
Posted on 7/20/22 at 12:14 pm to GentleJackJones
We went there about 4 years ago to "try something different" than NC Mountains or Gatlinburg area.
While it was okay, and I do not regret going, I wouldn't go back. Other places are just better IMO..
While it was okay, and I do not regret going, I wouldn't go back. Other places are just better IMO..
This post was edited on 7/20/22 at 12:15 pm
Posted on 7/20/22 at 3:36 pm to KLSU
It is quieter and nice to see some things in the area.
Although if you want all of the big time touristy things obviously Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg is the way to go....
All of those little areas from Asheville to Chattanooga to Blue Ridge to Highlands/Cashiers..... so many things and different ways to do it.... all diff type trips.
Blue Ridge is definitely a more quieter scene. We enjoyed it and would love to go back with a group of adults and do all of the vineyards..
Although if you want all of the big time touristy things obviously Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg is the way to go....
All of those little areas from Asheville to Chattanooga to Blue Ridge to Highlands/Cashiers..... so many things and different ways to do it.... all diff type trips.
Blue Ridge is definitely a more quieter scene. We enjoyed it and would love to go back with a group of adults and do all of the vineyards..
Posted on 7/21/22 at 9:28 am to longhorn22
love the area, great replies by all
my little one still does 'gem mining' that we did up there. going back in a few weeks.
my little one still does 'gem mining' that we did up there. going back in a few weeks.
Posted on 7/21/22 at 10:10 am to longhorn22
quote:
Although if you want all of the big time touristy things obviously Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg is the way to go...
We did this once. ONCE.
It was like Panama City Beach meeting HeeHaw in the mountains of TN.
quote:
All of those little areas from Asheville to Chattanooga to Blue Ridge to Highlands/Cashiers.
Been to all of these except Highlands/Cashiers. Blue Ridge might be our favorite, but we've been there the most. Oddly, never been hiking there.
Posted on 7/21/22 at 1:00 pm to Aubie Spr96
Lots of good info in here. Not sure how old the kids are - sometimes hiking can be a nightmare with little ones - but you're not far from the Appalachian trail in Ga. You can go to the start of it in Springer Mountain, which is south of Blue Ridge, or hit sections of it along the way.
The weather should be amazing in the fall up there.
The weather should be amazing in the fall up there.
Posted on 7/21/22 at 8:02 pm to GentleJackJones
Went to Blue Ridge/Ellijay last spring and Bryson City, NC this spring. I personally liked Blue Ridge better, but we also had a really cool cabin and no kids for that one...
The Toccoa River swinging bridge.
Downtown Blue Ridge
Wolf Mountain Vineyard
Lots of great hikes and fishing.
The Toccoa River swinging bridge.
Downtown Blue Ridge
Wolf Mountain Vineyard
Lots of great hikes and fishing.
Posted on 7/22/22 at 5:58 pm to GentleJackJones
We stayed in Ellijay for Thanksgiving last year. Enjoyed it but missed out on some of the apple stuff.
Posted on 9/4/22 at 8:47 pm to dirtsandwich
Just booked our cabin on the Taccoa River north of Blue Ridge. We will be there for the Apple Festival. It will be different for us as it looks to just be the wife and I this time. Empty nesting is pretty awesome.
I need to make sure we hit the breweries in Blue Ridge. Seems every time we go, they are closed for some reason.
I need to make sure we hit the breweries in Blue Ridge. Seems every time we go, they are closed for some reason.
Posted on 10/11/22 at 8:45 am to Aubie Spr96
Just got back.
We've always gone this time of year because the kids had a long weekend because of Columbus Day. It just happens to be the same weekend as the North Georgia Apple Festival. In years past, this was basically a glorified craft show with an apple theme. Boy has it grown. There were thousands of people there. Not sure we will be back for that. Too crowded and too much going on.
We toured the Mercier Orchard as we always do for apple picking and getting the various apple stuff they sell. It opens at 10AM. The parking lot was full by 1030AM. It was a zoo, but at least it was a well oil machine compared to the festival.
Blue Ridge had their art festival. It was much more laidback and they had some cool artists there. Parking was a bit of a challenge.
We stayed in Mineral Bluff this time. Not sure I'd even call it a town really. It had a stop sign, a gas station, and a Dollar General. That's it. However, it was located very close to Blue Ridge and our cabin was on the Taccoa River. Perfect setup for North Georgia.
We toured the breweries and ate at a couple of nice places in Blue Ridge. We had dinner at Harvest on Main on night. Service was great, but the food wasn't. Would not go back. We had brunch at the Black Sheep and it was very good. Next time, we'd do dinner there. For breweries we hit Grumpy Old Men, Cartecay Brewing, and Tipping Point. Frankly, I wasn't impressed with any offering at any of these places. Cartecay would get the nod because the venue was cool and the beer was slightly better than the rest.
We had a nice time in Cave Spring, GA on the way back. I've always wanted to stop here as it is on our way. They have a cool old building with a steak/pub place in it: Linde Marie's Steakhouse. Of course, it's closed on Mondays. So we ate at the meat and three that was open: Southern Flavor. It was the stereotypical small southern town meat and three. The waitresses knew everyone in there eating. The comfort food was right in the MS, AL, GA raised wheelhouse (cornbread, greens, meatloaf, mac n cheese). Afterwards, we walked around town and shopped. They had a couple of cool places. We also went to the park and drank from the town namesake. It was pretty neat. On the way out, we stopped by Evergreen Patio. We had no idea these guys existed. We've been looking for outdoor furniture for a while. These guys manufacture in this little town and offer wholesale prices to the public. We are driving back with the truck to pick up a bunch soon.
Great trip and reconfirmed our love for small, southern towns.
We've always gone this time of year because the kids had a long weekend because of Columbus Day. It just happens to be the same weekend as the North Georgia Apple Festival. In years past, this was basically a glorified craft show with an apple theme. Boy has it grown. There were thousands of people there. Not sure we will be back for that. Too crowded and too much going on.
We toured the Mercier Orchard as we always do for apple picking and getting the various apple stuff they sell. It opens at 10AM. The parking lot was full by 1030AM. It was a zoo, but at least it was a well oil machine compared to the festival.
Blue Ridge had their art festival. It was much more laidback and they had some cool artists there. Parking was a bit of a challenge.
We stayed in Mineral Bluff this time. Not sure I'd even call it a town really. It had a stop sign, a gas station, and a Dollar General. That's it. However, it was located very close to Blue Ridge and our cabin was on the Taccoa River. Perfect setup for North Georgia.
We toured the breweries and ate at a couple of nice places in Blue Ridge. We had dinner at Harvest on Main on night. Service was great, but the food wasn't. Would not go back. We had brunch at the Black Sheep and it was very good. Next time, we'd do dinner there. For breweries we hit Grumpy Old Men, Cartecay Brewing, and Tipping Point. Frankly, I wasn't impressed with any offering at any of these places. Cartecay would get the nod because the venue was cool and the beer was slightly better than the rest.
We had a nice time in Cave Spring, GA on the way back. I've always wanted to stop here as it is on our way. They have a cool old building with a steak/pub place in it: Linde Marie's Steakhouse. Of course, it's closed on Mondays. So we ate at the meat and three that was open: Southern Flavor. It was the stereotypical small southern town meat and three. The waitresses knew everyone in there eating. The comfort food was right in the MS, AL, GA raised wheelhouse (cornbread, greens, meatloaf, mac n cheese). Afterwards, we walked around town and shopped. They had a couple of cool places. We also went to the park and drank from the town namesake. It was pretty neat. On the way out, we stopped by Evergreen Patio. We had no idea these guys existed. We've been looking for outdoor furniture for a while. These guys manufacture in this little town and offer wholesale prices to the public. We are driving back with the truck to pick up a bunch soon.
Great trip and reconfirmed our love for small, southern towns.
Posted on 10/13/22 at 4:31 pm to Aubie Spr96
My wife and I just got back from Blue Ridge two weeks ago. We stayed in Mineral Bluff, on the Toccoa as well... small world.
Posted on 10/13/22 at 6:08 pm to Aubie Spr96
quote:
Highlands/Cashiers.
Otherwise known as 30A north
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