Help me decide between Blue Ridge, GA or Blairsville, Ga

Lake Blue Ridge is beautiful. Great for boating and swimming. We've never been able to find something we liked on the lake though.

Regarding the area:

It's a year around area. Lots to do. Some places like restaurants might be closed during the week day or certain nights, but call ahead.

Depends on where you're actually staying (it's a big area) for drive times, but...

Some thoughts...

Take the 45m or so drive over to Amicalola Falls. Great hiking. Go in the lodge and have a drink and enjoy the view. Could make a day of it by going there then driving over to Dahloenga GA. Shop. Have a beer. Walk around. Really cool little town.

Our favorite restaurant in the area is the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant.. Call to see when they're open. But think they'd be open in November. Think they're closed Mondays. Anyway, it's right on the river. Great time to just sit in a chair and watch the river. We like the food (pecan encrusted trout! ) and ambiance.

Want a GREAT hike and day? Hike to the Swinging Bridge!

The Swinging Bridge is a popular destination for day-hikers, Benton MacKaye Trail through hikers, and paddlers making the journey down the Toccoa River Canoe Trail is the swinging bridge over the Toccoa River. This 270 foot long bridge is the longest swinging bridge east of the Mississippi River.

I will warn you. Check the condition of the road in as it can be difficult for a car. A bumpy gravel road. Some people just hike in from the main road. Not that far. The day we went we got within a few hundred yards of the bridge but now way my car would have gone over those ruts in the road. Got a 4WD? No problem.

Take in a movie and one of the oldest out door drive in movie theaters around: The Swan!

These will take your time there. And of course, visiting the town and walking around as noted is a "thing to do" of course.

Places to stay:

Good search site.

Couple of cabins we've rented:

Nice set up and views.

One of our favorites!

Let us know how your trip is and any do’s or dont’s. I’ll be booking something soon for a trip at the end of June! Have fun! Looks like a gorgeous place.

I’m assuming you’re talking about Nottely when you say a lake in Blairsville. I’d take that over Blue Ridge all day. Less touristy and less crowded. Downtown Blairsville has plenty of shops/restaurants to choose from. Vogel State Park isn’t far and has some nice day hiking opportunities if you’re looking to avoid the crowds on the AT.

The Sawmill for breakfast and Enrico’s for dinner. Both are fantastic and would stand out even in food rich Louisiana.

Blue Ridge has become transplant hell in recent years, IMO. The screech of a loud and obnoxious Yankee is enough to keep me away

That’s not to say it’s all bad, as there are many great restaurants like Chester’s downtown.

If you stay in Blairsville you are only 20 minutes from Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee which is beautiful. Cane Creek Vineyards in Young Harris is nice.

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Let us know how your trip is and any do’s or dont’s. I’ll be booking something soon for a trip at the end of June! Have fun! Looks like a gorgeous place.

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Really enjoyed the area and plan to go back. There's a lot to do and we did a ton of driving around windy mountain roads, but it was great.
Our AirBnB in Morganton got cancelled they DAY BEFORE check-in. Don't rent anything through Vacasa rentals. What a joke that operation is... Anyway, we scrambled last minute and found a really nice place just outside of Ellijay and it worked out great.

Went into Blue Ridge and Ellijay one day. Blue ridge is really nice. Ellijay is fine, but smaller and much less to see.

We did Brasstown Bald (highest point in GA). The road was closed to the top, but it was an easy 0.6mile hike from the parking lot. Nice views from the top. Facilities are closed, but you can still go up top and walk around.


Taccoa River swinging bridge was cool. It's a pretty long drive down a gravel road that looks a little sketchy at times, but no issues. Depending on your vehicle, I would think twice if it's been raining a lot though. From the parking area, it's a super short and easy hike.


Amicalola Falls was ok, but much of the area was closed for some repairs and it just didn't do much for me. You drive right up to it and walk around a boardwalk. Not my thing.

Did a tasting at Wolf Mountain Vineyards. Highly recommend! It was about an hour drive for us, but all the drives up there are gorgeous. This one was definitely worth it. We had perfect weather and enjoyed the wine & scenery.
Engelheim vineyards was good too (very close to us), but didn't compare to Wolf Mountain.

We spent a whole day bouncing around a few WMAs in the area and fishing. Blue Ridge WMA has some really nice spots and you can pop in the fish hatchery and take a look. Chattahoochie NF is massive. Kept a couple rainbows for the grill our last night.


Our AirBnB was setup so well that we really didn't eat out many times (nice fire pit area, grill, on a creek) and preferred to grill and relax with a fire by the creek most evenings. During the day, we usually packed a lunch because we were doing lots of short hikes and fishing.

Well done! Link to your AirBnB?