Vacationing in the North Georgia Mountains: Our Trip to Blue Ridge Georgia

Living in Georgia means there are a ton of things to do in the great outdoors.  We recently vacationed in the North Georgia mountains during a four day getaway and it was fantastic.  We rented a cabin in Blue Ridge, Georgia after debating a trip to the beach.  Both my husband and I grew up on the west coast (Oregon for me, and California and Oregon for him).  We have lived in Georgia for almost 8 years and have not really explored our state (beyond Burts Pumpkin Patch and Sawnee Mountain Preserve).  We contemplated visiting the Gulf Shores (the Visit South Walton page makes me want to visit every single inch of beach there) since we have not seen the pristine beaches that everyone speaks so highly about.

Ultimately, we had 4 days and 3 nights for our weekend getaway.  We decided that 6 hours in the car each was (for a grand total of 12 hours) was too much time spent in the car in relation to time spent on the beach.  We needed more days of vacation to justify that drive.  My husband found an a-maz-ing rental via HomeAway (it’s like VRBO…we have actually used HomeAway twice and never used VRBO).  This rental was a cabin (really, a house) that sat on a small creek.  The creek was so fun to play in.  The girls caught tiny baby fish and craw dads.  We built dams and waterfalls.  There was a fire pit to roast marshmallows and s’mores.

We ventured into downtown Blue Ridge and it is a charming little town.  There are train tracks that run through the town.  You can purchase tickets and hop aboard the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad.  The 26 mile trip takes you to quaint sister towns of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee. Copperhill/McCaysville is one town with two names because it is split by the GA/TN State Line.  That’s right.  You can really be in two states at the same time.  There is a Blue Line and a cute sign that shows the GA/TN border.  This is a must stop and take a photo spot.  When have you been in two places at the same time ever before? 

If you are planning a trip to Blue Ridge and want to ride the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad be sure to check the calendar.  There are special events for Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.  We sat in an open air car and loved the breeze.  Honestly, we were worried since the seats didn’t look as comfy as the regular train car seats but we were super comfortable and loved our 52 mile round trip train ride.  Budgeting Tips for the train: Military discounts are offered.  Purchasing your ticket in person will save you about $1.50 per ticket over ordering online.  We paid a little less than $130 total for our family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids).

Another first for our family was fishing.  We headed to the Fannin County Recreation Department and fished in the pond.  After calling the FCRD we learned that the pond is stocked with fish and a fishing license is not required.  There are several benches around the pond and you can even see the fish swimming.  We caught and released two different fish.  That’s a 50% success rate for our family of four.  Not a fisher?  Don’t worry, there is a Walmart about 3 miles away.  You can purchase a rod and reel kit with a tiny tackle box for less than $20.  We bought two of those for our family of four..and we quickly realized that three or four fishing poles would have been a much better idea.

Things To Do In Blue Ridge, Georgia

1. Fish

2. Ride the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad to the Georgia/Tennessee line.

3. Hike.

4. Take a photo with a tiny Statue of Liberty which is outside The Art Center in the town of Blue Ridge.

5. Play at the park.

6. Geocache (there is at least one geocache at the Fannin County Recreation Department)

7. Go to the drive in movie theater.  Yes, those still exist!  Sadly we missed this since we had already seen the family friendly movie and it wasn’t our favorite.

8. Kayak/Canoe/Tube on the Toccoa River

9. Visit Mercier Orchards.  On the weekends you can participate in the U-Pick pickings.  There are some scrumptious pies inside the store….and you can grab a yummy sandwich made with Boar’s Head meat.

If you are going to Blue Ridge do not expect a lake with a nice beach or waterfalls.  Both of those are in Georgia, but are approximately 45-60 minutes away from Blue Ridge.

I loved our weekend getaway to this little town.  We were able to put the business of life behind us and relax.  There aren’t a bunch of pricey tourist activities which was nice on our travel budget.  We have memories of campfires, fishing, worms, Christmas in July (complete with Santa and Mrs. Claus), train rides, craw dads, dam building, geocaching, and so much more!

Do you have a favorite place to vacation?  We are always looking for suggestions!