The town and surrounding region offer the perfect North Georgia Mountain getaway
BLUE RIDGE, GEORGIA—NOVEMBER 2024—Picturesque mountains, rivers and lakes, outdoors activities, great shopping opportunities and delicious dining experiences. It’s all part of Blue Ridge, Georgia, and its surrounding countryside, merely two hours from Atlanta but a world away. This adorable town situated in the north Georgia mountains make it the ideal destination for that memorable getaway.
Shopping
Visitors will be hard-pressed not to find that unique item in Blue Ridge, a town that’s filled with specialty boutiques, art galleries, and antiques—more than 120 shops! But don’t just take our word for it. Southern Living Magazine named Blue Ridge as one of the “South’s Best Mountain Towns, 2021” noting the incredible array of shops as one reason.
Look for The Sweet Shoppe of the South (721 East Main Street, 706-632-6886), a winner of Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars;” The Art Center (420 West Main Street, 706-632-2144), headquarters for the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association within the historic Fannin County Courthouse; and Pezrock (524 East Main Street, 706-632-6036) that offers a collection of nature’s artistry, from fossils to teak furniture.
Wineries & Breweries
A large covered outdoor seating area stretches behind Bear Claw Vineyards & Winery (2281 Tennis Court Road, 706-223-3750). It’s an ideal tasting room to relax and purchase a glass or bottle to enjoy.
Mercier Orchards (8660 Blue Ridge Drive, 706-632-3411) grows a variety of fruit, including 40 varieties of apples in the largest apple orchard in the southeast, so it’s natural for the company to create wine from their harvests. Mercier also has the distinction of having created Georgia’s first hard apple cider from farm-grown apples. Sample their wines and cider at their store and tasting room a short drive from downtown Blue Ridge.
If beer is more your jam, you’re in luck. Breweries abound in Blue Ridge.
It’s a funny name and an even funnier story—two home beer enthusiasts were arguing over brewing and one of their wives called them grumpy old men. Seemed like the perfect name for a microbrewery! Grumpy Old Men Brewing (1315 East Main Street, 706-946-2739) opened its taproom in 2013 and lies just south of town on Main Street.
The unique names continue with Angry Hops Brewery (341 East Main Street) which pours its craft beers inside and out. Tipping Point Brewing Co. (322 West Main Street, 706-946-2765) serves its craft beers across from the railroad depot at a second-floor location which includes a porch where visitors may watch downtown action below.
Another unique brewery is Copperhill Brewery (105 Ocoee Street, Copperhill, Tennessee, 423-548-3030), only a few steps over the Tennessee state line from our neighboring town of McCaysville, Georgia. Inside the tasting room visitors may literally cross the state line—it runs through the floor!
Take a Hike
For those who cherish the solitude of nature there are 300 miles of hiking trails in and around Blue Ridge, including access to the Appalachian Trail and a trail named for the AP’s visionary, the Benton MacKaye Trail.
For something more tuned to a weekend getaway, Blue Ridge offers a couple of easy to moderate hikes where the end result is spectacular.
It’s a long drive and a one-mile hike through a rich forest to the Swinging Bridge over the Toccoa River. The 270-foot swinging bridge was built by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Benton MacKaye Trail. There are places to rest and picnic on both sides of the raging river but don’t miss the selfie opportunity in the middle of the bridge.
It’s two miles and a fairly easy hike to reach Long Creek Falls with its dramatic 50-foot cascade of water. Along the way hikers will enjoy wildflowers, ferns and fall colors if hiking at the right time of year.
You can find hiking information, directions and more on the Blue Ridge website.
An Afternoon on the Georgia-Tennessee Line
There’s nothing more relaxing than feeling the sun on your face, enjoying a fine meal and watching a river slowly slip on by, ducks and geese lounging in its waters. That’s the feel of the twin towns of McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, located just a short drive north on Highway 5 from Blue Ridge. Both front the Toccoa River (Ocoee River if you’re in Tennessee) and feature great restaurants, boutique shops, outdoors activities and plenty of history. Visitors will walk away from a trip to these twin river towns with a sense of peace and contentment after a day breathing fresh mountain air.
Stop at the McCaysville Visitor Center (53 Nort Market Street, 706-632-5680) for tourist information as well as a history lesson on the region’s copper mining operations of the 19th and 20th centuries. View old photos and artifacts on loan from the Ducktown Basin Museum to get an idea of how these quaint cities and surrounding “Copper Basin” was once heavy with industry.
Catch a Train
For those who don’t feel like driving to view the surrounding area, or want a unique experience on a real passenger train can climb aboard the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway (241 Depot Street, 877-413-8724). Visitors may choose their rail car—indoor, open or premier passenger car—then sit back and enjoy the 26 miles of mountain views as they parallel the Toccoa River from the historic depot in downtown Blue Ridge into McCaysville and Copperhill, Tennessee. Blue Ridge Scenic Railway offers two travel packages: a two-hour ride up and back or the four-hour trip to spend two hours perusing both towns.
This time of year, the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway offers special events, such as fall rides to view the gorgeous mountain foliage and holiday rides with music, a reading of “The Night Before Christmas” and a chance for children to visit Santa Claus.
McCaysville is a Walkable Town
Everything in the twin cities of McCaysville and Copperhill is walkable with the Toccoa River slicing down the middle. Follow the river upstream in a short walk from the Visitor Center to the McCaysville City Park where bench swings overlook the clear blue waters. In addition to resting alongside the water’s edge, visitors may enjoy the picnic pavilions, an enclosed playground for children’s extra safety, a memorial to veterans and a boat launch.
Head back toward town for some top-notch shopping. Visitors will discover the Riverwalk Shops, a collection of boutiques within an indoor mall that’s reminiscent of Atlanta’s Ponce Street Market. Look for Deaf Man Vinyl Records, Riverwalk Sweets candy store, Copperhill Rock and Mineral, Blue Ridge Adventure Wear, The Owl’s Nest and so much more. Two restaurants front the river—Twisted Tomato wood-fired pizza and Burra Burra—so visitors may enjoy a meal or drink on the patio overlooking the Toccoa.
Along the main streets of Toccoa Avenue in Georgia and Ocoee Street in Tennessee are shops, restaurants, a coffee shop and breweries. Visitors may recognize some as second locations for Blue Ridge stores, such as the Rum Cake Lady Cuban Cafe and Blue Ridge Olive Oil.
Be sure to stop in the Folk Collaborative and Daffodillys Plant Co. for coffee, lunch, a wide variety of locally produced herbal products and, of course, plants. The Folk Collaborative’s main “apothecary,” where all their products are grown and assembled in the Appalachian tradition, exists a few miles from town on the Georgia side and demands a visit as well.
Get on the Water
The 3,290 acres of Lake Blue Ridge offers campsites, boat ramps, a full-service marina and picnic areas surrounded by the beautiful north Georgia mountains. Only 25 percent of the reservoir’s shoreline has been developed—the rest part of the Chattahoochee National Forest—making Lake Blue Ridge an ideal spot to fish, enjoy boating activities or just relax by its peaceful waters.
Try your hand at fly fishing since winter is an ideal time to catch these beauties in Blue Ridge, known as the trout capital of Georgia—more than 100 trout fishing rivers, creeks and streams! Blue Ridge and its neighbor McCaysville offer several outfitters to get your started and on the water. William “Bill” Oyster at Oyster Fine Bamboo Fly Rods (494 Est Main Street, 706- 374-4239) creates beautiful handcrafted fly rods, and he teaches classes to those who wish to make their own. Just remember to obtain that Georgia fishing license.
Outfitters such as Toccoa River Tubing Company and Rolling Thunder River Company offer seasonal whitewater rafting, paddling and tubing opportunities. When the weather turns toasty in summer—despite the mountainous terrain, this is the South—there’s nothing like a cool refreshing trip down the river.
Relax and Unwind
Naturally, with all the incredible mountain scenery, accommodations vary in Blue Ridge,
including hotels, cabins, cottages, bed and breakfasts and campsites. Visitors may sleep in a treehouse, such as the Blue Ridge TreeHouse (2555 Tennis Court Road, 706-223-3750) along a bubbling creek behind Bear Claw Vineyards & Winery, or luxurious cabins nestled in the woods. Perhaps a night on a working farm. For a list of accommodations, visit https://www.blueridgemountains.com/where-to-stay/