Keep summer boredom at bay with trains, ziplines, boats and more this summer in North Georgia
Make memories with this easy-to-follow five-day itinerary to guide your explorations of Blue Ridge, Georgia, about 90 minutes north of Atlanta via Interstate 575:
Day 1: Start your adventure with the Blue Ridge Railway (241 Depot Street) and chugga-chug down the 13-miles of rails comprising the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. The 45-minute (each way) excursion is a generation-bonding adventure that starts at the historic 1905 depot in Downtown. Vintage climate controlled rail cars or open air rail cars host more than 70,000 passengers each year for a ride that winds alongside the Toccoa River, with a stop in the twin border 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, where visitors have a two hour layover (Note: layover is 1.5 hours on Sunday) with plenty of time to eat lunch, shop for unique crafts and antiques, snack on ice cream or walk around. With offerings like chicken salad, burgers and soup, Serenity Garden Café Riverside (100 Blue Ridge Drive) is a great place for lunch in McCaysville. Back in Blue Ridge, stop by Mercier Orchards (8660 Blue Ridge Drive) to stock up the cabin with fried pies, fresh veggies and fruits. Mercier is a family-owned and -operated primarily apple orchard. The must-see Blue Ridge attraction will reward your senses with bushels of apples, strawberries and other produce, fresh pressed cider, warm fried pies–but, most importantly, memories. Started back in 1943 by Bill & Adele Mercier, Mercier Orchards is now celebrating more than 70 years of fruitful harvests. Beyond apples, their onsite store serves up a variety of farm toys, pet items, kitchen paraphernalia, home decor and is home to a meat and cheese shop. Visit the tasting room, offering hard ciders and wines, including locally-produced varieties.
Day 2: Pack a picnic; then, spend the day exploring Blue Ridge’s major trail systems, including access to the Appalachian Trail which extends for more than 2,000 miles to Maine through many of the states on the Eastern Seaboard. The most popular of the waterfalls in Fannin County is Long Creek Falls, which can be seen by hiking down a short side trail from the combined Appalachian/Benton MacKaye Trail. When you return to your cabin, spend the evening cooking out and savoring sweet s’mores by a fire pit.
Day 3: Take it to the water! Rent a pontoon at Lake Blue Ridge Marina and explore Lake Blue Ridge. Plan to have lunch or dinner waterside at the marina’s new Boat Dock Bar & Grill (335 Marina Drive) where beer, burgers and fried favorites satisfy hunger pangs. For those on the cutting edge, try the H2O trend sweeping the nation, Stand-up Paddling (SUP). Contact Lake Blue Ridge Outfitters (12166 Morganton Highway) for board rentals on the lake and Toccoa River Adventure and Fly Shop (100 Bridge St., Suite A) for board, kayak and canoe rentals on the Toccoa River.
Day 4: Go horseback riding at Blue Ridge Mountain Trail Rides (319 Hell’s Hollow Road). While there, little ones will love taking pony rides, fishing in the onsite pond, feeding trout, mining for gems and walking the nature trails. If you prefer to get your heart pounding with two feet off the ground, Blue Ridge soars to new heights with The Blue Ridge Canopy Adventure (319 Hell’s Hollow Road).
Day 5: Go rafting or tubing! Try Toccoa Valley Campground-Tubing (11481 Aska Road) for your outfitter needs. It’s located near the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant and is the oldest outfitter on the river. They offer camp sites for tents and full R.V. hook-ups, along with equipment for floating and kayaking the river or just space for a quiet day of lounging. Toccoa Valley Campground also offers six miles of tubing on the Toccoa River as well as a shuttle back to the campsite and your vehicle. Tubing starts mid-May and stops the week after Labor Day. The Rolling Thunder River Company (20 Hughes Street) offers whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River and Nantahala River. Raft the Upper Ocoee, including the Olympic kayaking course created for the 1996 Olympic Games at the Ocoee Whitewater Center; the Middle Ocoee, a five-mile stretch of Class III and IV whitewater; or take on the full river, which includes both Upper and Middle sections.After your H2O adventure, dine al fresco along the river at Toccoa Riverside Restaurant (8055 Aska Road) while savoring an early dinner of fresh trout or Cajun pasta. Then catch a movie the old-fashioned way at the Swan Drive-In (651 Summit Street), one of Georgia’s four remaining drive-ins. Established in 1955, the Swan Drive-in features a full concession stand, including funnel cakes and fried Oreos.