Blue Ridge, GA area?

[m15]

Anyone vacationed near Blue Ridge, GA? It's a good mid-point to meet up with BIL and SIL and we were thinking of renting a cabin over spring break. Looking for ideas of what we could do while there. We're outdoorsy and willing to hike, fish, etc. Kids are 15 and 11.

[womet]

We love Blue Ridge. We love going to Mercier Orchards-- for hard cider, homemade desserts, and you pick (not sure what will be in season during spring break though). There's the Blue Ridge scenic railway that goes from Blue Ridge to McCaysville from mid-March to the end of December. And that area has a ton of outdoor activities-- hiking, fishing, horseback riding.

[sadlebred]

Downtown Blue Ridge is really cute with shops and good restaurants. What type of hiking do you want to do? Distance? How hard?

You can rent a boat and go out on Lake Blue Ridge.

[rubytue]

We went last summer to meet the ILs. We did a kayak float trip down a river and one day drove over to Helen, stopping by a waterfall for a hike. I don’t recall specific because I didn’t do any of the planning. Except, Helen was very lame. The ILs build it up as a great German village, but it felt like pigeon forge, and we couldn’t find much vegetation options (for 3 of the 4 of us). But people looked like they were having a blast tubing on the river through town.

This has been a mostly useless post. Skip Helen.

[m15]

Jan 4, 2024 15:47:47 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Downtown Blue Ridge is really cute with shops and good restaurants. What type of hiking do you want to do? Distance? How hard?

You can rent a boat and go out on Lake Blue Ridge.

We are pretty moderate hikers, but with BIL and SIL, we probably will keep it a little more simple. Doesn't have to be accessible or paved, but nothing too strenuous.

[sadlebred]

There are some shorter easier hikes, but it is the mountains. Most are pretty strenuous and over 5-7 miles. Some trails have 100 feet of climbing per mile, which is pretty steep.

www.blueridgemountains.com/blog/5-hikes-under-5-miles-in-georgias-blue-ridge/

www.blueridgemountains.com/blog/hikes-under-two-miles/

[puppylove64]

Amicalola Falls is gorgeous. The hike is medium strenuous, or you can drive to the top.

Dahlonagea is really charming and has lots of great wineries. Downtown blue ridge is charming too.

Helen tubing is fun, otherwise it is often overcrowded and overrated.

[sadlebred]

Jan 4, 2024 22:01:34 GMT -5 puppylove64 said:

Amicalola Falls is gorgeous. The hike is medium strenuous, or you can drive to the top.

Dahlonagea is really charming and has lots of great wineries. Downtown blue ridge is charming too.

Helen tubing is fun, otherwise it is often overcrowded and overrated.

Dahlonega The town square is really cute and fun to walk around with some shops and restaurants. Shenanigans is a really cute and yummy Irish pub. The Smith House is probably the most well known restaurant. I have not eaten there but have heard good things. The people watching at Walmart is REALLY good.

[m15]

These all sound like great ways to just chill for the week, which is what we want! We could always do ATL for a day, but it's really about just spending time with family who we haven't seen in years!

[mcppalmbeach]

I love that area. We live in fl and know a lot of people with cabins there. There’s plenty of moderate hiking. Helen is a tourist trap . It’s overrated for me, but if you’ve never done a mountain coaster they have one there and it’s super overpriced, but worth doing once. There are a ton of apple orchards around (mercier is gorgeous) and it might be worth checking out what they have going on during the spring. If you haven’t fly fished before book a guide, it’s worth it.

[mcppalmbeach]

Jan 4, 2024 22:41:30 GMT -5 m15 said:

These all sound like great ways to just chill for the week, which is what we want! We could always do ATL for a day, but it's really about just spending time with family who we haven't seen in years!

I think you’ll find plenty to do, but I think the ga aquarium is worth a day trip if it’s something you wouldn’t do any other time.

Keep in mind blue ridge and Helen are I think like an hour from each other. And dahlonega is also like an hour from blue ridge.

[lessel]

Elijay is also nearby. Also has a cute downtown area. There’s a Bigfoot Museum up there. My H took my 8 year old and they had a good time. I’m sure it’s more kitschy and hilarious than anything.

Ditto Amicalola Falls. If the stairs down or up to the falls are too much, there’s an ADA trail that’s like a mile path.

[mrsd2006]

I have a cabin up there. There are a lot of great vineyards and breweries. Most have a food truck and live entertainment on weekends. Some to visit are Bear Claw, Buckley, Ott, Chateau Meitry, Roo Vineyards (most of these are in Ellijay), Reese Cider House (Ellijay), Grumpy Old Men Brewing (Blue Ridge)

Brasstown Bald is the highest point in GA, I think it's about an hour from BR
Amicolala Falls is great.
There's tubing and white water rafting
Gennett Poplar- second largest tree in GA (parking here is limited)
www.hikethesouth.com/hikes/bear-creek-trail-to-the-gennett-poplar
Fort Mountain is nice too. Stop at the Cohutta Overlook.

[m15]

Thanks for all the input and ideas! We've done ATL a couple of times and may do that for a day. Breweries and orchards are something we donate home all the time, but it may be fun to see if they're different. We would love the rafting, but I am guessing it will be too cold in March for that. Definitely looking into a guided fly fishing trip! My H has gone before, but I know my 15 year old would love that!

[mrsd2006]

Fannin County, where BR is located, is the Trout Capital of GA. Ellijay, Gilmer County is the Apple Capital of GA (and mountain biking capital) 😆