Blue Ridge, GA -- Come Ride the Train!!

November 22, 2009

The fall colors have come and gone. It was beautiful, and one of the most beautiful places during this time of year is Blue Ridge, GA. This wonderful town is in Fannin County, which is bordered by Tennessee and North Carolina. More than 40% of the county's land is in the Chattahootchee National Forest. So for you hikers and campers -- lots of great country for you to explore in Fannin County. You'll also find white water rafting, Lake Blue Ridge, and the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad.

(One of the colorful booths at the arts and craft show)


I am late in submitting this blog article....mostly because the fall colors are gone. But I'm going to share some of those colors with you in the pictures below. I did take a trip to Blue Ridge the end of October to go to an arts and crafts show which was held at the local Farmer's Market. Found some great Christmas gifts -- all hand made by local artists -- at great prices.







And then for my favorite thing to do up here -- go to the business district for shopping. This little area in Blue Ridge has remained the same size since I moved to the North Georgia Mountains 9 years ago. But the types of shops have changed over the years. When I first came to Blue Ridge, I was buying mountain furniture and accessories for my log home. And this was indeed the place to come. Now the business district still has mountain stores (love the "Bear Store" and "Anasazi" -- bought half my furniture and accessories from this store -- and don't miss "The Twig Store"), but it also has many updates clothing shops ("Glitzy Chix", "Mountain Casuals" or "Melinda's Clothing Loft") and art galleries (High County Art and Antiques, Abreu Fine Art Gallery, or All Fired Up), along with lots of antique stores. The downtown area has added many new buildings which are of the timber frame construction, and they are beautiful. And of course, my favorite type of store -- the fudge shop and ice cream store ("The Chocolate Express").

Of course, the town has also added a number of new restaurants, and the old favorites still abound. For a real treat, drive out Aska Road to the Toccoa River Restaurant. It sits right along the (you guessed it) Toccoa River, and you can have a table overlooking the river. All of their food is great, and their specialty is a smoked trout. But if you want to stay in the business district, there is a 50's style malt shop which serves meals, several deli style places, and I just tried a new place called "The Victorian House Restaurant". It's a beautiful old home which serves nice sit-down meals, and the food I had was wonderful (and not overly expensive).




One of the biggest attractions for this town is the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad. On almost any day, you'll find the main street filled with parked cars. And that's because all of these tourists have come to ride the railroad, which goes from Blue Ridge, GA to McCaysville, GA. It's a beautiful ride along the river 26 miles to McCaysville, where you can have lunch and enjoy the shopping opportunities in that town. During the summer, they offer a combination train ride with white water rafting. I've never tried that, but am sure it would be great fun.
















A church in downtown Blue Ridge across the street from the city park.