Our final summer vacation was to Ellijay, Georgia, the apple capital of Georgia! Have you ever had a vacation where you don’t have a set itinerary, but at most, a list of ideas for things you want to do? This was one of those vacations and it was perfect because we never felt rushed or like we had to be somewhere at a specific time. My mother-in-law rented a cabin in the Coosawattee River Resort, where we stayed comfortably for the week. The Coosawattee River Resort is a 5,500 acre resort nestled in the wilderness of the Appalachian foothills. We saw lots of deer, hummingbirds, and even a black bear, around our cabin and the community.

The resort offers amenities and recreation, including an 18-hole mini golf course, pickleball and tennis courts, basketball, three swimming pools, a gym, and an arcade. There are several river access points for swimming, fishing, and tubing. The resort also hosts events, such as a summer concert series, exercise classes, bingo, trivia nights, and more! The one negative we found is that the roads through the resort are very curvy and narrow. The resort area is very large so it took us a solid 15 minutes to get in and out of the community any time we wanted to leave.

GO FOR A HIKE

For nature lovers, there are plenty of hiking trails in the near vicinity, many of which are suitable for all ages. Tumbling Waters Nature Trail in the Carters Lake Recreation Area is a 1.1 mile loop that crosses a long wooden bridge to an observation deck view of the cascading falls. While the trail is marked as easy, it is rocky and rooty, so may be more moderate than easy, depending on your hiking experience.

After the hike, we stopped at the Carters Lake visitor center at Carters Lake. The visitor center has several interesting and educational exhibits for kids, is the start to a short nature trail, and offers a beautiful view of the lake from behind the building.

Another nature highlight is Amicalola River Falls, the tallest waterfall in Georgia at over 730 feet. We started our trek from the Amicalola Falls State Park visitor center (also the start of an eight-mile hike to Springer Mountain, where the Appalachian Trail begins). We found that the map provided at the visitor center left much to be desired and the person staffing the visitor center had little more information. Since we had all three of our kids and weren’t sure how long the hike would actually be (I still can’t find a definitive answer on this), we decided to drive and park at the reflection pool to shorten the climb to the top of the falls. We climbed 175 steps up to the Lower Observation Platform. We opted not to take the 425 additional steps to the top of the falls, but instead returned to our car. My six-year-old joined me for a hike back (I think we took the Creek Trail, but the signage wasn’t clear). In total, we walked about 1.5 miles.

Once we rejoined the rest of our family at the visitor center, we let the kids play on the playground for a while before driving to the Upper Observation Platform to view the top of the falls. After, we enjoyed our lunch on the patio of the Amicalola Falls Lodge. Amicalola Falls State Park is a great place to spend the day!

TAKE A TRAIN RIDE

Another day, we took a train ride on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. The ride begins at the station in downtown Blue Ridge and travels one hour and 26 miles along the Toccoa River, before arriving at the border towns of McCaysville, GA and Copperhill, TN. The train ride is narrated, although I couldn’t hear most of it due to wrangling my three kids! You can park anywhere in downtown Blue Ridge; we parked in a donation lot at the First Baptist Church nearby. When you purchase tickets, choose between a vintage, climate-controlled car (we chose this due to the heat) or an open-air rail car.

Once we arrived at the sister towns on the GA/TN border, we had a two-hour layover to explore before we needed to board the train to return. I was fascinated to learn that the river changes names from the Toccoa (in Georgia) to the Ocoee (in Tennessee). I was familiar with the Ocoee from a previous family trip where we went whitewater rafting on part of the Atlanta Olympics course, but didn’t realize that they were the same river. We ate a delicious wood-fired pizza lunch at Twisted Tomato on the deck overlooking the river before doing some shopping. The Riverwalk has a unique selection of retail shops, including Copperhill Rock and Mineral, where the boys filled a bag of rocks; The Pasta Market, offering gourmet Italian foods; Christmas is Here!, with Christmas decor; and Afrika Corner, which sells clothing and home decor in beautiful African prints. On our walk back to the train station, we picked up treats to bring home at Three Sisters Fudge and Rum Cake Lady.

Overall, I thought the train ride was on the expensive side ($59 for adults and $38 for kids age 2-12), but my kids enjoyed the experience. Aside from the views, it was also fun to visit the dining car for ice cream treats on the return ride. We ate our ice cream in an empty wheelchair accessible open air car, so had the bonus of getting the open air experience as well.

After leaving Blue Ridge, we attempted to visit Mercier Orchards, an 80-year-old farm and orchard where you can pick fresh berries, apples, and flowers or take home baked goods and preserves at the market. They even have a winery and cidery, so there is truly something for everyone. Unfortunately, the area had lost power so they were closed for the day, but we will return on our next visit!

TAKE THE KIDS TUBING

One of our favorite activities of the week was tubing with Cartecay River Experience. We took our boys for this activity, while our daughter stayed behind to nap and play with her grandma. The staff at Cartecay River Experience is friendly and helpful and will set you up with everything you need. Good quality tubes and life jackets are provided for all ages and included in the cost. All you need to bring is yourself, your swimsuit, water shoes, and a dry bag if you want to bring a phone or snacks.

Cartecay River Experience offers two floating options: The Lazy River Experience is a 1.5-mile, approximately 1.5-hour float that is calmer and suitable for all ages. The Adventure River Experience is a 3 mile, approximately 2.5-3 hour float, that includes class I and II whitewater. It is recommended for ages 5 and up. We chose the Lazy experience because we’d never tubed with the kids and weren’t sure how it would go, but after seeing how much our boys enjoyed it, we would definitely do the Adventure experience next time. Cost is $15 per tube with cash, $18 per tube with card. Shuttle service is an additional $7 per person with cash, $10 per person with card.

We had a bit of trouble with the directions because the website was unclear. If you are doing the Lazy River experience, use the 2400 HWY 52 East address. For the Adventure River experience, use the directions on the website to access 1554 Lower Cartecay Rd (if you are following your GPS, they recommend driving to 8264 Hwy 52 and then continuing on to 1554 Lower Cartecay Rd because the bridge is out).

VISIT ORCHARDS IN THE APPLE CAPITAL

One activity that our whole family enjoyed together was visiting local orchards. We visited in early August at the very start of apple season. While it was too early for any U-Picks to be open, we were still able to buy fresh apples and all kinds of apple products at the orchards. At Mack Aaron’s Apple House, we were sold by the 11 kinds of fried pies and fresh apple cider and juice. At Reece’s Cider Company, we did flight tastings of the hard apple ciders made on site and took home a jug of our favorite, Poppy’s Pick. We all loved it so much that we returned to refill our growlers – twice! Reece’s also offers live music and food trucks on the weekend. At R&A Orchards, we bought baked goods and a sack of apples. (I made the best cast-iron apple pie skillet cake when we got home – it’s perfect topped with ice cream!) During the fall apple season, they offer tractor rides and farm tours. All of the orchards are family-friendly, but Aaron Family Orchards stuck out to me as truly being a family operation. In the market, you can find produce, bakery items, preserves, fried peanuts, or even sit down for a checkers game. When you’re done, the kids can visit and feed the farm animals.

There are several more orchards that we weren’t able to visit but are still worth a mention if you’re visiting in the fall with your family. B.J. Reece Orchards offers U-pick apples (September and October), hayrides, pony rides, a corn maze and a pumpkin patch. Hillcrest Orchards, which opens August 31, also features U-pick, playgrounds, wagon rides, and a petting farm.

RELAX AT A LOCAL WINERY

One of my favorite ways to relax is sitting outside while enjoying a glass of wine, even better if it’s post-hike! Fortunately, there are several local wineries that allow you to do just that. My favorite was Grapes and Ladders. This small winery has a friendly and laid-back vibe. There is often live music, which you can enjoy while nibbling on a charcuterie board and playing a board game (we loved that they had Chutes and Ladders for the kids!). The wine is wonderful and they also serve wine slushies in summer months.

We also enjoyed Fainting Goat, the only vineyard in Georgia with exclusively female winemakers. The winery is located in a stunning setting and is home to four fainting goats and two dogs. Guests are welcome to bring their own food for a picnic or purchase light snacks in the tasting room. We enjoyed two custom flights in the garden under the trees and took home a bottle (note that their estate wines are only reds, but they sell whites that are blended with grapes from other wineries).

A winery we didn’t get to visit, but I’d like to return to is Ott Farms and Vineyards, which offers 180-degree views of the North Georgia mountains and music and food trucks on the weekends. We also tried to visit Roo Mountain Vineyards, but found out when we arrived that it is 21+ only, with no exceptions for children of any age. If you’re able to get away without your kids, it has a restaurant and tasting room with epic views. Even though we were turned away, it wasn’t a complete lost cause, as we were able to stop at Ellijay Mushrooms Farm and Store just down the road. We bought shiitake and golden oyster mushrooms to cook with dinner. In the retail section, we were impressed by the amount of mushroom-related merchandise available!

ENJOY DOWNTOWN ELLIJAY

At the start of our vacation, we stocked up on groceries at the local Aldi and cooked a few meals at the cabin. Other nights, we ventured into the charming historic downtown of Ellijay for dinner.

One night, we had dinner at River Street Tavern, which has an extensive drink menu and dishes like wings, burgers, sandwiches, and salads. Try the Tavern Burger, made with local beef and shiitake mushrooms from Ellijay Mushrooms Farm. On our last night, we ate at Cantaberry, which specializes in delicious homemade soups, sandwiches, salads and desserts. Menu highlights include the tomato basil soup and chicken salad (which I can attest is fantastic!). We topped off dinner with frozen yogurt at Abby’s Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt nearby.

We walked around the downtown area, popping into shops like Maine Street Antiques and Rustic Roots Boutique. Note that most stores in the downtown area close at 5, so it’s best to do your shopping in the daytime. A fun stop with kids is the Gum Drop Fun Shop, where they can do gem or fossil mining behind the store.

FIND BIGFOOT

One thing we didn’t do that might be a fun experience is to explore the legend of Big Foot/Sasquatch at Expedition: Bigfoot, one of the state’s most unique attractions. The museum focuses on the history and mystery behind the myth, with a permanent display of artifacts, photos, sketches, and maps of reported sightings.

One of my favorite takeaways from our vacation in Ellijay is that almost every place we visited was locally-owned. I loved learning about the businesses built by families over the years that have turned this community into what it is today. We will certainly be back to visit this region of North Georgia again. When you’re looking for your next mountain getaway, #PickEllijay!

RECAP