1. Toccoa River & Swinging Bridge - a popular destination for day-hikers, Benton MacKaye Trail through hikers, and paddlers making the journey down the Toccoa River Canoe Trail is the swinging bridge over the Toccoa River. This 265 foot long bridge is the longest swinging bridge east of the Mississippi River. In 1976 the Forest Service, along with the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club replaced a dangerous ford of the Toccoa River in this area. The bridge, built by a private contractor, was completed in 1977 and has become a landmark in Fannin County and a popular camping spot in the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area. The Benton MacKaye Trail and the swinging bridge are only open to foot traffic. Camping by the Toccoa River on either side of the river is extremely popular and it is unmanaged. Plan on a weekday visit to secure a site. To get to the swinging bridge: The swinging bridge is 14.3 miles from the start of the Benton MacKaye Trail at Springer Mountain. Call the Visitors Center at 1-800-899-MTNS for directions.

2. Nature Watching with Blue RIdge Bird Seed Company - local birding and nature expert Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company conducts a number of instructive seminars and bird walks in our area. Indoor seminars are held on Saturday mornings from 9-10AM, usually at SweeTreats on Main Street in downtown Blue Ridge. Indoor Seminar Dates: March 17th, Hummingbirds; April 14th, Spring Bird Identification; May 12th, Living With Bears (with a DNR Biologist, Appalachian Community Bank Community Room). Bird walks are held on Saturday mornings from 8-10AM. Meet at Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company at 7:45AM. Bird Walk Dates: March 24th, Early Spring Migrants; April 21st & 28th, Peak of Migration; May 5th and 19th, Migration, Early Nesting. Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company, 611 East Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513 (706) 258-2473. http://www.blueridgebirdseed.com/

3. Springtime Rail Trips with Blue Ridge Scenic Railway - All aboard the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, a 3.5 hour ride along the Toccoa River from Blue Ridge to McCaysville. Daily trips start the week of April 1. Closed on Easter Sunday, the 8th, but sign up for the Easter Egg-spress trip on Saturday, the 7th. This popular one-hour trip sells out in well in advance so be sure to call and make reservations. 241 Depot Street, Blue Ridge, GA, 30513 (800) 934-1898; (706) 632-9833; Fax: (706) 258-2756 http://www.brscenic.com

4. Mountain Waters Drive through the Ocoee River Gorge - Ocoee Scenic Byway, Hwy 64, Ducktown to Cleveland, Tenn. Follow the nation’s first Scenic Byway as it winds through the Cherokee National Forest alongside the Ocoee River, past the Ocoee dams, flume line and powerhouses and Parksville Lake. Ocoee Whitewater Center is also on the way. From Blue Ridge take Hwy 5 north to McCaysville, turn left on Hwy 68 and follow signs to Hwy 64. For more information, call (423) 496-5197, or see www.byways.org

5. Hiking & Biking at the Ocoee Whitewater Center - Ducktown, Tenn. Built for the 1996 Olympic Whitewater Slalom Races, the center includes the Olympic race course, native gardens, paved walkways, hiking and biking trails, pools of water for wading or feeding fish and more. It's a great place to take a picnic and watch the whitewater paddlers plummeting down the rapids. From Blue Ridge take Hwy 5 north to McCaysville, turn left on Hwy 68 and follow signs to Hwy 64. (423) 496-5197 http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/ocoee/

6. Pastoral Drive to Helton Creek Falls - There are two falls on Helton Creek near Blairsville. A short trail descends to the first waterfall then climbs to the second larger waterfall. Please be careful – the rocks are slippery! From Blue Ridge, take Hwy 515 north to Blairsville. In Blairsville, take US 19/129 south about 11 miles. Turn left onto Helton Creek Road, the first road past the entrance to Vogel State Park. Go 2.2 miles; the road turns to gravel. There will be a small parking lot on the right in a curve, and the trail is marked. Also in the area is the Walasi-Yi crossing on Blood Mountain, which provides hostel services and outfitting to through hikers on the Appalachian Trail. The gift shop features local art and pottery. Located south of Blairsville via Hwy 19-129. For more information, call 706-745-6095.

7. Delayed Harvest Trophy Trout Fishing on the Toccoa River - the section of the Toccoa River near Shallowford Bridge one of only 3 trout streams in Georgia that have been designated as Delayed Harvest. From a point 0.4 mile above the Shallowford Bridge upstream 1.3 mile to a point 450 feet above the Sandy Bottoms Canoe Access. From May 15 - October 31 anglers fishing delayed harvest streams can keep fish. From November 1- May14 anglers must release all trout immediately and use and possess only artificial lures with one single hook per lure. Delayed Harvest (DH) is a popular management strategy designed to provide a high quality catch-and-release trout fishery from fall through spring, after which the stream is opened for harvest under general regulations. Because each trout can be caught more than once, catch rates remain high over long periods of time. High catch rates are further assured by periodic restocking to replace trout lost to injury or natural mortality. These high catch rates are not only popular with seasoned anglers but provide an excellent learning opportunity for new anglers. Although anglers enjoy fishing DH streams with spinning or casting gear, most of the streams are wide enough that fly-anglers also favor them. An added benefit for DH anglers is that the streams are located in some of the most scenic parts of Georgia.

More information on the program is available at: http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/Assets/Documents/fisheries/DH_infosheet.pdf