5 Days in Blue Ridge, Georgia, For Families
From choo-choo to woo-hoo, as you zip along in-air obstacles, this North Georgia destination promises a family vacation to remember.
Day 1
Start your trip with a visit to Mercier Orchards . No North Georgia mountain escape is complete without affordable fresh farm produce. U-pick begins in May, followed by apple picking in August. Stay for lunch or come early for a breakfast fit for a king, complete with local sausage, grits, apple fritters and more. The 21-and-over set will love the fact that this orchard is the only apple orchard in Georgia that grows and makes their own hard apple cider and farm wines. Mercier also has tastings of some of the best North Georgia regional wines.
Later in the day, rent a pontoon, stand-up paddleboard or kayak at Lake Blue Ridge Marina. Blue Ridge Boat Rentals offers week-long rentals delivered right to your dock with several add-one like floating pads, and kayaks. Charter a sunset cruise ride through Capt’n Joe’s Lake Adventures on Lake Blue Ridge and explore or fish Lake Blue Ridge. For dinner, check out family friendly restaurants like, Blue Jeans Pizza & Pasta Factory, Cucinella's Pizzeria or Twisted Tomato for great pizza and other Italian dishes. where you’ll find everything you need for a family-pleasing feast, including hand-tossed pizzas, fresh, daily-made pastas, salads and more.
Rest easy. Try camping at Toccoa Valley Campground, on the Toccoa River, offering RV and tent camping. Bonus: Expand the experience here and spend the next day on the river by taking advantage of onsite rental options for tubes, rafts and kayaks. Also on the Toccoa River you will find Blue Ridge / Toccoa KOA with plenty of RV sites as well as several small cabins. For accommodations complete with kitchens, choices include large mountain homes with stunning mountain views, creek-side hideaways, riverfront fishing lodges, cabins on the lake, cozy cabins, treehouses, hotels and resorts. Find your perfect family getaway place!
Day 2
If you prefer dry land adventures, peruse the shops of downtown Blue Ridge, plan lunch at Fightingtown Tavern or The Dogwood, both laid back, casual with a great variety of food and a pet friendly deck overlooking downtown Blue Ridge. Afterwards, take a scenic drive on Aska Road.
Pack a picnic and try tubing, kayaking the Toccoa or an Ocoee River whitewater rafting adventure. Plenty of outfitters can provide everything you need, including transportation.ad for beautiful views of the Toccoa River Rapids. If you want to work off lunch there are some great hikes in the area. Check out our Mountains and Country Tour which includes some great adventures with some perfect places for a family selfie.
In the evening, talk about the day’s adventure over mouth-watering bites at Rin Tin’s Barks & Brews Cantina, complete with inside and outside dining, a playroom/dognasium and options for to-go meals and grocery essentials for cabin dining.
Day 3
Spend a refreshing day hiking to local waterfalls on forested trails in the Chattahoochee National Forest–without making a dent in the budget. Find a hiking map here. Restock hunger-quelling supplies at Chester’s Provisions, , which features unique food and beverages, including craft beers and wine, as well as an assortment of entertainment accessories. Hike to Fall Branch Falls, where the upper portion is a series of cascades that lead to a single major drop of some 30 feet, with the water plunging into a deep pool at the base of the falls. Mine for gems, go fishing, take a hike or play a round of mini-golf, all at Blue Ridge’s destination for family fun–The Lilly Pad Village. Pets are welcome, too. Don’t let Mother Nature rain out your adventure. Check out Blue Ridge’s indoor putt putt course at Second Story Entertainment which features a variety of themes throughout nine rooms in addition to games like giant tic-tac-toe, darts and checkers that guests can play as they move throughout the course or try your hand at Vertigo Pinball, featuring a collection of pinball machines to play alongside craft beer offerings as well a bites for the kids like hotdogs and grilled cheese. End the day with a sweet treat from the famed Sweet Shoppe of the South, winners of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars or delicious fudge, candies and ice cream at The Chocolate Express. Ditch the diet and indulge on gourmet cupcakes, cheesecakes and cookies
Day 4
Go horseback riding at Blue Ridge Mountain Trail Rides at Hells Hollow and let your inner cowboy, cowgirl or 'lil buckaroo shine. Beautiful mountain views of the Cohutta Mountain Range. Or, get hearts pounding with two feet off the ground at Blue Ridge Adventure Park , featuring an in-air obstacle challenge course with suspended bridges, tight ropes, climbing walls and other fun obstacles for every age and ability. If you're looking for a little higher adventure, then head to Zip Line Canopy Tours of Blue Ridge where you will soar through the trees and over Fightingtown Creek.
Make memories at Expedition Bigfoot, a 4,000-square-foot family attraction featuring the country’s largest permanent display of genuine Bigfoot artifacts, life-sized exhibits, photos and sketches, large up-to-date sighting maps and the World’s only Bigfoot Research and Tech Vehicle on display. Discuss possible Bigfoot sightings over pizza at Cucinella’s Pizzeria family-owned since 1932 and serving up delicious pizza as well as other delights such as calzones and lasagna.
Day 5
End the trip with a highlight! Take a train ride and chugga-chug down the 13-miles of rails comprising the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. The one-hour (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 100,000 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. Here, visitors have a layover with plenty of time to eat lunch, shop for unique crafts and antiques, snack on ice cream or walk around.
After returning to downtown Blue Ridge, take the kids to Huck’s General Store to pick out a souvenir. Step back in time with an authentic general store experience in downtown Blue Ridge, complete with barrels of candy from yesteryear. In the evening, catch a movie the old-fashioned way at the Swan Drive-In 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.
