An Afternoon by the River on the GA-TN Line
There’s nothing more relaxing than feeling the sun on your face, enjoying a fine meal and watching a river slowly slip on by, ducks and geese lounging in its waters.
That’s the feel of the twin towns of McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, located just a short drive from Blue Ridge. Both front the Toccoa River (Ocoee River if you’re in Tennessee) and feature great restaurants, boutique shops, outdoor activities and plenty of history. But what you’ll walk away with from a trip to these twin river towns is a sense of peace and contentment after a day breathing fresh mountain air.
A Short Drive North
Head north on Highway 5 from Blue Ridge and make your first stop the McCaysville Visitor Center at 53 North Market Street. In addition to tourist information, the center offers a history lesson on the region’s copper mining operations of the 19th and 20th centuries. View old photos and artifacts on loan from the Ducktown Basin Museum to get an idea of how these quaint cities and surrounding “Copper Basin” was once heavy with industry.
The center is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and Thursday to Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Walkable Towns
Everything in the twin cities of McCaysville and Copperhill is walkable with the Toccoa River slicing down the middle. Follow the river upstream in a short walk from the Visitor Center to the McCaysville City Park where bench swings overlook the clear blue waters. In addition to resting alongside the water’s edge, visitors may enjoy the picnic pavilions, an enclosed playground for children’s extra safety, a memorial to veterans and a boat launch.
Heading back toward town and you’ll find the Riverwalk Shops, a collection of boutiques within an indoor mall that’s reminiscent of Atlanta’s Ponce Street Market. Look for Deaf Man Vinyl Records, Riverwalk Sweets candy store, Copperhill Rock and Mineral, Blue Ridge Adventure Wear, The Owl’s Nest and so much more. Two restaurants front the river — Twisted Tomato wood-fired pizza and Burra Burra — so visitors may enjoy a meal or drink on the patio overlooking the Toccoa.
Along the main streets of Toccoa Avenue in Georgia and Ocoee Street in Tennessee are shops, restaurants, a coffee shop and breweries. You may recognize some as second locations for Blue Ridge stores, such as the Rum Cake Lady Cuban Cafe and Blue Ridge Olive Oil.
Be sure to stop in the Folk Collaborative and Daffodillys Plant Co. for coffee, lunch, a wide variety of locally produced herbal products and, of course, plants. The Folk Collaborative’s main “apothecary,” where all their products are grown and assembled in the Appalachian tradition, exists a few miles from town on the Georgia side and demands a visit as well.
On the Water
If a meal along the water’s edge leans more toward nature, try a picnic lunch at Ron Henry Horseshoe Bend Park. Take the River Road on the Copperhill side and follow the Toccoa east along its winding route as it bends south, passing the Old Toccoa River Railroad Bridge. As soon as you enter Horseshoe Bend Park, you’ll likely spot fly fishermen in the shallow waters hoping for a trout to swim by, dogs enjoying an expansive dog park and folks hiking the walking trails. There are shady picnic pavilions here and a gazebo facing the Toccoa, plus an enclosed playground and opportunities for casual sports, such as volleyball.
If you take an afternoon on the river literally, outfitters such as Toccoa River Tubing Company and Rolling Thunder River Company offer seasonal whitewater rafting, paddling and tubing opportunities. When the weather turns toasty in summer — despite the mountainous terrain, this is the South — there’s nothing like a cool refreshing trip down the river.
Step in Two States
No stop in the twin cities of McCaysville and Copperhill would be complete without a selfie on the Blue Line that marks the boundary between Georgia and Tennessee. Visitors may literally place a foot in both states at once on the Copperhill side inside the Copperhill Brewery and the Copper Grill, on Grand Street near Yellowbird Coffee Shop (look for the marker) or the Hometown Foods IGA grocery store parking lot across Toccoa and Ocoee streets.
Catch a Train
Don’t feel like driving or want a unique experience on a real passenger train, make the journey to McCaysville on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. Choose your rail car—indoor, open or premier passenger car—then sit back and enjoy the 26 miles of mountain views as you parallel the Toccoa River into Copperhill. Blue Ridge Scenic Railway offers two travel packages: a two-hour ride up and back or the four-hour trip to spend two hours perusing both towns.
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Horseshoe Bend Park1156 River Road
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Horseshoe Bend Park
1156 River Road Mineral Bluff, GA 30559 Website