Blue Ridge, Georgia

The Baugh House Historic Museum is located in a home that Blue Ridge mason James W. Baugh built for his family in 1890 on West First Street. The house is architecturally significant as a "rare two-story masonry I-house residence with Folk Victorian-style elements." For the construction, James Baugh and his brothers, also masons, made their own bricks on site. The house and the property were deeded by the family to the city of Blue Ridge in 1987. Today, the Baugh House is a history museum managed by the Fannin County Heritage Foundation. Among significant exhibits, the museum has the first “library” in Blue Ridge, quilts and weaving looms in the textile rooms, stage artifacts, and much more.

425 W First St, Blue Ridge, GA 30513, Phone: 706-258-2645

A ride on the famous Blue Ridge Scenic Railway begins at the wonderfully restored train depot in charming downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia, constructed in 1905. The trip is 26 miles long and the round-trip takes about 4 hours, slowly winding along the scenic Toccoa River. You can choose to sit in the climate-controlled vintage rail cars or the open-air cars. The trip ends at the Blue Ridge’s charming sister towns McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee. Passengers stay about 2 hours in McCaysville/Copperhill, enough time to have lunch, shop for crafts and antiques, enjoy an ice cream, or take a walk across the lovely old bridge over the river.

241 Depot St, Blue Ridge, GA 30513, Phone: 877-413-8724

Owned and run by a Bavarian guy and his Georgian wife, Das Kaffee Haus, or The Coffee House, is a charming Old World coffee shop in downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia, that opened in 2016. Narrow and quirky, it has fun mismatched tables and chairs and is famous for serving the best coffee in town. They serve famous Batdorf & Bronson organic roasted beans and fresh loose leaf tea from Piper and Leaf. Guests can enjoy any of the fashionable beverages, such as a latte, mocha, espresso, cappuccino, frappe, smoothie, and much more. They also serve fantastic European desserts freshly made in-house, such as traditional apple strudel. There is also a nice outdoor space overlooking the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.

612 E Main St, Blue Ridge, GA 30513, Phone: 706-946-1111

Lake Blue Ridge is a 3,300-acre reservoir near the town of Blue Ridge in northern Georgia. The lake was created when Blue Ridge Dam was built in 1930 on the Toccoa River for the production of hydropower. The lake has about 60 miles of shoreline and its clear blue water makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area. The lake is surrounded by several accessible boat ramps, a number of campsites, a marina, and nice and clean picnic and swimming areas. Only about quarter of the lakeshore is developed and the rest of it is part of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The best beach for the kids is at Morganton Point, which is covered in smooth pebbles and is open from April to October. The area also has a boat ramp, a campground, a paddleboard and kayak rental place, showers, and bathrooms.

Long Creek Falls is a 50-foot-high fairly wide waterfall located near Three Forks in the beautiful Three Forks Valley in northern Georgia. The falls are part of the Chattahoochee National Forest and can be accessed from the Benton MacKaye Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Duncan Ridge Trail. Starting at Three Forks, this portion of the Appalachian Trail is one of the most beautiful in Georgia, and the falls are a popular weekend destination for Atlanta folks, especially in October, when the leaves start changing. Whichever hiking trail you choose, walking to the falls is a magical experience, strolling under a dense forest canopy of tulip poplar, hemlock, and rhododendron.

Fannin County, Blue Ridge, GA 30813

There is nothing like spending a day with the family picking apples. Now almost 70 years old, Mercier Orchards is one of the most beautiful orchards in the North Georgia mountains. A visit to the Mercier Orchard combines picking ripe mountain-grown apples with a hot country breakfast, their award-winning pies, and home-made apple cider. Mercier Orchard is a family-owned farm that has been in operation since 1943. Be prepared to wait in the line for the heavenly hot apple pies and cider. There is also a spacious store in the back, where the candy-coated apples are a kids’ favorite. The orchard often organizes public events and is even a popular venue for weddings.

8660 Blue Ridge Dr, Blue Ridge, GA 30513, Phone: 706-632-3411

Always wanted to drive a tank? You can do it at Tank Town USA near Morganton in northern Georgia. This fantastic heavy equipment playground will put you straight in the driver's seat of a military truck or on top of a tank and let you navigate a 5-acre course that has been designed to allow you to find out what these vehicles can do. This is an fast, exciting adventure for adrenaline junkies of all ages, even kids as low as 7 years old. Imagine what a birthday party that would be! A birthday ride includes a target shooting paintball competition, where both the winner and the birthday boy or girl get to ride around the grounds in a super-fast tank. Unless there is a special occasion, Tank Town USA is open Saturday and Sunday from April to November.

10408 Appalachian Hwy, Morganton, GA 30560, Phone: 706-633-6072

The Sweet Shoppe is a charming little shop on Main Street in Blue Ridge where two ladies show their customers how it's done in the South: Sweet delights of all kinds and colors combined with a large dose of Southern hospitality. They have a large range of chocolates, award-winning delicious pretzel bark, amazing truffles, and hundreds of flavors of cupcakes. Choosing just one might prove to be impossible: S'mores, chocolate lava fudge, peanut butter cup, banana pudding, and new ones coming all the time. All you see in the shop is made from scratch from the best possible ingredients. Their cupcakes are famous – they won Food Network's Cupcake Wars, so if you are passing through Blue Ridge, treat yourself to a sweet treat and enjoy some true Southern hospitality.

721 E Main St, Blue Ridge, GA 30513, Phone: 706-632-6886

The 270-foot-long swinging bridge over the Toccoa River is the longest swinging bridge east of the Mississippi River. The bridge can be reached via hiking two fun trails in Fannin County – the Benton MacKaye Trail and the Duncan Ridge National Recreation Trail. The bridge was constructed in 1977 by the USDA Forest Service and the Appalachian Trail Club as part of the extension of the Blue Ridge Parkway towards the Kennesaw Mountain. Hiking towards the bridge is a short and easy trip from both sides of the river through lovely Wilscot Valley, past historic Skeenah Falls and Mill through the pleasant shady canopy of the old trees.

Located less than 6 miles from the town of Blue Ridge, Blue Ridge Adventure Park is a challenging obstacle course that features suspended bridges, climbing walls, tight ropes, ziplines, and other obstacles for any age and skill level. Participants are clipped to a safety line during the course. There are four obstacle courses of various difficulty levels, nine ziplines, and two quick jumps. For the little ones between the ages of four and five who can reach at least 65 inches, there is a ground level course. The obstacle courses are designed to challenge participants physically and mentally. A helmet and a harness are obligatory on the course.

2087 E 1st St, Blue Ridge, GA 30513, Phone: 800-251-4800