The quaint mountain town of Blue Ridge, Georgia, lies 90 miles north of Atlanta, 85 miles southeast of Chattanooga, and 136 miles west of Asheville, North Carolina ... but it is worlds away from the traffic, smog, and stress of big city life.
The town was founded in 1886 as a result of the arrival of the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad. Because of the railroad, Blue Ridge developed as a center of business and in 1895 the county seat was moved from Morganton to Blue Ridge.
The town of Blue Ridge was once considered an elite health resort because of its pure mineral waters. Tourists would ride the train to town, eat dinner at the Blue Ridge Hotel, and take a leisurely walk to the mineral springs after dinner. Today, tourists can still ride the train and take a leisurely walk along Main Street, enjoying the antique and specialty shops, galleries, restaurants and small town atmosphere of Blue Ridge.
The Depot
The railroad depot remains the central focus in downtown Blue Ridge.
Although the first depot burned, the present station was built in 1906. One of the favorite activities of the day was to meet the train - whether meeting a passenger or just socializing with friends.
Blue Ridge City Park is the heart of downtown Blue Ridge. The park encompasses two blocks and is a popular place for picnics, community gatherings and festivals.
It is also home to a family of roosters, hens and chicks! Carriage rides are available at the park on weekends.
The historic Fannin County Courthouse was built in 1937, after the previous courthouse burned in 1936.
The courthouse is now the home of the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association.
Just as visitors during the early 1900's journeyed to Blue Ridge by train to enjoy the health resort's pure mineral waters, today's growing numbers of tourists are coming to the historic Blue Ridge area to shop for Appalachian arts and crafts, pottery, quilts, antiques, mountain home furnishings, apples, smoked trout, and even hand-made alpaca sweaters and shawls.
Artists are attracted to the Georgia mountains because the peace and quiet, misty mountains and clear starry nights provide time, tranquility and inspiration for creating wonderful art, from tradition arts and crafts to contemporary painting and sculpture. Examples -- blacksmithing, pottery making, wood carving, weaving, folk art and jewelry, handcrafted furniture, watercolor and oil painting, hand blown glass -- all produced by fine local artists and craftsmen.
Serious antique shoppers can spend hours or days snooping through a growing number of shops and antique malls from Blue Ridge to McCaysville and back. Blue Ridge's Main Street is dotted with unique specialty shops, galleries and eateries from one end to the other.
And speaking of eating ...
Eating traditional southern Appalachian foods is part of the fun when you visit the Blue Ridge area. The favorite, of course, is local mountain trout -- fried, broiled, pecan-crusted, smoked -- pick your variety. There is apple everything - apple bread, apple butter, fried apple pies, apple cider, you need to taste them all! And, of course, there's Georgia ice cream -- i.e., grits -- for breakfast, along with hot cat-head biscuits with honey or sorghum syrup, BBQ ribs, country ham, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, watermelon ... well, you get the idea.
You'll find fine dining on the banks of the Toccoa River or in downtown Blue Ridge or McCaysville. There are lots of choices for a big southern meal, or "meat and three." Just for fun, there's a 50's style malt shop, Victorian tea room (for the "red hat" gang), a river shack, ice cream shoppe and several deli's to choose from. Of course, there's wonderful Italian food and pizza, plus several excellent Chinese and Mexican restaurants for variety. Oh -- and lots of fast food for the kids.
Some folks prefer to kick back and relax in the cabin with a romantic picnic supper from some fantastic gourmet catering shops. Or buy some homegrown tomatoes at a roadside stand and make tomato sandwiches for lunch! In any event -- eating is an experience in the Georgia mountains. It's part of the trip!
If you are planning a trip to the Blue Ridge area, you may find some of our recent blog entries helpful. You'll find stories about the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, Mercier's Orchard, the Southern Tree Farm, and the Ocoee Whitewater Center, to name just a few ... and we'll be featuring new attractions on a regular basis.
Labels: Blue Ridge GA Things To Do, Blue Ridge Georgia, Blue Ridge Restaurants, history of Blue Ridge, Shopping in Blue Ridge
