Vacationing is one of my favorite things to do, and I have to say, this year and last I definitely haven’t had enough of it. I truly believe we all need time away from the norm of our everyday routine and environment to find ourselves again and maintain our sanity. Blue Ridge, GA is one of our favorite spots to do just that. I’m excited to share my favorite spots and recommendations with you all in today’s Blue Ridge, GA travel guide!
Blue Ridge is great for all your typical outdoor activities. From hiking and fishing to tubing, shooting, and all your standard outdoor sports, this is what you get a lot of around here.
While the outdoor experience is great and abundant, we all still want to find a good spot to eat and drink when we’re on our own time. Being that this was our third visit, we opted to try some new and old favorites this go-round. I included all of my favorite recommendations for the Blue Ridge, GA travel guide below!
Grumpy Old Men Brewing
Grumpy Old Men Brewing was one of the places we stopped at our first time in Blue Ridge, Ga. It’s a small spot with their own beer and cider on tap, along with a few favorites. It’s also right off the main street of downtown Blue Ridge, so it’s close to everything and worth a stop (and a drink) on your stroll.
Cartecay Vineyards
Wine tasting, need I say more? This cute little vineyard is about 20 minutes outside of downtown Blue, Ridge, GA. Its elevation, soil, and climate all make for fine grapes, and consequently fine wine. I sampled the Sangria, which is not what you would expect from a sangria in that its not quite as sweet. I also tried the “Sassy Sisters,” a red with a bite, and Scarlett, which is a sweeter red that ended up being my favorite. I even brought a bottle home with me!
One thing to keep in mind when planning your trip to Blue Ridge, GA, is that all of the businesses tend to have different hours. Most of the wineries and some of the restaurants are actually closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Cartecay Vineyards is one of the only wineries we found that was open 7 days a week!
The Pink Pig BBQ
While this was not one of the stops we could make because they were closed during the beginning of the week, it comes HIGHLY recommended. I have my eyes set on the BBQ nachos, and I can assure you I WILL try them next time!
Mercier Orchards
While you can pick up local cider and fruit wines from Mercier Orchards, we typically stop here for their baked goods and apples. This is by far my favorite place on the list, and for good reason! The orchard has been around for around 80 years and started much smaller with a Husband and wife couple. Over the years it has grown into what it is today, and sits on 300 acres with tons of apple trees, offering something for everyone.
Mercier Orchards of course sells apples, but they also sell apple butter, apple cider, (and the hard version,) apple pies, apple cider donuts, and quite literally anything else you could possibly dream of. I save my calories for this stop because I love their apple cider donuts and mini homemade pies. We also grabbed an assortment of their ciders, because they offer the option to create your own 4 pack. We sampled the grumpy granny, the number 3, which is the original, and Adeles choice, which was light and crisp.
The Sweet Shoppe of the South
If you like cupcakes, you HAVE to stop at this cute little spot in downtown Blue Ridge, GA! This place reminds me of a Hallmark movie. It’s the cutest little spot, in the cutest little downtown, with lots of southern hospitality! Did I mention they also won Cupcake Wars? You had me at Hallmark.
Hiking the trails
Eating and drinking are always great, but quite honestly we can get a lot of that at home in Saint Petersburg and Tampa. The reason we drive to the mountains is to get away and live a simpler life for a few days. It’s nice to not always have reception or be surrounded by people non-stop, and it’s something I’ve truly come to love and enjoy. That’s probably why Blue Ridge, GA has become one of my favorite places to getaway.
We like to be outside and hike, shoot, and roam. Blue Ridge offers some of the BEST trails, with quick hikes to some of their waterfalls, or scenic hikes to the swinging bridge. Depending on your skill level or how much time you want to invest, you can pick and choose the routes you want to tackle. Check out the National Park Service trails to see what you’re up for!
Air BNB
I have to be honest, this is the first time we airbnbd instead of renting from one of the local cabin companies. It did not disappoint, and I 100% attribute that to the owners and hosts of our stay. The cabin we rented sits on 120 acres of private land for you to roam, and comes with a much more personalized experience than anything we have had before.
When you check-in, you’ll meet Mike, and his sweet dog Buster who likes to check on you here and there and say hello. He let us know they created a book of Q & A’s for the cabin, which came with our own map of the private trail on the property equipped with a fishing hole, a private island with a wooden bridge, and plenty of little cozy spots to lounge by the Elijay river. It also comes with other amenities like a hot tut tub and fire pit and was impeccably clean with the comforts of home.
Did I mention, it has its own shooting range? My husband and I like to shoot for target practice, but don’t worry, we have our concealed and take gun safety very seriously. The property has its own outdoor range where you can shoot whatever you like, as long as you pick up your casings. This was obviously a huge selling point for us when searching, and it was well worth it. In all honesty, we probably felt safer being this was a self-controlled environment.
If you are interested in renting the Air b n b we stayed at, you can check their availability here.
I hope you enjoy the recommendations in my Blue Ridge, GA travel guide! If you stop in at any of these places, I’d love to hear what you think! Have you ever been to Blue Ridge, GA? Do you like the small-town vibes?
Share your favorite travel destinations and recommendations with me below!
