Activities
North Georgia Christmas Towns: Blue Ridge, Dahlonega, Helen and Ellijay Compared
Four North Georgia Christmas towns compared for 2026: tree lightings, parades, markets and the Santa train in Blue Ridge, Dahlonega, Helen and Ellijay.
Topic
Plan Your Visit to Ellijay
Expected 2027 festival dates, parking and shuttle details, picking seasons, foliage timing and a ready-made weekend itinerary.
Activities
Christmas in Blue Ridge, GA 2026: Parade, Tree Lighting and the Santa Train
Christmas in Blue Ridge, GA for 2026: Light Up Blue Ridge on Nov. 27-28, the 5:30 p.m. parade, the Great Tree, the Holiday Express train and how to plan it.
Plan Your Visit
Georgia Apple Festival 2027: Dates, Tickets, Parking and Tips
Planning for the 2027 Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay: expected October dates, admission, hours, shuttle parking, festival rules and tips for a better visit.
Activities
Foxfire Village Museum: Appalachian History Above Clayton
How a 1966 student magazine became the Foxfire books and an outdoor village museum on Black Rock Mountain, with current hours, prices and tips.
Great Outdoors
North Georgia Fall Color Guide: When and Where Leaves Peak
When fall color usually peaks in the North Georgia mountains, how to track Leaf Watch reports, and the best overlooks and drives near Ellijay.
Great Outdoors
Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway: A 40-Mile Mountain Loop from Helen
Drive the 40-mile Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway loop near Helen: Hogpen Gap, Brasstown Bald, Dukes Creek and Anna Ruby Falls, with stop-by-stop notes.
Plan Your Visit
A Fall Weekend in Ellijay: A Two-Day Itinerary
A flexible two-day fall itinerary for Ellijay: apple houses on GA-52, U-pick orchards, the Georgia Apple Festival, downtown, a hike or a paddle, and cider.
Food
Ellijay Apple Picking Calendar: What's Ripe and When
When to pick Gala, Honeycrisp, Mutsu, Rome, Pink Lady and Arkansas Black apples in Ellijay, plus how to read orchard reports and pick the best fruit.
Food
The Highway 52 Apple House Drive: An Ellijay Orchard Road Trip
Drive GA-52 East from Ellijay past R&A, Aaron Family, Mack Aaron's, B.J. Reece, Reece's Cider and Hillcrest, with stops in order and tips.
Activities
Helen, Georgia Guide: The Alpine Town, Oktoberfest and Nearby Falls
How a sawmill town became Georgia's Alpine village, what to know about Helen's Oktoberfest, and the parks and waterfalls just outside town.
Activities
Blue Ridge, Georgia Town Guide: History, Downtown and Lake Blue Ridge
Blue Ridge grew up around the railroad. A walking guide to its historic downtown, the story of Fannin County and what to know about Lake Blue Ridge.
Activities
Blue Ridge Scenic Railway Guide: Rides, Coaches, Holiday Train and Booking Tips
How the Blue Ridge train works: 2-hour and 4-hour Toccoa River rides, coach types, the 2026 Holiday Express, winter dates and how far ahead to book.
Great Outdoors
Lake Conasauga: Camping at Georgia's Highest Lake
Lake Conasauga is a 19-acre spring-fed lake near Grassy Mountain, the highest in Georgia. Camping fees, season dates, rules and directions from Ellijay.
Great Outdoors
Vogel State Park Guide: Trails, Cabins and Lake Trahlyta
Vogel is Georgia's second-oldest state park, at the foot of Blood Mountain. Trails, cabins and camping, and current notes on drained Lake Trahlyta.
Great Outdoors
Black Rock Mountain State Park: Georgia's Highest State Park
At 3,640 feet on the Eastern Continental Divide, Black Rock Mountain is Georgia's highest state park. Views, trails, camping and nearby Foxfire.
Plan Your Visit
Visiting Ellijay and North Georgia With Your Dog
Where dogs can and can't go around Ellijay: state park leash rules, dog-friendly cottages, orchards, forest trails, and the festivals and gardens that say no.
Activities
Dawsonville, Moonshine and the Roots of Stock Car Racing
How Dawson County moonshine runners helped give rise to stock car racing, and what to see at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in Dawsonville today.
Activities
Georgia Marble Country: The Story of Tate and Jasper
Pickens County marble went into the U.S. Capitol and the New York Stock Exchange. The history of the quarries at Tate, plus the yearly Marble Festival.
Activities
Downtown Ellijay Guide: The Square, Shops, Food and History
What to see and do in downtown Ellijay: the courthouse square, River Street, antiques and shops, local restaurants, galleries, museums and riverside parks.
Activities
Gibbs Gardens Guide: Hours, Tickets, Bloom Calendar and Rules
Planning a Gibbs Gardens visit: ticket prices, seasonal days and hours, the bloom calendar from daffodils to Japanese maples, and the rules to know first.
Activities
Dahlonega Gold Rush Guide: The Gold Museum and Georgia's First Boomtown
Georgia's 1829 gold rush started near Dahlonega. What happened, what the Dahlonega Gold Museum covers, hours and fees, and how to pair it with Ellijay.
Activities
Cherokee History in North Georgia: New Echota and the Chief Vann House
Two state historic sites west of Ellijay tell the story of the Cherokee Nation before removal: the capital at New Echota and the Chief Vann House.
Plan Your Visit
Georgia State Parks ParkPass: Costs, Discounts and Where It Works
How Georgia's $10 daily and $70 annual ParkPass work, which North Georgia parks need one, the senior and military discounts, and where the pass is not valid.
Food
How to Store a Bushel of Apples (and Make Them Last)
Bought a bushel in Ellijay? How to store apples cold and humid, which ones to eat first, plus how to freeze slices and can applesauce safely.