Spring Break in Blue Ridge, Georgia
For various reasons, it had been over a year since our family went on a vacation. We decided to book a spring break trip 3 weeks before we were set to leave. We chose Blue Ridge, Georgia because we love being in the mountains and for its shorter drive for us (as opposed to North Carolina). We knew we’d be hiking and exploring the small, mountain downtown areas. The train ride and orchard were the activities that made this trip unique.
For past vacations, I would make the boys custom coloring books with road trip activities and a map of where we would be driving. This helped them learn the different states and I believe, minimized how many times we were asked if we were almost there. I’d also include pictures of the activities we had planned so they knew what to look forward to doing once we were there. Afterwards, the coloring books became mementos of the memories we made.
Since the boys are 10 and almost 8, I figured they might not be into the idea of a coloring book anymore. Plus, it’s easier for them to get car sick now so I wanted something more practical. This year, I created this button pack to commemorate the trip. We had a great time taking each one out after the different locations and snapping a picture. Jacob decided to leave his on his hiking stick. Jonah is probably going to add his buttons to his backpack for school.
Itinerary
To accommodate more activities, we left at 3:45 am on Thursday morning and arrived at Amicalola Falls State Park just before lunchtime. Here’s what we did…
Thursday
8-hour drive
Amicalola Falls
Long Creek Falls
Check into AirBNB
Friday
10 am - 2 pm: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
Explore Downtown Blue Ridge
Toccoa River Swing Bridge
Saturday
Springer Mountain
Mercier Orchards
Sunday (Easter)
Check out of AirBNB
8-hour drive
AirBNB
Hemlock Haven is the perfect getaway for a family of four or pair of couples. The cabin has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The hosts, Van & Pam, thought of everything you’d need and their attention to detail was wonderful. We chose this location for the amenities and options they provided: pets allowed ($60 pet fee billed separately), self check-in, entire cabin to yourself, hot tub, electric indoor fireplace, fire pit out back, and washer/dryer. They do limit reservations to 4 guests. We stayed for 3 nights (their minimum length). Check-in was at 4 pm and checkout was 10 am.
The cabin was beautiful and very cozy. We enjoyed warming up by the fireplace inside. The hottub did take a while to heat up but was really fun, especially after dark. We enjoyed turning off the patio lights and looking up at the stars. Pool towels were provided.
We grilled dinner every night and every utensil/cookware item we needed was also provided. Van & Pam even included marshmallow roasting sticks for the fire pit out back.
Tha cabin was easy to find and was conventiently located near various shopping places for everything else you might need. We got groceries from both Ingles and Walmart.
Amicalola Falls State Park
280 Amicalola Falls State Park Road Dawsonville, GA 30534
Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Saturday–Sunday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. EST
All vehicles entering Amicalola State Park require a $5 GA State Park Pass.
Amicalola Falls State Park is a popular destination for both waterfall enthusiasts and hikers of the Appalachian Trail. The best way to see the falls is to park at the West Ridge Falls Access and walk the .3 miles along the smooth pathway up to the observation deck (highlighted in red in the picture above). Here is a copy of the full park map.
Long Creek Falls
I forgot how easy it is to lose cellular signal in the mountains. What we should have done is what we eventually did on Saturday morning to get to the Springer Mountain Summit hike. Instead, we used GPS to go to the only trail it would pick up on Springer Mountain and ended up at Long Creek Falls instead. We weren’t mad about seeing the additional falls, but it wasn’t our intended destination.
This additional trail would have gotten us to the summit, but it would have been 3 miles longer than planned and we were running out of daylight. We opted to see the falls and attempt the summit hike another day.
The hike begins off USFS Road 58 and relatively easy to hike. There are several intersections, but the falls are clearly marked and easy to find. There are large rocks near the falls that would make a great picnic location. The boys enjoyed climbing on and around them.
Blue Ridge Scenic Railway
241 Depot Street Blue Ridge, GA 30513
The train has the option of booking tickets on open and closed coach cars. The open air coaches do not have windows and we really enjoyed the weather. There is also an option of a 2-hour express tour ($46 - $60 per ticket) or 4-hour option (2-hour layover in McCaysville, GA/Copperhill TN, $53 - $75 per ticket). We chose the 4-hour option. They also offer teacher, first responder, military, and senior discounts. For the four of us to ride in car 2975, it costs just over $200.
The railway recommends guests arrive 45 minutes before departure as parking can be a problem. We got to downtown Blue Ridge just after 9 o’clock and found a spot pretty quickly. We did beat the rush. As soon as we got in line, the line exceeded the end of the sidewalk and began to wrap down the street. The line moved quickly since the ticket office had everything prepared and printed ahead of time. We provided our last name and received our tickets.
Since we were so early, we were going to grab a coffee at a downtown shop. However, we were not certain if we could bring food/drinks onboard. We did learn after the fact that you can. We were encouraged to bring lunch back with us after the layover in McCaysville and Copperhill so we’d have enough time to shop. This is what we ended up doing.
Boarding begins 30 mins before departure. Tickets are sorted by platforms A - D, which makes boarding faster. The seats were first come, first served. The car consisted of four long benches running down the middle of the car and facing towards the open windows. The sides were labeled mountain and river. After the layover, we were asked to switch sides so that everyone would get to see all of the scenery. We all agreed, the river side is more scenic. While we sat on the mountain side first, it was nice to see the river side when it was more sunny on the way back.
There is a concession car located in the middle of the train (and happened to be located behind our car). The concessions included coffee, hot apple cider, and hot chocolate. They had fresh popped popcorn and beverage coolers for cold drinks. They had a variety of individual servings of chips and other snacks, as well as candy. They also sold souvenirs, blankets, and jackets.
The car hosts shared details about local history and the landmarks we saw along the way. It was amazing to see the sense of community surrounding the railway. There were several cabins near the tracks and the people inside would come out and wave when they heard the train horn. Most of these people were also staying in Airbnbs or similar rental arrangements, but some of the people were addressed by name by our car host and we were encouraged to wave and say hello to them. One was Miss Linda who lives just outside of McCaysville. The car host talked about the mining culture in Copperhill and knew a lot about the local families. He even showed us a picture of an 18 pound trout he caught in the Toccoa River. Riding on the train along the Toccoa River made hiking it later that same afternoon even more exciting.
Downtown Maps
Downtown McCaysville/Copperhill
When arriving on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway on the 4-hour option, travelers have a 2-hour layover in the twin cities of McCaysville, GA and Copperhill, TN. The time frame is great for either sitting down to lunch OR browsing the small shops. We did find a deli counter and grabbed lunch to eat on the train ride back.
The first shop we stopped at was Coppermine Candle Co. The sales associate shared that the candles double as lotion. She held a lit candle out to us and we dipped our fingers in the melted wax. Surprisingly, the wax was not hot. She then encouraged us to rub the melted wax (lotion) on our hands. It was clearly made of shea butter and had a nice frangrance. We ended up purchasing three different candles: Lemoncello, Lavender, and Lime in the Coconut.
Next, we found Blue Ridge Olive Oil & Tupelo Tea. There were so many different types of oils and vinegars I didn’t know existed. They had all kinds of cute gift sets. We even picked up pasta, an alfredo sauce packet, a tuscan bread dip packet, and traditional olive oil and balsamic vinegar gift set. We used all of this to make dinner that night back at the cabin and grilled some chicken to go with it. It was delicious. In the spirit of being in Georgia, we also purchased a Georgia Peach tea.
Afterwards, we headed to the other side of town to Deaf Man Vinyl. Jonah received a record player last year for his birthday and has been collecting vinyls. They had a great variety of newer and older artists/songs. They had new copies and used copies for sale. Jonah didn’t find anything he wanted, but the vibe in the shop was fun.
Check out my iced chai tea latte recipe.
Since we weren’t finding anything for lunch that could be easily taken back to the train, we decided to stop at Yellow Bird Coffee Shop. I loved the vintage atmosphere. Brandon got a medium hot mocha and I got a medium iced chai tea latte. The barista asked if I wanted it dirty (an extra shot), which I accepted. We also got a cherry and cheese danish, a cinammon roll, and a chocolate chip cookie to split. We ended up eating these as dessert on the train after we ate our lunch.
The last store we went to was The Folk Collaborative & Daffodilly’s Plant Co. The first thing I found was a pair of monstera earrings. Then, I noticed that all of the plants were named, not scientifically, but with personalities and human names. My favorite was one was named Ruby. I almost went back to get her, but I have a habit of buying plants not suitable for the environment I actually live in (humid/tropical). She might have been fine, but I didn’t have time to make an informed decision. I also picked up some loose leaf chai tea and a cinnamon apricot tea. I haven’t tried either, yet, but they smell amazing! We also got lunch from the deli/bakery counter here. Jonah and I split a chicken salad on croissant sandwich. Jacob and Brandon split a chicken caesar and feta wrap. The sandwiches each came with a bag of chips that both boys ate.
We made it back to the train with 15 minutes to spare, picked ideal seats, and finished our lunches as we rolled out of the station.
Downtown Blue Ridge
After we disembarked from the train, we found a public restroom right behind the ticket office. This was a great stop because most of the downtown shops didn’t have one for us to use. We backtracked to the corner opposite the ticket office and then began our loop of downtown Blue Ridge.
The first place we stopped was The Sweet Shoppe of the South. The sign outside signaled to us they won season 6 of Cupcake Wars for their S’more cupcake. Of course, we had to give it a try. The chocolate cake was the perfect sweetness without being too rich. The cake itself had a lightness and comforting denseness at the same time (clearly, I’m not a food critic - everything tasted so perfectly balanced). The cupcake was decorated adorably as well.
The next store we went into was unmarked and super charming. Jonah and I were both drawn to the really old copies of various classics. They were so pretty and obviously treasured. I had to look it up when we got home. The store was Blue Ridge Booksellers. Brandon doublechecked with me on the way out because it’s rare for us to go in and not purchase any books, but I couldn’t decide which one I wanted more and knew I’d end up buying more books then we had room to pack. One day, I’m going back and finding a first edition of something good.
After the bookstore, we went into Blue Ridge Adventure Wear. I wanted to find Blue Ridge shirts for the boys. We ended up finding shirts and hats. I was surprised to find two designs that fit the boys personalities perfectly. Jonah’s tee has a geometric design on it and Jacob’s was colorful. Jonah pointed out on our hike later that day that both shirts featured a bear. He liked they had that in common. The shirts ended up being a great purchase. We went from temperatures in the 30s that morning boarding the train to the 70s that afternoon when we hiked to the Toccoa River Swinging Bridge. Jacob was adamant about getting a hat with a mountains on it. Jonah’s hat is an adorable color, matches his shirt well, and is a youth size.
The last store we stopped into was Tupelo Tea. The store itself is set up like a coffee shop and sells iced and hot teas to go. It wasn’t until after we ordered, we realized there was a small case where loose leaf teas could be purchased. It was also after ordering a wild strawberry tea and passionfruit green tea and saw the logo that I realized this was the same tea company we had shopped in McCaysville. After leaving the tea shop, we also found the same oil company as well. The redundancy in the shops and the advancing hour of the afternoon encouraged us to get on with our hike. We snapped our button pictures and then got in the car.
Toccoa River Swinging Bridge
The mistake we made on Thursday with trying to hike to the summit of Springer Mountain and making it to Long Creek Falls instead was not utilizing the AllTrails app. You can get a 7-day free trial of the app, which allows you to download the trails. If you have an Apple Watch, you can also see several screens on your watch, including the trail and your current location in the area. Another helpful feature is when you’re not at the trailhead, yet. You can click start like you’re going to begin your hike. Except the app will notice you’re not in the correct location and offer to navigate you to the start. You can then allow Apple Maps to open and follow the directions to the correct trailhead. For the Springer Mountain summit, Forest Service Road 42 was correct. However, at the time, my Apple Maps alone could only find Fire Service Road 58, which is how we ended up at the wrong beginning.
For the Toccoa River Swinging Bridge hike we used AllTrails to navigate us to the trailhead on FS 816 (Tooni Gap Rd). The ride up the mountain to the trailhead was a bit bumpy. 4-wheel drive is definitely recommended, especially if it has recently rained. We saw a Toyota Camry having a very hard time getting there.
The hike was .8 miles long and took us to the 270-foot-long suspension bridge. The boys enjoyed the terrain on the other side of the bridge more than anything. There was a small waterfall/creek leading down the hill to the river. They enjoyed jumping from rock to rock. The boys also enjoyed checking to see how chilly the water felt. To me, it was like spring water (maybe 72-ish degrees).
Springer Mountain Summit Hike
Springer Mountain Trailhead: Forest Service Road 42, Blue Ridge, GA 30513
Just under 2 miles
We decided to begin Saturday morning with our hike instead of saving the hike for the afternoon like the previous two days. This time we used the AllTrails app to navigate us to the correct trailhead off of FS 42. We knew we were in the right spot when we saw a parking lot instead of just parallel parking along the fire service road. Again, the AllTrails app will allow you to download the trail map to your phone (and Apple Watch) beforehand if you have the membership (or free trial).
The beginning of the trail is across the fire service road and begins rather smoothly. The terrain gets more rocky and seems to always be somewhat muddy. The boys enjoyed using their hiking sticks and boots to test loose rocks and avoid the muddier portions of the trail.
The plaque for the Appalachian Trail is on the lower ledge of some rocks. The trail leads you up behind these rocks, so you have to look for it. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see this view (pictured to the right). The opposite view is somewhat like a field surrounded by trees.
The rocks at the top were also the perfect location and opportunity for a break to eat lunch. We packed deli sandwiches, which we ate at the summit before heading back down the mountain. I was glad I brought my sweater. While I didn’t need it during the hike, the breeze at the summit was cold. In fact, the boys kept mentioning they could hear the waterfall. Then we realized it was the wind rustling through the trees they were hearing.
The rocks and elevation change are the only thing that make the trail moderately challenging. However, we started calling the boys mountain goats because they seemed to manage it with no issues. Although, Jonah took a few small tumbles on the way down. It’s always the smaller rocks that get you.
Mercier Orchards
Hours: 9 am - 5 pm
The first thing we did when we got to the orchard was walk around outside. The weather was beautiful and so was the scenery. We walked around the retention pounds and snapped some pictures with our buttons. Then, we went inside to shop the market - and shop we did. Seriously, anything and everything apple you can think of, they had it. Jacob even purchased an apple chapstick. They had jams, syrups, ciders, candles, soaps, breads, donuts, pastries, every variety of produce apple you’d expect to see. Jonah got a frozen apple cider. We grabbed an apple cider donut, apple fritter, cinnamon roll, and blueberry hand pie from the bakery. We cut each in quarters and took a piece of each for our own take on a dessert flight. The boys surprised us by liking the apple fritter the best. Brandon and I agreed the apple fritter was the best. The donut came in 2nd.
We also purchased a cinnamon apple bread from the bakery, which we made into french toast on our last morning in Blue Ridge. This also happened to be Easter.
After we put our goods in the car, we went to the bar to get a cider and wine flight. The fruit wine is what I imagine Herb Ertlinger’s fruit wine from Schitt’s Creek tastes like. I’m seriously still struggling with the acid reflux. The cider, however, was delicious. They offer 3 cider flights and we tried every one of them.
The wine flight consisted of apple, blueberry, strawberry, and peach. We had previously joked about me drinking too much and embarassing the boys with a rendition of Strawberry Wine while in the orchard. The boys don’t mind me singing it at home, but they were not ready for it there. Jonah surprised me when he started to sing it when we began sipping from that cup.
Cider Flight #2
Black Bee - dry with a honey finish
Legends - sweet tart finish, bold apple flavor
Lone Tree - crimson crisp apples, cinnamon & nutmeg
Sneaky Jack - sweet, bold apple, smoky bourbon finish
Cider Flight #1
Adele’s Choice - dry, tart finish
Cold Day in Hops - light, clean taste, hoppy
Grumpy Granny - granny smith apples, tart
Old #3 - sweet, their original & most popular
Cider Flight #3
Bohemian Raspberry - semi-sweet and tart, crisp finish
Apple Bramble - smooth blackberry, tart apple finish
Just Peachy - sweet peachy flavor
Jalapeacho - sweet peach with the heat of peppers
We ended up liking Granny, Old #3, and the Bohemian Raspberry the best. Unfortunately, the raspberry wasn’t available in the cans, so we ended up purchasing a 6 pack of the Grumpy Granny, Old #3, and Adele’s Choice.
Overall, this was an amazing vacation. We enjoyed the quality time together and opportunity to escape the Florida heat. Exploring the downtown shops and hiking the mountains were equally enjoyable. The boys were unbelievably well behaved and traveling with the dogs was easier than we predicted. We enjoyed the beautifully decorated and cozy cabin. I see us returning there in the future for another quiet family retreat.
