Accomodations
The Blue Ridge Lodge & Spa - North Georgia's Premier Luxury Accomodations in Blue Ridge, GA. Gorgeous Mountain Views and close to Historic Downton Blue Ridge.
Apple Orchards
Mercier Orchards- Mercier Orchards is Southern Living Magazine's "favorite roadside apple market," according to the October, 2002 edition. Offering a variety of apples and vegetables in the North GA Mountains.
B.J. Reece Apple House- a family owned and operated business. The business first began in 1960. It was started by (B.J.) Boyd Jackson Reece
Panorama Orchards - Panorama Orchards is a family fruit farm established in the 1920's to produce and market apples. Today we have available more than 20 varieties of apples, as well as peaches, and fall vegetables. This production, along with a variety of apple related product and baked goods from our own kitchens, is sold direct to the public at our farm market.
R & A Orchard - R & A Orchard had its beginning in 1947 when Ann Futch’s father and mother Leonard and Della Payne planted their first trees in Gilmer County . Roger and Ann Futch joined the operation in 1969, making an addition to the orchard. In 1972, R & A Orchard opened its Roadside Market.
Calendar of Events
Upcoming Events In The Fannin County Area
"Barefoot Forest Ranger" Arthur Woody made an extraordinary contribution to Fannin County and all of the north Georgia mountains when he fought to create and protect the vast resources of the Chattahoochee National Forest in the early 1900's. Woody, a Fannin County native, helped replenish the dwindling population of whitetail deer in the forest and introduced new species of non-native trout in the streams. His work was the foundation for the richness of the Georgia mountain experience today.
The Chattahoochee National Forest covers 749,689 acres in north Georgia, managed by six ranger districts. Over 40 percent of the land in Fannin County is national forest land (106,000 acres). 40,006 acres are located in the Cohutta Ranger District and 66,097 in the Toccoa Ranger District. The forest began when the forest service purchased 31,000 acres in Fannin, Lumpkin and Union Counties from the Gennett family in 1911 for $7 per acre.
The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests have 37 developed recreation areas, 500 developed campsites, 200 picnic sites, 6 swim beaches and 530 miles of trails. There are more than 500 wildlife and fish species in the forest. Almost 100 percent of cold water stream fishing on public lands occurs within the Chattahoochee national forest. 90,000 fishermen generate over $43 million in revenue for Georgia from national forest land.* The forest receives more than 10 million visitors each year.
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. Blue Ridge 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. In the early years, at different times, there were five hotels and several boarding houses in downtown Blue Ridge.
For fun in the outdoors the Cohutta Wilderness Area cannot be beat. With more than 40,000 acres in Georgia and Tennessee (where its known as Big Frog Wilderness Area), the Cohuttas comprise the largest wilderness east of the Mississippi.
The Cohutta Mountains are part of the oldest known mountains in the world. They run from Fannin County northeast to the Tennessee-North Carolina border, where they are known as the Smoky Mountains, and once bordered a prehistoric ocean. It is from these mountains that the Cohutta Wilderness Area gets its name. As settlers moved west they avoided these mountains because of difficult access and scant level ground for farming. Only a few hardy Scot-Irish settlers scratched out a meager existence in this section of Appalachia.
Around 1900, the Cohuttas became one of the last areas of Georgia to be forested. Logging continued in these areas until World War II when the federal government took over management of the land. In 1976, 36,000 acres were deemed wilderness. Since that time more wilderness area has been added.
The crystal clear aquamarine waters of Lake Blue Ridge make it one of Georgia's most picturesque mountain lakes. The 3,290-acre lake and surrounding area boast over 90 national forest campsites, several boat ramps, a full-service marina and public swimming and picnic areas. 80 percent of the shoreline on Lake Blue Ridge is in the Chattahoochee National Forest, managed by the USDA Forest Service.
Blue Ridge reservoir is 11 miles long and has 65 miles of shoreline, 25 percent of which is developed. The lake was formed when Blue Ridge Dam was constructed on the Toccoa River in 1930 by the Toccoa Electric Power Company. At the time it was built, the dam was the largest earthen dam in the Southeast. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) purchased the facility in 1939 for hydroelectric power production.