Anyone visiting the Blairsville/BlueRidge Ga Area ya'll must stop in to the Pappy's Plaza they have…read morea little bit of everything ! They had tubing just $10 a person for cash and they had kayaks you can rent to go down the creek and it is sooo relaxing . Then you can stroll around the big store grab an ice cream find some neat treasures and local crafted items . The staff and owners make you feel like family ! Oh and I also got to feed the fish in the creek it was so much fun and my granddaughter loved it so much . And I was able to kickback and relax on the huge back porch listening to the creek and eat our ice cream !!! A must see and a place to stop on your way into Blairsville ga .

Such a hidden gem ! something for everyone ! we stopped on our way to Helen and Vogel state park …read more Art gallery with jewelry , and antiques . Ice cream shop .tubing and fudge shop . the kids got to feed the fish in the river ! only 10$ to go tubing when others charge 18$ . crafts made by local artisans . there truly is so much to see here !

Beautiful park to walk, run, hold events or go to their events. They have a fitness trail type…read moresetup. Lots of gorgeous scenery to take photos of. Parking was easy. No charge to visit. Seems like a popular place, which I can understand after visiting. There is a really cool old historical water wheel. Sometimes it's running. Sometimes not. Apparently people hide painted rocks here on occasion as well. No pets allowed though sadly.

Found a few good shots of flowers and mushrooms at Meeks Park that I had previously taken.read more

Great place to go for a picnic. Also the kids will enjoy the beach. beautiful lake viewread more

Great place to visit,kids can have fun play grounds for ur lil ones .it's the place where u and the…read morekids enjoy.nothing like wearing the kids out they'll sleep so well plus u have the Georgia mountain fair grounds directly across the street we'd take kids there first then to the beach it's a full day of enjoyment

We came yesterday and I genuinely can't stop thinking about how special it was…read more I called last minute in the afternoon after my little one woke up from his nap, not really expecting much -- but they fit us in that same day. From the moment we arrived, Ray made us feel so welcome. He had the horse ready for us, walked us through everything, and was so patient and attentive making sure my little one felt safe and comfortable the whole ride. You could tell he genuinely loves what he does. What we didn't expect was everything that came after. We got to explore the petting zoo, meet the farm animals, and then a staff member came over and introduced us to a baby goat that was only a few days old, my little one's face was absolutely priceless. And then the moment that made this visit truly unforgettable, while my son was laughing away on the horse shaped tire swing, I glanced over and noticed a wobbly little goat behind us. Turns out we were witnessing a mama goat giving birth right there in front of us. Completely unplanned, totally magical. My little one got a nature lesson he'll probably never forget. This place has the most wonderful energy and the staff clearly care deeply about both the animals and their guests. We will absolutely be back. Highly recommend!

This place was so awesome. I 100% recommend checking them out if you're visiting BLue Ridge…read more Hunter, Emily, and Mandie were so friendly and made the experience so enjoyable. We got there early and got to pet the goats and feed them. There were chickens, ducks, and bunnies. Emily and Hunter had their cute dogs there who were fun to play with. The instructions were fast but easy to learn and our ride went super well. Thank you for great customer service and a great experience!

Amazing!!! We were already big fans of Noontootla and now to have this charming restaurant onsite,…read moreis a double bonus! The food was delicious, we started with the fried green tomatoes and wings, so so good! And the club sandwich with fries was prefection!!Perfect spot for lunch. We can't wait to come back and try all the items on the menu. The restaurant is so charming and beautiful and the service was top notch!

Absolutely wonderful! Took my brother and his groomsmen here for their bachelor weekend fun. The…read moreentire staff was welcoming and hospitable. It was out first time clay shooting and boy oh boy it was an absolute blast! We travel to blue ridge at least once a year and we for sure will be making this a stop every time we come to town. Thank you for a memorable day and experience we couldn't ask for anything better!

Venue Smithgall Woods State Park ( Smithgall Cottages) 5 out of 5 stars…read more After copious amounts of research and several venue tours, we decided on Smithgall Woods state park, and more specifically the cottages as the venue for our wedding on June 8th. We just have to say we loved the team we worked with at Smithgall, mainly Todd, Patty, and Art. Todd at Guestservices was simply fantastic! As he will be quick to mention "the venue sells itself", however having him as our man on the inside was a pretty huge selling point on its own. He was with us every step of the way to answer our plethora of questions, work with vendors, and generally keep our minds at ease. Honestly, I doubt the wedding weekend would have gone as smoothly and been as much of a success had it not been for Todd's guidance and cooperation. The venue is magical. I know how that sounds, but it's the truth. It's tucked away deep in the beautiful North Georgia mountains, surrounded by a lush forest teaming with wildlife. This majestic property consists of five "cottages", in quotations because they are more like log cabin style mansions. The two largest being; the expansive 4 bedroom 4.5 bathroom cottage called the Smithgall Cottage, and the even larger 5 bedroom 5 bathroom Dover cottage. The Creekside Cottage is 3 bedrooms, and The Laurel and Garden cottages are one bedroom cottages with hot tubs on secluded side porches. All the cottages were clean, modern, and a huge hit with our guests. We were able to house both our families, close friends and wedding party all on the same property. Which saved us a great deal on lodging. Which after factoring in the cost of rooms made this one of the more affordable wedding venues out there. Also you get it for the whole weekend!!! We used the Smithgall Cottage for our wedding location due to the large wrap around porch and decks, and also due to the picturesque, covered foot bridge under which flows a gorgeous champion trout stream. We had some difficulty deciding where on this property to hold our ceremony because it is simply lovely all over. Unfortunately, the record rainfall that weekend made the decision for us. Even though the storms limited our use of the enormous field in front of the Dover cottage, and the gardens next to Smithgall we still were able to comfortably host our 50 or so guests and dozen vendors, at the Smithgall Cottage and our ceremony and reception went along wonderfully. We would highly recommend this venue to anyone wishing to have a once in a lifetime event at a once in a lifetime location.

I came here to see the covered bridge, but discovered they have so much more…read more THE SCENE Smithgall Woods may not be someplace Georgians are familiar with, unless you are an avid hunter or trout fisherman. It was once private property that was gifted to the state by conservationist Charles A. Smithgall Jr. in 1994. A large section still remains private property for the Smithgall family, but what was gifted is a treasure trove of beautiful mountains, streams, meadow fields and wetlands. I began my solo hike around 12:15pm from the Visitors Center. There I was given a map and a few brief highlights of points of interest, like the waterfalls and gold mine. I then set off one what turned out to be a 4.5 hour adventure. Probably not the smartest of ideas since I had surgery just three weeks ago. But I was tired of resting around the house and desperately wanted to get out and do something. Besides, nature brings a calmness to my inner being and allows me to relax my mind in ways I just can't at home. It was a perfect day with perfect temperatures for hiking. In my entire time there, I only ran across one other human. ----- THE HIKE Inside the Visitor's Center is a gift shop and small wildlife museum of the nature plants and animals. I walked down the paved Tsalaki Trail towards the Cathy Ellis Trail (approximately 2.6 mile away). The trail starts off as a fairly steep incline. Along the way I saw a sign saying "caution - bees". I thought that was a curious warning until I noticed the white honey bee houses in the woods nearby. Next came the wetlands with a one mile looping trail and a boardwalk into the marshes. Here you have a strong possibility of seeing a beaver at work on a dam. I decided to save this area for my return hike and I'm glad I did. My energy on the return leg was running very low and I needed the benches here for a nice long rest. I reached the covered bridge about 37 minutes after leaving the visitors center. It was a real beauty made in the simple Town Lattice style. The memorial plaque at the entrance was titled "Bay's Bridge In loving memory of 'Bay' Elizabeth Smithgall Watts", whom died the year the land for the state park was gifted. It crosses the amazing mountain stream known as Duke's Creek. The creek from here will be a large part of your journey. The trail turns to gravel just past the bridge. MARTIN'S MINE was one of the first Gold mines in Georgia. Most of the mining occurred from 1829 to 1935. By the 1840's most of the easy gold was gone and hard mining began. Miners dug tunnels and shafts to remove ore from deep underground. You can still see some of the entrances and shafts. The trail is well marked with numbers, so be sure to pick up the Mining Trail brochure at the Visitor's Center to help you decode the locations. There is a spur trail off the Martin's Mine loop that takes you to a waterfall used for hydraulic mining, which began in the 1850's. It is an uphill hike, but the waterfall is very nice. Back on the main trail I traveled another 1/2 mile to Cathy Ellis Trail. This 1/2 mile trail starts off uphill, but once you reach the shelter it's all downhill from there. The trail ends at the beautiful Chunannee waterfall (which means friendship). Lots of vegetation on this portion of the hike. This land was once the home of Lucy Bryant, a Cherokee Indian widow whom was granted this 640 acre parcel in the Treaty of 1817. But by 1839 the Trail of Tear forced all Cherokee Indians off their land to relocate in Oklahoma. They curiously chose to name the trail after a 19 year old girl who fell over a waterfall in a different county altogether instead of the Indian widow Lucy. I don't get that, but whatever. The waterfall here is beautiful. I sat here about 25 minutes resting and admiring its beauty and feeling sad for the ancient Cherokee Indian nation. I arrived here approx. 2.5 hours after I began my journey from the visitors center. NOTE: Prior to arriving at the Cathy Ellis trail there is another steep incline, similar to the one near the Visitor's Center. ----- FINAL THOUGHTS In total I hiked approximately 7.5 miles today. I would normally have done this in probably 3 hours, but I tried to go at an easier pace since I'm still recovering from surgery. I allowed myself plenty of places to sit and rest, the most enjoyable of them being the waterfall on the Cathy Ellis Trail. Smithgall Woods State Park is indeed a wonderful place for those who love nature and peaceful hiking venues. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND giving them a visit.

Super fun! Easy walk! Kid and pet friendly! We walked our 2 dogs and had no issues! The bridge…read moreobviously swings so be careful holding your phone on the bridge taking photos! Great place to skip rocks!

On our recent trip to Blue Ridge, we decided to check out the Toccoa River Swinging Bridge. I am…read moreglad we did as it was quite scenic. We pulled in not knowing what to expect. You take a turn off the main highway and you have a few mile drive up the dirt road to get to the actual bridge. I did do this in a front wheel drive car, but a 4 wheel drive truck would be recommended if the conditions were wet or less than ideal. The road is pretty skinny at points and there is definitely not room for two vehicles even though this is not a one way, so one must drive cautiously. Once there, there isn't really any designated parking. You just park wherever you can. The bridge is quite scenic. It looks more stable than it actually is. It sways quite a bit when people are crossing and it isn't quite wide enough for two people to pass without hugging one side, but the view and hikes surrounding the river make it worth it. We spent a few hours here enjoying nature and then headed back. Awesome spot worth checking out.

The best kept secret in North Georgia. This lake is clean and beautiful. The mountain water is…read morecold and it's a perfect place for summer swimming. No motor bias are allowed and that makes it perfect for paddle boarding and kayaks or canoes. The fishing is great. Picnic areas and bathrooms are kept clean. There is a beautiful pavilion available to rent with a huge fireplace.

I've camped all over Ga and NC and this is one of my favorites. The North Loop hosts deserve all…read morethe credit for keeping such a clean area! My fire pit was completely clean, the bathrooms are very clean and they made a point to greet me without being over attentive. The hiking is abundant. Hike to Maine, swim In the lake or relax in your hammock. Campers are super quiet and all the canines we met are well behaved. It's a place of respect for quiet hours and enjoying completely off grid time.