I began my solo hike from the Smithgall Woods Visitors Center. There I was given a map and a few…read morebrief 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. 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. Had I returned to the parking area from the bridge it would have only taken me a tad over one hour, but I pressed on. ----- FINAL THOUGHTS In total I hiked approximately 7.5 miles today and Bay's Covered Bridge was one of my favorite highlights! Smithgall Woods State Park is indeed a wonderful place for those who love nature and peaceful hiking venues. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND giving them and this magnificent bridge a visit. 2016/33

The festival always has plenty of vendors and their tents setup to keep people busy. Cars are…read morebeautiful and interesting to view at leisure. The foods are always delicious.

Great car show, good vendors with some food options. It's an area tradition. Our first time and was…read morevery impressed they had an electric scooter rental which makes the day "do-able" if you have endurance or walking issues. My fav Vendor was "The Zoo: Groovy Yard Art" from Mineral Bluff, GA around the Blue Ridge area. Bought a sweet little cat us sculpture for the front years traditional green with blue flowers and definitely will be f going to their 7 acre property to check out the rest of the selections. They had all your seasons covered along with some pretty interesting and unusual pieces. I want to add a couple large cactus to our new collection A surprising lack of actual moonshine, which I guess with liquor laws, children of all ages etc. understandable. Just thought maybe they'd play up the name. The dog got to try some

This place is super cool. Loved walking around junk yards as a kid, and it's just as fun doing it…read morenow with my own kids. The owner said they were considering a Halloween event - couldn't agree more. A haunted bus graveyard would be worth the drive.

We stopped here on our way back to Atlanta from Tallulah Falls. We parked on the grass shoulder of…read moreUS-23. Then we walked up the steep hill to see the buses. Walter, the man who owns the property, explained that we could look at the buses along the fence for free. If we wanted to see the buses inside the lot, we would have to pay $10. The buses along the outside of the fence, that you can see from the highway, are more family friendly. He explained that the buses inside the property are explicit. He was very clear that he didn't care about the money and was more than fine to let us just wander along the outside. He was also very clear that we should not attempt to vandalize the buses or cars or else he would use us as target practice (and we believed him). We were lucky that some artists were working on buses as we visited! It was like a 10 minute stop. It's a great place to stop to break up a drive!

We really enjoyed visiting Blue Ridge. The downtown area is so cute. I wish I had taken more…read morephotos. Great little shops, delicious food. The olive oil store is great, make sure to sample the expresso balsamic it's yummy and taste so good over vanilla ice cream. Southern Charm restaurant is clean, food is fresh and yummy. Make sure to get the mozzarella bites. Get the full order, they are that good. If you want some fresh amazing poke bowls you have to try Poke Jon's. We enjoyed this place so much. We had fresh tuna, spicy shrimp and spicy crab. They have perfect Yelp reviews for a reason. I look forward to our next visit. Spring is so beautiful here.

Blue Ridge is one of my favorite cities and over the years I have been here dozens of times and…read morenever had a bad experience. It's a beautiful drive in the fall about 90 minutes North on 575. Here are some of the places you may want to check out if you're in the area... 1. Harvest on Main https://www.yelp.com/biz/harvest-on-main-blue-ridge?uid=FdPioXvctMq8lhBtd_NnTg&utm_campaign=www_biz_share_page_share_business&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) 2. Cucina Rustica https://www.yelp.com/biz/cucina-rustica-morganton?uid=FdPioXvctMq8lhBtd_NnTg&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) 3. Treo Blue Ridge https://www.yelp.com/biz/treo-blue-ridge-blue-ridge-2?uid=FdPioXvctMq8lhBtd_NnTg&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) 4. The Sweet Shoppe https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-sweet-shoppe-blue-ridge?uid=FdPioXvctMq8lhBtd_NnTg&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) 5. Joe's BBQ https://www.yelp.com/biz/joes-bbq-mccaysville?uid=FdPioXvctMq8lhBtd_NnTg&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) Don't forget to take the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway https://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-ridge-scenic-railway-blue-ridge?uid=FdPioXvctMq8lhBtd_NnTg&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct) and be sure to check out their year round family festivals https://www.blueridgemountains.com/things-to-do/festivals/ 1460th review 7/7/2018 380th for 2018

Quaint little town with a great history and most of all my hometown!…read moreMany shops to browse and several restaurants to eat!

Small cozy town, some decent shops and restaurants, but it is hard to spend more than a couple…read morehours there. The people were friendly in the various shops we went to, and it was clean. If you are in the area, it is worth a visit but not a "destination" city if you are wanting more to do.

Toccoa Falls sits deep within the campus of Toccoa Falls College, a private Christian institution…read morefounded in 1907 and spread across 1,100 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The waterfall drops 186 feet, making it one of the tallest free‑fall waterfalls east of the Mississippi, a height confirmed in the college's own materials and widely cited in public references . On a quiet Sunday morning with off and on rain, we followed the campus road to the visitor parking area and made the short, level walk to the entrance. There is a small admission charge, and while modest, it clearly supports the upkeep of the site, which remains clean, orderly, and well maintained. Inside the gift shop, the two young women (definitely students as they were working on a class paper) working the counter were friendly and quick to point me toward their display of fridge magnets amongst so many other trinkets and mementoes. After paying for admission and the magnet, Mrs. K. and I stepped back outside and followed the path along the creek toward the falls. Even in late winter, with the drizzle coming and going, the setting felt peaceful, the kind of place where the sound of water takes over long before the falls come into view. The waterfall itself is undeniably impressive. The free‑fall drop is higher than American Falls at Niagara, and the roar was loud enough to fill the entire basin even on a rainy morning. We stood for a while, taking in the height, the mist, and the steady power of the water before snapping our pictures and heading back toward the dry Sprinter. As quick stops go, it was exactly right: easy to reach, beautifully maintained, and worth every minute of the detour. [Review 254 of 2026 - 951 in Georgia - 25443 overall]

Visited the beautiful waterfall today! It was a short 3-5 minute walk through the back of the gift…read moreshop. Price is $2 per person and it was worth it. We arrived at 1:05 and they were setting up for a wedding. It wasn't crowded when we first got there, but after about 30 minutes it started to fill up with tourists/visitors. Saturday hours are only 4 hours from noon to 4:00, so keep that in mind.

For anyone who wants to get away and just relax for a while. Hiawassee is a great area to visit…read more There is not that many businesses, but the majority of them are all local so with that said, they close early, so keep that in mind when visiting. Within about 30 minutes from Hiawassee is Brasstown Bald that has an Observation Tower that allows you to get a great view of the Appalachian Mountains as the elevation is 4,784 feet and is the highest elevation in the state of Georgia. Down the street off US-76 is the Towns County Recreational Beach & Playground. They have a beach with nice clean sand for the children and have a playground with some benches. Hiawassee also offers some great fishing too. Overall, Hiawassee is a great place to visit to just get away from the crazy city life and to relax and get fresh clean mountain air. [Review #545] (25th Review Of 2018)

Love this city. My wife and I spent 5 day's at Bald Mountain Campground ( another story) . I can…read moresee why people move here. This is paradise, god's country. The mountains, lakes, restaurants golf are plentiful. The people are friendly and helpful. On our next visit I would love to see more. This is a must for travelers.

Having been to the Chihuly museum in Seattle, I was so happy to see this monument erected at the…read moreend of my swamp rabbit trail walk. Walking up on it, it seemed like a huge rose-colored Rock sugar sucker. The base is surrounded with flowers and benches to sit near by. It's simple yet beautiful. The little ladies walking by had to stop and touch the glass. It's inviting. I love little artistic surprises that show up in cities and towns as you walk around. Greenville has so many wonderful qualities all over town. I've enjoyed my short visit and look forward to next time.

We saw this on a map while walking in the park and knew we had to check it out. A little…read moreunderwhelming in person but still very cool!

Awesome trail! Came here on a Saturday around 10:30AM, road leading up to it was a bit narrow but…read morenot too bad. Parking area had a few cars but still had space to park. Hike wasn't too steep, had a few river crossings but all manageable. Trail has snow in some parts but pretty packed, gets a bit slippery at the top but all fine with just good hiking shoes with grip (I forgot my hiking poles and don't have crampons / spikes). Waterfall was super pretty, lots of water. Great hike, would recommend!

The trailhead is difficult to find and off the beaten path. Come early, parking area only holds…read moreabout 8-10 cars. This one is for hikers seeking a trail that doesn't see much traffic. It's very secluded. Trail is well marked. The trail starts rather easy, then gets progressively more difficult. It's a strenuous 8+ miles round trip. Not good for anyone out of shape, not safe for young kids. Must wear hiking boots. Uneven terrain, some climbing required. Make sure you have about 8 hours of daylight left before starting the hike. Very beautiful path, lots of very old, very large trees. You'll hear nothing but the trees and the creek. Incredibly peaceful environment. The falls at the end of the path are beautiful. Dare to put your toes into the cold mountain water. Be sure to bring lots of water, rations, and rain gear. Bring basic First Aid.