We are back in the Eastern Time Zone in Blue Ridge, GA, which sits on the divide between the Tennessee River to the north and the Alabama River to the south, as well as being surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains near the southern tip of the Appalachian Trail. The city is the county seat of Fannin County and consists of 2.2 square miles with a population of 1,290, according to the 2010 census.  Their claim to fame is they are the trout fishing capital of Georgia.  I’ve never eaten trout but perhaps I will try it here.  Anyway, this county is in the extreme northern part of Georgia bordering Tennessee.

Driving here was a challenge.  Yes, we encountered winding and hilly mountain roads and that part was exhilarating.  I love driving winding up and down roads!  What was not fun was the lack of signage causing several wrong turns.  Yes, I use I GPS but when you come up to a multi-faceted intersection and signs aren’t clear, there is a lot of room for error.  Mountain roads do not have shoulders and trying to turn around is an impossibility.  I let GPS tell me how to get back on track and one time ended up on this harrowing, narrow, extremely STEEP, curvy gravel road with drop offs that were very, very scary.  My little VW Beetle was not happy with this road.  Also, the roads I traveled on in the Georgia portion of this trip were not as well maintained as in Alabama.

So, we got to Blue Ridge, GA at about noon and, despite requesting early arrival, my room was not ready, and I was told it wouldn’t be ready until 3:00 PM.  Despite that, they did give me access to their breakfast kitchen so I was able to get my handy little cappuccino maker and made myself a much-needed coffee and give Chloe some water.

After this rejuvenation, we decided to explore.  The downtown area is less than a mile from the hotel but, due to the lack of sidewalks and the narrowness of the roads, it was suggested that we not walk.  So, first we toured the area by car.  Beautiful vistas greeted us at every turn, but Chloe and I wanted to do some walking, so, after a while, we headed downtown.

I was surprised to see FREE parking at the base of Main Street which I could see was packed with people, probably mostly tourists.  The downtown area boasts quite a few quaint shops and eclectic restaurants which line Main Street. Also, tracks for the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway bisect the downtown area, with the Scenic Railway itself operating out of the town’s historic 100-year-old Depot.

By the way, I found out that Blue Ridge is also home to one of the five remaining drive-in theaters in Georgia, the Swan Drive-In Theatre.  According to my research, there are only 336 operating drive-in theaters left in the USA whereas, in the 1950’s, there were about 4,000.  I’m surprised as I thought they were all gone.  Ah, the memories!!!  Kids today don’t know what they are missing.

Chloe and I ambled along the street window shopping where, to her great delight, she got a lot of attention; we noticed that almost every shop had a doggy water bowl which Chloe immensely appreciated. We were about half way down the street when I realized that Chloe was saving me a lot of money because these were my kind of shops—so many unique items!  Anyway, I wasn’t really lamenting not shopping as I don’t need anything, so we were just taking our time walking along when suddenly, I hear someone yelling “Catie, is that you?”  I looked over and it was Brenda Buck—one of our Causeway neighbors!  It turns out she has a home up here.  What an incredible treat it was to see a friend so unexpectedly.  We visited for quite a while and then Chloe and I continued our trek.

By this time, it was well after 3:00 PM so we headed back to the hotel, checked in, and I made another cappuccino and read for a bit. Chloe took a nap and, for the first time ever, she snored!

After resting up for a while, we drove back to Main Street to eat dinner at one of the many pet-friendly restaurants here in Blue Ridge.  I think I found the best, “Harvest on Main Street” where they say they specialize in “southern inspired global cuisine”.  I ordered Wild Caught Georgia Shrimp & Logan Turnpike Grits, with House-Made Tasso Ham, served with cornbread.  YUM!!!

Harvest on Main Street