Day Trip to Ellijay, Georgia

I might be in denial but I swear there seems to be a touch of fall in the air, which makes me really happy because I love this time of year! Don’t get me wrong, I love summer but once vacation is over I’m ready for mountain weekends, boiled peanuts, pumpkins, holidays, Christmas music… (The list goes on and on!) My family has a cabin at Big Canoe (located in Jasper, GA) and every year family and friends head up there to make the most of the season. Cason, mom, and I always drive over for a day trip Ellijay and it makes for the perfect fall day. Here’s a list of some of our favorites things to do!

[ apple picking ]

Picking apples is a MUST! You would not believe the traffic to get into all of the different orchards. Some of my personal favorites are Hillcrest Orchards and Panorama Orchards. Panorama makes apple cinnamon doughnuts that will make you fight someone for the last box and Hillcrest has the BEST caramel apples. They’re geniuses who cut the apple, place it in a bowl, and then fill it with caramel. This prevents you from looking like a crazy person trying to bite into an entire apple and get caramel all over your face. (Don’t act like this hasn’t happened to you.) Of course you don’t want to forget the reason you came…Apples! My personal favorites are Granny Smith, Arkansas Black, and Mutzu.

[ antique shopping ]

When you are on the square there are so many stores within walking distance that you don’t have to look too hard to find a place to start. They’re always fun to browse through…you never know what you’re going to find!

[ fun lunch spot ]

Cantaberry Restaurant was the perfect find for our lunch in Ellijay. Their motto sums it up to a tee…Simple, Homemade, Good. It’s a small restaurant that is known for its homemade soups and sandwiches. The chicken and wild rice soup is mind blowing. If you are in Ellijay and you don’t go here, I will judge you…seriously. We loved the soup so much we tried to make our own version…it’s good but there’s is still better.

Everyone needs to add Ellijay to their fall bucket list. Whether you’re in Atlanta or happen to be near North Georgia, it’s totally worth the drive!