Blue Ridge, Georgia
What does a traveler do during a pandemic? Rent a cabin in the woods and social distance with nature, of course! First, we needed to familiarize ourselves with the area, which meant lots of research. There are a TON of cabin rental agencies, Airbnb and Vrbo options. After asking around with friends and family (IMO, that's always the best thing to do before you start researching), we opted for MountaintopCabinRentals and wow, did they deliver! We rented the Tranquility cabin for a four-night stay.
Day One
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It's about an 8-hour drive straight up I-75 through Atlanta (we came from Jacksonville), so make sure to plan the ride around commute times. Check-in was at 3 pm, so we left around 7 am for plenty of time for bathroom/gas/snack breaks.
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When making a cabin selection, there are warnings that a 4x4 is needed to access specific properties. We chose one that did NOT require 4x4 access; however, we all thought we would die once we arrived. The drop-off on either side of the mountain was insane and at some points, you couldn't see the road in front of you because the incline was so steep.
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The cabin is a 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath with two huge screened-in porches with fireplaces and a wrap-around deck on two levels. The property also has a firepit area and a hot tub. The entire cabin was immaculate.
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We made ourselves at home and got takeout from Mystic Mountain Pizza. It could have been better food, but it was decent. We also did some grocery shopping at nearby Ingles Market.









Day Two
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A pontoon boat rental was initially on our Day Two schedule, but the weather had other plans. So we decided to have a day of walking around downtown Blue Ridge with umbrellas.
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There are many cute shops and restaurants along the main drag. We dined outside at the Serenity Garden Cafe and loaded up on coffee and breakfast carbs.
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The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway is a vintage train that takes you on a 26-mile journey to the twin towns of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee. A 2-hour layover in the villages gives you ample opportunity to explore all the charming towns and take the mandatory "foot in two states" picture. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance because it was booked for the day.
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After walking through the town, we walked more through the Lake Blue Ridge Recreation Area.




Day Three
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We had an early start to the day so we could hike Springer Mountain and Amicola Falls before the crowds started. Springer Mountain is the southern starting point of the Appalachian Trail and Amicola Falls is the home to the highest waterfall in Georgia.
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We climbed 604 steps and it was worth it! The falls were spectacular.
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After lunch at the cabin, we headed to the Aska Trails for a short, easy hike.
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We were all exhausted and it was an early night. We gathered around the firepit for s'mores.
Day Four
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We rented a pontoon boat for a half day (4 hours) from the Lake Blue Ridge Marina. The ship was new, clean and easy to navigate. We had a wonderfully relaxing day on the water. The houses on the lake were gorgeous.
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After the rental, we drove around the Morgantown Lake Blue Ridge area to get an up-close view of the gorgeous homes we saw on the lake. They were stunning.
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We hiked some more trails and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
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We returned to the cabin for a movie and packed for the ride home. We were all sad to leave and agreed that social distancing in nature was just what we needed!