Tuckaway Ridge - Things to Do in the Area

Although relaxing and reading a good book or watching a great movie is the best thing to do at Tuckaway Ridge, if your desire is for the more active things, here are some suggestions:

Without a doubt, the best website for the area is the Chamber of Commerce website, www.blueridgemountains.com, as it has calendars of things that are going on no matter what time of year you visit. Also, although we do have a small collection of brochures at Tuckaway Ridge, you may also want to personally visit the Chamber of Commerce for the latest information. They are located behind the CVS Pharmacy in town. Go north on Highway 515 (the Appalachian Highway) and then turn right at the CVS Pharmacy and take the first left after the Bank of Blue Ridge.

Please note that Tuckaway Ridge is not endorsing the safety or quality of any of the activities, businesses or attractions mentioned below, and they are provided here simply as a service to our guests.

Aska Adventure Area – This area includes the Aska Trails Area, a 17-mile hiking-mountain biking trail system in the National Forest near Deep Gap on Aska Road in blue Ridge. Trails range from one to 5.5 miles and vary in difficulty. Trails climb to 3,200 feet with views of mountain ranges and also descend to the shores of Lake Blue Ridge. While there (and even worth its own trip) you may want to visit the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant (open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 430pm to 9pm (706) 632-7891). Directions - Go out to Hwy 515 (US 76) north to the Kentucky Fried Chicken (on the right). Turn right and go to the 4-way stop, then turn left. Turn right on Aska Road (there is a cemetery there) and the Toccoa River House Restaurant is several miles down on the left (it takes about 20 minutes to get there). There is also a fantastic drive home through the Rich Mountain Wilderness Area along Stanley Creek Road if during the daylight. This drive (part of which is a well packed gravel road) will put you back out on Hwy 515/US 76 near Cherry Log, which means you would need to drive a few miles north to get back to the turn-off for Tuckaway Ridge.

Blue Ridge – Incorporated on October 24, 1887, Blue Ridge today is a quaint little town of 1261 people that is definitely gaining an “upscale” reputation and has often been compared to what Highlands, NC was many years ago. The downtown area is very charming with numerous antique stores, specialty stores, restaurants, fudge shops and more. Click here for a printable Walking Map showing all the stores. Many of the older buildings are undergoing restoration to their original state from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. For the government sponsored web site for Blue Ridge, with links to other web sites as well you may want to visit www.blueridge.georgia.gov.

Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia - For more information on the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, check out the below link. There are a lot of links from here to area attractions. Please note that although there is no better rental than Tuckaway Ridge, if we are indeed sold out there are links to rental companies and other owner web sites. http://www.blueridgemountains.com/

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway - Traveling along the Toccoa River insures beautiful scenery during the nine months of operation. Operates April to December, mostly on a three day weekend schedule (except for June, July, and October where it operates every day). View the 2006 calendar by clicking here, or visit their website at http://www.brscenic.com/ or call 800-934-1898

Chef Douglas – If you do not go out to dinner, but don’t feel like cooking or cleaning up, call Chef Douglas! He will come to Tuckaway Ridge and he brings all the ingredients, cooks, and cleans up right at Tuckaway Ridge. Go to www.cabincuisine.com or 706-633-6734 (they even do the dishes!).

Driving - Best Motorcycle or Sports Car Drive – For a beautiful day trip on that Harley or sports car, you can challenge the world renowned “Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap” with 318 curves in 11 miles. Located near Bryson City, NC, this drive is about 2 hours away from Tuckaway Ridge.

ATV & Dirt Bike Trails – There are two that are located relatively close to Tuckaway Ridge. Davenport ORV Trail is about 45 minutes away and is basically an easy loop around the shores of Nottely Lake. Beware that even though the trail is mostly easy there is one hill that is steep on both the climb and the descent and it becomes very difficult when wet. Beasly Knob ORV Trail is a very steep and difficult riding area near Blairsville in the Chattahoochee National Forest about 55 minutes away from Tuckaway Ridge. Most of the trails are steep and deeply rutted out. This area is for experts only. These trails may have fees, so be sure to check the links above, and be careful!

Fishing and Fish Hatchery – For information on trout fishing in Fannin County, click here. For information on other fishing possibilities in North Georgia, please click here. The Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery (or click here) hatches rainbow trout for release in most lakes and rivers in North Georgia. Excellent trout fishing can also be found on the Toccoa River, Rock Creek, Coopers Creek, and Noontootla Creek. You may also want to click on "The Trout Pond" , which is stocked with fish and is less than 30 minutes away where no license is required.

Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds – Located less than an hour away, the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds is home to the Hamilton Rhododendron Gardens. Open year-round, this boasts one of the largest collections of hybrid rhododendrons in the state of Georgia. With more than 3,000 plants in bloom from early April to late May, visitors are invited to tour the gardens along their pine bark trail on the shores of Lake Chatuge. Admission is free of charge, but a $3 donation is requested. The Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds also has a Pioneer Village with authentic and antique structures from the area that have been moved here to preserve them. During special events, visitors can tour a one-room schoolhouse, a general store, a blacksmith shop, a repair shop and an "old mountain home."

Golf Courses - There are five 18-hole golf courses near Tuckaway Ridge, four of which are public. The closest is the Whitepath Golf Club about 20 minutes away in Ellijay, GA (706)-276-3080. The other public courses are Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris, GA (706) 379-4613, Butternut Creek Golf Course in Blairsville, GA (706)439-6076, and Cherokee Hills Golf in Murphy, NC (and there is a great flea market for the non golfers to hang out in Murphy, NC as well!) (800) 334-3905. The private course is the Blue Ridge Golf and Country Club which opened 9 holes July 4^th, 2011.

Hiking and Mountain Biking - The hiking and mountain biking opportunities are too numerous to even begin to mention them all as there are over 300 miles of hiking trails from beginner to advanced. 40% of Fannin County - the county where Tuckaway Ridge is located – is National Forest. However, the closest trail to Tuckaway Ridge is the Benton Mackaye Trail (named after the person who envisioned the Appalachian Trail, which is also close to Tuckaway Ridge). To link to the Benton Mackaye Trail, go to: http://www.bmta.org/index.htm#Menu. There are also numerous trails in the Aska Adventure Area, the Cohutta Wilderness area, and the Chattahoochee National Forest. For more information on these, please go to: http://www.blueridgemountains.com/hiking.html or http://www.fs.fed.us/conf/

Kangaroo Conservation Center - Located less than an hour away in Dawsonville, GA is the Kangaroo Conservation Center. While on this working farm, you can see Kangaroos, Dik-Diks, Springhass and Cranes. A great family day trip! (Note kids must be at least 5 years old to enter and 10 years old to do the guided tour).

Lake Blue Ridge Marina - Rent Jet Skis or Pontoon Boats, or launch your own boat. The fishing is also magnificent. For more information go to http://www.lakeblueridge.us/boat-ramps/ or call 706-632-2618. There is also a nearby beach. Directions – go south on Highway 5 to Hwy 515 (US 76) then south to the Kentucky Fried Chicken (on the left). Turn left and go to the 4-way stop, then turn left. Go past Aska Road (stay on Old Hwy 76/Business 76) until you see signs for the Marina, or you can stay on Old Hwy 76/Business 76 and go to the dam.

Massage & Spa – You can enjoy a massage right in the privacy of Tuckaway Ridge by Joseph & Lorraine (larrb2003@yahoo.com or 706-698-5700), or Treatees Massage, 706-851-7357, or massage and complete spa programs are offered by Serenity in the Mountains 706-258-2244.

Mercier Orchards - A family owned and operated Apple Orchard nestled in the North Georgia Mountains of Blue Ridge, GA doing business for more than “60 years”. Mercier Orchards on-line now offers the best selection of Mercier Quality apples and products. Everything from our famous “Fried Apple Pies” to our “Fresh Apple Cider”, "U-Pick Apples" and, of course, the best North Georgia Apples you can get! http://www.mercier-orchards.com/ or call 706-632-3411 .

Mountain Biking – The Ocoee Adventure Center in McCaysville has Trek mountain bikes (and guided trips, including multi day trips). (888) 723-8622

Murphy, NC Flea Markets – Actually, there are two flea markets right across the street from each other (Fosters Flea Market and Decker's Flea Market). Lewis Foster and Jerry Decker are cousins. Which one has the best bargains? Shop there and let us know! Click here for more info.

Music - Pickin' In Horseshoe Bend Park – Enjoy live acoustic music including traditional Appalachian, Bluegrass, Blues and Jazz music during the months of May through September at Ron Henry-Horseshoe Bend River Park in McCaysville every Thursday from 6:00PM to dusk. Pickin' In Horseshoe Bend Park is a series of weekly jam sessions that nurture local acoustic music. Bring your instruments and participate in these weekly jam sessions along the river... or come listen, grill-out and dance!

Restaurants – Aside from the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, mentioned above under “Aska Adventure Area”, there are several other great restaurants in town, including Blue Jeans Pasta and Pizza, (706)-632-6503, the Blue Ridge Brewery (706)-632-6611; Christie Lees (706)-946-5100; Sisters, (706) 946-6015; Harvest on Main (706) 946-6164; the Victorian House Restaurant, (706) 258-2275; and the Serenity Garden Cafe, (706) 258-4949. For Italian, Cucina Rustica in Morganton (about 20 minutes away) is also quite good, (706) 374-7474. For good Bar-B-Que, try Blue Ridge Mountain Bar-B-Q, (706) 632-6996 (be sure to get the chicken salad to go – we call it “chicken dip” and it goes great with Ritz crackers while relaxing on the deck at Tuckaway Ridge!). Up near McCaysville, GA, you can get a great lunch (or an early dinner on Friday and Saturday) at Joe and Mary Jo's Cider House Cafe, (706) 492-7753. Many restaurants in the area now serve beer and wine.

Snow Skiing – The closest (decent) snow skiing is at Sapphire Valley, or the Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley, NC both less than 3 hours away. Please stay safe on the slopes!

Theater – The Blue Ridge Community Theater brings live theater to Blue Ridge! Check out what’s playing during your stay, (706) 632-9223. There is also a regular cinema in town, the Blue Ridge Twin Cinema, (706) 632-7202 and there is also an old fashioned Drive-In, the Swan Drive-In, (706) 632-5235

Tubing and Calm Water Kayaking – The Toccoa River is perfect for tubing or calm water kayaking, especially on a hot mountain day. Blue Ridge Mountain Kayaking offers tubing from $6 for 1 hour to $8 for 2 hours and kayaking from $15. Toccoa River Adventures (706) 492-5280 has a $6 tubing offer (or 2 for $10). Please stay safe out there on the river!

Waterfalls in North Georgia - This website link has some gorgeous photos of the waterfalls in North Georgia, although some of them are located on private property. While at Tuckaway Ridge you will find a National Park Service guide that has directions to get to waterfalls located on publicly accessible lands. But the photos are truly remarkable, so click here to view them.

Wineries in North Georgia - Georgia produced a lot of wines back in the 1800's, but prohibition changed that until a resurgence in the 1980's. Today there are 10 wineries that are part of the Wine Growers Association of Georgia, all located in Northeast Georgia.

Whitewater Rafting & Kayaking - A great adventure less than 20 minutes away from Tuckaway Ridge, the Ocoee River was the site of the 1996 Olympic Games Whitewater competition and now houses the Ocoee Whitewater Center. This is a dam-release river, meaning part of what you pay goes towards diverting water intended for hydroelectric use to river rafting. This insures Class III and IV rapids regardless of rainfall. There are numerous companies, including Wildwater Limited, Ocoee Rafting, Ocoee Adventure Center, and Quest Expeditions. This is offered April through October only, and please stay safe out on the river!

Zip Lines – There are two zip lines near Tuckaway Ridge. The first, Fire Wire Zip Lines, is only 5 minutes away, right on Hwy 515. The second, Ocoee Zip Lines, is about 30 minutes away near the Whitewater rafting outfitters. Please be careful!

Lastly, if you drink alcohol, Tuckaway Ridge is located in a dry county, which means you cannot purchase alcohol within Fannin County at all. Beer and wine are available in supermarkets and convenience stores Monday-Saturday only. You can purchase alcohol either in Ellijay, GA or Murphy, NC. (Mon-Sat) Both of these cities are about 30 minutes from Tuckaway Ridge. Some restaurants of Blue Ridge now serve beer or wine by the glass, but not on Sunday’s and brown bagging is no longer permitted.

If none of the above activities are of interest, then you may want to just sit back, look at the view, sit in the hot tub, play pool, shoot darts, read a book, or watch the 42” Plasma TV!