Thanksgiving Week in Ellijay, GA
Getting there
If you’re flying to visit Ellijay, there are a few airport options:
- Chattanooga Airport (CHA) – 47.2 miles away
- Atlanta International Airport (ATL) – 73.4 miles away
- McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) – 82.1 miles away
For this trip, we drove from the Tampa Bay area of Florida to Ellijay. Total time can range from 9 to 12 hours depending on traffic and the number of stops. We try to find Love’s Travel Stops along the way for 3 reasons:
- known for their clean restrooms
- fenced area for dogs to play
- always busy so you’ll never feel nervous at night time
Thanksgiving week in Ellijay (year 2)
Day 1 was a full day of driving. We woke up, loaded into the car, and began our trek north.
Day 2 began with the Clear Creek to Cartecay River hike. This hike requires a land-use permit. We took the dogs so that they could stretch their legs and enjoy some fresh air after our long drive up the previous day. We loved this hike and only saw one other person the entire time we were out there.
Alltrails stats on Clear Creek to Cartecay River: Length 1.5 mi; Elevation Gain – 206 ft; Route Type – Out & Back; Difficulty – Moderate
After playing out in the woods, we went back to our rental in Coosawattee to have lunch and change. Then we drove to south to Jasper to check out Fainting Goat Vineyards. The views were wonderful, Harper loved rolling down the big hill, and we snuck in lots of goat pets.
On the way back to Ellijay, we stopped at Canoe Vineyard and Winery. It was a beautiful, sunny day so we played in the dirt and with rocks, while listening to live music.
We ended our day with a trip to Gumdrop Fun Shop (Harper has lovingly named the dinosaur Sammie) and pizza at Ellijay Wood Fired Pizza.
Day 3, we took it easy in the morning and enjoyed watching the deer all around our rental.
Later in the afternoon, we ventured to check out Cartecay Vineyards and Reece’s Cider Co.
Day 4 (Tuesday) was our foodie and Thanksgiving errand day. We started with breakfast at our favorite – Ellijay Coffeehouse. Then crossed the street for our other favorite – to pick up desserts from A Little Baked Bakery.
After breakfast and snagging our favorite sammies from the bakery, we drove north to Mercier Orchards to pick up pies for Thanksgiving dinner. I mentioned in my previous Ellijay post that I LOVE Mercier’s fried pies. But, if I’m being honest, I love all their pies! Once we were done at Mercier, we made our way back to Ellijay to pick up our turkey from Honey Baked Ham Co.
We dropped our goodies off at the rental and then went downtown to walk the shops and grab dinner.
Day 5, we were back to adventure! We drove east to check out Helton Creek Falls. This hike provides serious bang for your buck! The trail is less than half a mile and you get to see two beautiful waterfalls. It exceeded our expectations after a lengthy drive out there.
Alltrails stats for Helton Creek: Length – 0.3 mi; Elevation Gain – 19 ft; Route Type – Out & Back; Difficulty – Easy
After Helton, we drove over to the Trahlyta Falls Spur trail. You can see the falls, loop around the lake, or do both! We opted for both. The falls were pretty, but you’re only able to view them from a deck. It was another gorgeous day, so we looped around the lake and enjoyed the fresh mountain air before our planned tour at 1:00 PM.
Alltrails stats for Lake Trahlyta: Length – 1.1 mi; Elevation Gain – 59 ft; Route Type – Loop; Difficulty – Easy
Alltrails stats for Lake Trahlyta Waterfall: Length – 0.7 mi; Elevation Gain – 75 ft; Route Type – Out & Back; Difficulty – Easy
Our 1:00 PM tour was at Lasso the Moon Alpaca Farm. We arrived a bit early and waited for the previous group to finish their tour. We were greeted by the sweetest farm cats and dogs, all with the funniest names – Lugg Nutt, Wiggle Worm, Boogie Chill, and Pumpkin Butt.
The tour began with facts about Alpacas, how the farm began, and how they operate. Then we were able to meet the alpacas and feed them! After, we were shown what can be made from Alpaca fur and visited the gift shop. Such a fun first-time experience for all of us!
After our long day, we drove back to the rental and enjoyed the fire pit outside.
Day 6 – Happy Thanksgiving! To work up an appetite, we started our morning west to Fort Mountain State Park. It was incredible to have the park to ourselves! To get a few great viewpoints, we chose the Stone Wall, Stone Tower, and West Overlook Trails Loop. Highly recommend!
My sister and her family were staying in Blue Ridge, so we drove up to see them for dinner and spend the afternoon.
Day 7 – our last day of fun. We took it easy in the morning and played at the rental.
In the afternoon, we drove over to Dahlonega for their Christmas festivities. This is the perfect little Hallmark town BUT it was overwhelmingly crowded. Shops had too many people to even fit inside and the lines for food seemed like an eternity. I’m glad we saw it. I doubt we’ll ever go back – at least not the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Day 8 – Florida bound!