Blairsville places to stay

Home to miles of hiking trails, endless acres of national forest and rolling vineyards, and Georgia’s highest peak (the 4,784-foot Brasstown Bald), Blairsville is all about the outdoors. Atlantans looking to escape urban gridlock often retreat to this Blue Ridge mountain hideaway for a weekend of exploring Blood Mountain and Vogel State Park in the Chattahoochee National Forest, or wine tasting around the region, which markets itself as the Napa Valley of the South. Together with nearby Dahlonega, tiny Blairsville (population: 724) was gold country before prospectors set down stakes in California; the town was founded before the Civil War, during an 1830s gold rush. Today its town square is anchored by a Romanesque-revival county courthouse built in 1899. The surrounding streets are lined with antique shops, galleries, and restaurants serving third-wave coffee as well as traditional Southern-style meat ’n’ three.

North Georgia sparkles in late spring, when the wildflowers bloom and the weather warms up enough for short sleeves but before the summer crowds have arrived. June through August are peak months for staying in one of the areas cabins for rent, and Blairsville’s higher elevation keeps it cooler than its neighbors, making outdoorsy activities pleasant even at the height of summer. Beat the heat by chasing waterfalls or taking a dip in Lake Nottely. Autumn evenings can get chilly, but Blairsville’s fall foliage gives New England a run for its money, and there’s a cultural festival for every proclivity, from live bluegrass and gospel tunes at the annual Mountain Music Day Festival to the long-running Sorghum Festival, complete with syrup-making, pole climbing, and a biscuit-eating contest. In winter, pack a warm coat and mittens: it often dips below freezing, and Brasstown Bald is dusted with snow.

Alpacas

Something about these adorable Andean camelids has so captivated Blairsville that the area is home to not one but two alpaca farms, both open to the public. At Jerae’s Unity Alpacas you can interact with the farm’s 10 woolly residents and pick up socks, gloves, and scarves made from their fleece, while at Lasso the Moon you can mingle with farm denizens while taking classes in felting or silk scarf dyeing.

Waterfalls

When in Blairsville, definitely do go chasing waterfalls, as the area is home to more than half a dozen cascades, some of which, like Helton Creek Falls, are super accessible and kid-friendly. The handy North Georgia Waterfalls app helps you find your way.

Wineries

The Georgia Wine Highway is a circuit of family-run vineyards scattered throughout the North Georgia mountains, whose terroir is said to resemble that of Italy’s Piedmont region. Around two dozen wineries are open seasonally for tours and tastings of their wines, made from grape varietals including Viognier, Seyval Blanc, Chambourcin, and Merlot.