Things to Do in Blue Ridge, Georgia

Swinging Bridge over Toccoa River

If you take US Forest Road 816 off of Hwy 60 in Fannin County you will find the Swinging Bridge that spans the beautiful Toccoa River that feeds Blue Ridge Lake. You will have to drive a little piece to get to the trail that leads to the bridge but once you get there, the walk down to the bridge is not that far. The bridge was built in 1977 and gives a scenic view of the Toccoa River and surrounding forest.

To reach US Forest Road 816 from Blue Ridge, Ga you will travel a little over 18 miles from McDonalds in Blue Ridge, From McDonalds go east on a Highway 515 until you reach the Redlight in Lakewood, Ga. At the light you will go right on Highway 60 till you travel a little over 18 miles from the Blue Ridge McDonalds. USFRD 816 is on the right. This road is part of the Benton Macaye Trail. It is really very pretty at the bridge, I took these pictures with my phone.

So you have decided to spend a few days in the quaint little town of Blue Ridge, Ga., a town nestled in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains, and you are wondering how you are going to spend your time. Dependent upon your likes and dislikes there several different activities that you may choose.

1. Take a stroll down the old Downtown District of Blue Ridge. Being a native of the Blue Ridge area, this is something that I personally probably would not choose, but every weekend the Downtown area is full of people who seem to be enjoying themselves. There are numerous shops, eateries, and even a gem mining and miniature golf place. Some of the eateries have bars with karaoke and live music.
2. Ride the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. During certain times of the year you can take a train that takes you to the twin cities of McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee. The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway follows the Toccoa River on the rails that have run beside the river for decades.
3. Go tubing down the Toccoa River. There are a few different outfits that offer tubes and shuttle services for tubing down the Toccoa River.
4. Enjoy the Lake. Blue Ridge Lake is just a few miles from Blue Ridge and has swimming areas, boat launch sites and a marina. Blue Ridge Lake is also suitable for fishing.
5. Hike the trails. There are many trails to hike in the mountains surrounding Blue Ridge. You can hike part of the famous Appalachian Trail, Benton-MacKaye Trail along with other lesser known trails.
6. Trout Fishing. There are many trout streams in close proximity to Blue Ridge, Georgia. Some of the streams are stocked with trout and others are teeming with native trout.

7. ICE SKATING IN BLUE RIDGE, GA

   Added to the list of things to do in Blue Ridge, Ga is now Ice Skating. As an added attraction, Downtown Blue Ridge has a an outdoor ice skating rink. I have heard that the price to ice skate is $10, but that is just hearsay. So if you are paying are quaint little town a visit and are looking for something fun to do, you just head on down to the upper end of main street past all the shops and right between Main Street and the railroad tracks is the ice skating rink, I believe it is called Blue Ridge on Ice.I never would have dreamed of an outdoor ice skating rink in Downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia, here in the heart of the deep south but then again I never dreamed that I could type a message that could be seen by people all across this crazy world. 
   
   
   In my 49 years, Blue Ridge has seen a lot of changes, some for the good, some not so good. An ice skating rink is one of the better ones, I won't mention the negative changes. I am just glad to still be around to see the changes.

This is not a comprehensive list of things to do in Blue Ridge but is a good starting point if you are visiting our area for the first time. Have a good time and enjoy your stay in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Bought a New Dell Inspiron at Walmart

Just bought a new Dell Inspiron lap top. Seems to a pretty cool computer so far. 8GB of memory a 1TB hard drive with preloaded with a basic version of Microsoft Office 2010. Microsoft Office2010 allows you to blog right from the application, which is really cool. I bought for the whole family, mainly school purposes for our boy who is in a virtual academy but I may find myself using quite a bit myself. This is the nicest Dell I have ever bought. I bought it at Walmart for $698 before taxes using my Walmart Discover Card that is running a special 18 month no interest deal n electronic purchases of $429 or above. If someone is needing a computer or other high dollar electronics, now is an excellent time to visit your local Walmart.
Walmart Site
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Microsoft Office 2010 is a registered trademark of Microsoft
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Great Book by Andrew Murray

I recommend this volume to every believer who is serious about their relationship with God, The Collected Works of Reverend Andrew Murray. This book is a tremendously bargain at .99 for a digital download. Please consider downloading this book, it is loaded with tons of encouragement and Biblical insight.

It is something that at times is hard for me to grasp but yet I know it is true; the meek shall inherit the earth, the humble shall be exalted, blessed are the poor in spirit, more blessed to give than receive, last shall be first... This hard to grasp but wonderful principle in God’s Kingdom that it is the humble, not the rich and powerful that are the ones who are better off. Sometimes we desire wealth, power, fame and all the accolades that accompany being one of the prominent powerful folks who seem to rule the planet but the word of God show us that it is better to be counted as one of the humble folks. We want to have our own way at times, but in God’s Kingdom it is better to yield if it is not yielding to evil. God is sovereign and He will take care of His own,




God give us the grace to trust that you will indeed take care of your children. May we realize that we do not need to worry so much about ourselves and getting our fair share, but trust You to give us what we truly need.

Gibson Guitar, Cracker Barrel advance in Social Madness - Vote for the best company in Memphis's business competition

Gibson Guitar, Cracker Barrel advance in Social Madness - Vote for the best company in Memphis's business competition

Being a long time employee of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store I am pulling for Cracker Barrel in this contest. I encourage all to vist the link and cast your vote for Cracker Barrel.

Beautiful Saturday Drive up Noontootla, Springer Mountain

Another Saturday has come and gone, my weekend is almost expired. However, day was not a total wash, I watched two back to back episodes of Criminal Minds with my daughter first thing this morning upon her insistence, mowed grass with my boys and took a ride through the North Georgia mountains.

I went up through Aska Road to Noontootla and followed the road up the mountain to the trail that goes to Springer Mountain. We made it to the top of the mountain at around 7:00 pm and rode till we came out on the Doublehead Gap Rd. It was a beautiful ride up by Noontootla creek and on top of the mountain as well. Up on top of the mountain as you looked over the western slope, the descending sun hitting the green leaves made them shine. As you got a little further down the mountain the many of the trunks of the trees on the side of the mountain had a dark almost black color. It was a cool effect, I named it the dark forest. All in all it was a good trip.

The older I get the more I appreciate the beauty of God's creation, even simple things like the trees of a forest. Praise God for another day of life, for family and friends, the beauty of His creation, and for eternal life through His son, Jesus.

Cracker Barrel's Woodhouse to leave board | nashvillepost.com

Cracker Barrel's Woodhouse to leave board | nashvillepost.com

Being a long time employee at Cracker Barrel, I wonder what kind of changes are in store for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. I hope that the successful store model began by the late Dan Evans is not tossed aside. My fear is that Cracker Barrel could possibly deciminate to just another resteraunt chain.