For as long as I can remember, my family has always taken a trip in the fall “to see the leaves.” That’s because when you grow up in South Georgia (below Atlanta), sometimes the leaves do not change color until much later in the season. So, usually in October, my mom would take us to Gatlinburg, Tenn. or the North Georgia area, visiting little mountain towns like Helen and Dahlonega. I have so many fond memories of eating at the inviting pancake houses, riding the yellow sky lift, shopping in the antique malls and stopping at the lookout points to take pictures of the rainbow of color on the mountaintops. I’ve lived in Savannah for more than a decade, and on the coast, we definitely have to get out-of-town to experience the seasons!
This year, my husband Kurt and I visited Blue Ridge, Georgia, a railroad town with the depot at its heart, about 90 miles north of Atlanta. We had been earlier this year in February for Valentine’s Day, and during our trip, we discovered the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, a family-friendly 26-mile roundtrip train ride that takes tourists through the Toccoa River Valley to the Twin Cities of McCaysville, Ga. and Copperhill, Tenn. While there in February, the train was not running, but this was something we knew we had to return for to experience.
Our train boarded at 9:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning. I managed to get two first class tickets on the last train of the fall foliage expressway. General admission tickets are also available with various seating and pricing options. It was a blustery 47 degrees that morning with rain in the forecast, but thankfully, the rain held off for our 4-hour excursion. During the one-hour ride to our destination, we saw fly fisherman fishing for mountain trout in the Toccoa River and so many enormous cabins filled with vacationers on the 3-story porches waving and filming the train passing by on their phones. The leaves were vibrant yellows and reds, and big foot statues were placed on some of the properties garnering a good laugh from train riders.
We arrived in McCaysville, Ga. and had a two-hour layover to explore. We popped into the gift shops, shared some nachos and diet cokes on the deck of The Waterfront Restaurant, and took our picture next to the county line sign exclaiming “two cities, one place.” They had an indoor mall that made it easy to walk from shop-to-shop, and we picked up a delicious seasoning blend, some salted caramel chocolates and hazelnut cookies from The Pasta Market. I also loved the General Store with all the beautiful country quilts and vintage clothing.
The Pasta Market also provided charcuterie for the train passengers in first class — smart marketing! I loved the fresh fruit, banana chips and cheese cubes which served as our breakfast because we did not eat before boarding the train.
On our walk to lunch, we stopped to take a photo by the river. The water was so clear, you could see straight to the bottom!
Kurt really wanted to visit the McCaysville Drug & Gun store, but because our train came through town on a Sunday, they didn’t open until 1 p.m., and that’s when our train left the station. We’ll have to catch them next time!
If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend visiting Blue Ridge to experience the train ride through the mountains. You will enjoy the comfortable seating and wide windows overlooking the mountainside, and the friendly service. On the way back, passengers swap sides, so everyone has an opportunity to see the views from both sides of the train. It is such a fun way to enjoy the fall foliage and breathe in the cool mountain air. We’ll be back!
Enjoy these photos from the other parts of our trip where we stopped in Elijay for lunch on The Roof, and a few more shots of the leaves and river on our train ride.
New to Some Kinda Good?
Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a five-star private chef, culinary TV personality, and the 2x bestselling author of Unique Eats and Eateries of Savannah and Some Kinda Good: Good Food and Good Company, That’s What It’s All About! She founded her award-winning blog, Some Kinda Good™ in November 2011 and also owns Some Kinda Good, LLC, a private chef business and Southern, coastal brand.
Featured in Forbes, on Food Network, and on ABC, she is a Georgia Southern University alumna (c/o ’05) and an honors graduate of the Savannah Culinary Institute (c/o ’24). Connect with Some Kinda Good on social media, visit RebekahLingenfelser.com or email SKGFoodBlog@gmail.com.
From the Author
“Unique Eats and Eateries of Savannah,” a local interest book published by Reedy Press, contains 84 of the Hostess City of the South’s food establishments, from restaurants and bakeries to meat markets and ethnic cafes, introducing you to the people and stories behind the food. It not only answers the burning question of ‘where do we eat in Savannah?’ but provides a road map for designing your food journey around the city.
Some Kinda Good 