5 BIG reasons to stay in Ellijay, Georgia

1. Natural Amenities

2. Mountain Town Charm

3. Convenience and Safety

4.  "Wet" County

5.  Memorable Vacation

 

1. Amazing Natural Amenities

The natural amenities that the area offers lure thousands of vacationers to our mountains to feed their cravings to be in the middle of the Appalachian playground.

Beautiful mountain views and vistas, the huge canvas of mountain forests with hiking and biking trails, gorgeous streams and rivers for tubing, kayaking and fly-fishing, lakes for pontoon boating, swimming and bass fishing, waterfalls and hundreds of camping sites, the temperate mountain climate with beautiful seasonal color, and so much more.

Among the many natural amenities within a short driving distance are Carters Lake, Amicalola Falls State Park, Fort Mountain State Park, the Chattahoochee National Forest, Rich Mountain Wilderness Area, the Appalachian Trail terminus, Apple Orchard alley and several wildlife management areas.

2. Wonderful Mountain Town charm and Things to Do

On top of the beautiful outdoor mountain environment, the enchanting Georgia mountain towns of Ellijay and Jasper are packed with a wide assortment of places to visit, places to dine, and outdoor recreational activities. The area provides a great assortment of rustic mountain town charm and the historic districts are alive with local merchants, festivals, parades, antiques and restaurants.

Ellijay is famous for its Annual Apple Festival the second and third weekends in October where scores of artisans, musical bands, local Apple Orchards, food vendors and children’s activities are held by the Coosawattee River.

In Jasper, the Annual Marble Festival is held in early October which has a similar showing of local arts and crafts and other fun filled activities during the festival.

Many of our Georgia cabin rentals are in gated resort communities located very close to the historic Georgia mountain towns and festivals. Gated resort communities offer the added benefits of having resort amenities for the guests to enjoy free of charge such as indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, basketball courts, fishing streams, fishing ponds, recreation centers, hiking trails, picnic pavilions, fitness centers, arcades, river tubing, and even miniature golf. See more details of our Resort Neighborhoods and their special features here.

Click here to learn more about things to do and places to visit during your stay here in the north Georgia mountains.

 

3. Convenience and Safety

Our most convenient cabin to Atlanta is only 45 minutes from Atlanta and a 5 minute drive from downtown Jasper. All of our mountain cabins can be reached in less than one hour and fifteen minutes from Atlanta via the 4-lane Interstate 575/515 corridor that leads to the Georgia Mountains.

Ellijay, Jasper and the Carters Lake area are between 20 to 40 miles closer to Atlanta than Blue Ridge and Helen, GA, and have just as many things to offer as Blue Ridge, Blairsville and Helen, GA have, such as beautiful mountain views, lakes, trout streams, quaint mountain towns, wonderful places to visit and discover and an abundance of conveniences and attractions. This makes Ellijay and Jasper much more convenient for vacationers while providing the same amenities found farther north.

While historic Ellijay and Jasper are known by their rustic and historic mountain town culture, most vacationers still need to access to modern amenities and conveniences and require the need to feel safe and secure. Jasper and Ellijay offer a large variety of conveniences from main-stream restaurants, major brand retail shops and super modern grocery stores to movie theaters, internet café’s, cell phone retail outlets, and much more.

East Ellijay’s Highland Crossing Shopping Center features a huge Super Walmart and a Lowe’s Home Improvement store plus many other retail and food outlets conveniently located on Hwy 515 just south of Ellijay. View the interactive Rental Cabins Map for a better idea of where our cabins are located in relation to the abundance of activities.

Ellijay has an extremely low crime rate, well below the national and state average and many of our cabins are reside behind the secure gated resort communities that require a special code to enter. These resorts are monitored regularly by security patrols and the local sheriffs office, so guests can feel safe and secure their entire vacation.

4. "Wet County"

Ellijay is in the middle of a "Wet County". That does not mean it rains all the time, it means you can buy liquor and be served liquor in restaurants anywhere in the County, unlike other mountain towns such as Blue Ridge, Blairsville, Hiawassee and Dahlonega. All our mountain cabin rentals are located in Gilmer, Pickens, and Gordon counties which serve and sell alcohol under normal Georgia state laws, Monday-Saturday. No alcohol is sold in stores on Sundays in Georgia.

The Georgia Mountains have many "Dry" counties that impose restrictions on alcohol sales and servings. For example, the popular mountain towns of Blue Ridge, Helen, Dahlonega, Hiawassee and Blairsville, GA, are within dry counties that have restrictions on selling and serving alcohol and have a ban on all liquor sales in those counties. Some exemptions apply. The county map below highlights the 'Wet Counties" in green and the "Dry Counties" in red. Click on the map to enlarge it. The county list below describes the specific restrictions and exemptions for each of the "Dry" counties in the mountains.

"Dry" Counties in the Georgia Mountains (red counties on the map):

• Fannin County (Blue Ridge, Epworth, McCaysville, Morganton, Mineral Bluff, Lake Blue Ridge). Hard Liquor banned. No alcohol served in restaurants. Beer and wine is sold by local convenience stores and grocery stores Mon-Sat only. Some restaurants outside of Blue Ridge city limits will allow "brown-bagging" (bring your own beer or wine in a brown bag), but you should call ahead to find out for sure and check if they impose a cork charge (having them open a wine bottle for you may cost you extra).

• Union County (Blairsville, Suches, Nottley Lake). Completely dry, no alcohol sold or served anywhere. 

• Towns County (Young Harris, Hiawassee, Lake Chatuge). Hard liquor banned. Beer and wine served in restaurants Mon-Sat only. Ridges Resort and Brasstown Valley Resort are exempt and serve beer, wine and liquor by the drink.

• Lumpkin County (Dahlonega). Hard liquor sales banned. Beer, wine and liquor by the drink served in restaurants Mon-Sat only. 

• White County (Helen, Cleveland) Hard Liquor banned. No alcohol served in restaurants. Except within the city limits of Helen only where beer, wine and liquor served in restaurants.

So remember: if you enjoy a glass of wine, beer or a cocktail at a restaurant or in your rental cabin, make sure you book a cabin with KZ Cabins to avoid the surprise of having to drive 30 miles or more down to us in Ellijay to get alcohol! Gilmer and Pickens county are the only completely "Wet" counties in the north Georgia Mountains!

5. A memorable vacation with our Cabins and Service

We want you to have a memorable vacation and come back and see us again. We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service and strive to provide you with anything you need so you can really enjoy your time with us. Many guests have commented on how impressed they were with our customer service and willingness to go out of our way to make sure they had what they needed.

That’s why we offer our “KZ Concierge Services” and produce the “KZ Things to Do” list, so most of the questions about what to do, where to go, or what to see are right at your finger tips.

We offer 24-7 emergency maintenance services and after-hours reservation services plus comprehensive travel insurance and complimentary arrival supplies and snacks – all for you to have a complete vacation experience. And most importantly, we’re just really friendly folks who want you to have a great and memorable vacation!