Ellijay
Ellijay is located about 80 miles north of Atlanta, and is very easy to get too. Just head north up I-75, then branch off onto I-575. Along the way you will pass through Jasper, another small mountain town that is worth a stop for lunch. The interstate will eventually turn into GA-515, and lead you straight into modern Ellijay. Once you get to Ellijay, you have to turn off the highway on to GA-52 which will take you on a very short drive into the historic downtown. There is plenty of public parking, and street side parking. Just a hint, we thought the public parking lot was full, but drive through the roundabout and there is a massive public lot right behind the courthouse.
Ellijay is an antique hunters paradise. The streets are literally lined with shops beside shops. Even the back alleys between the roads have antique shops on them. There was a barn behind an antique shop that was it's own antique shop. The thing that stood out to us the most about this antique shops was the orderliness of each shop. It's like every store got together and said we are not going to have stores with junk lying in the floor, or that haven't been vacuumed in a decade. Every shop had great, reasonably priced items, and some had higher end items, but all were outstanding. One shop we really enjoyed was Antiques on North Main. The shop owners were a great older couple who got to work together every day doing something they loved, and were happy to spend about half an hour talking with us about our travels.
There are also many specialty shops in the downtown as well. Wendy fell in love with the Blue Ridge Olive Oil Company, a seller of designer olive oils, vinegar, salts, and spices. They have a tasting room that allows you to sample every thing they sell for free. Throughout the downtown were shops that specialized in honey, soap, rustic furniture, wine tastings, and a pretty awesome little ice cream shop called MooBears that gives some of the biggest scoops I have ever seen.
If you don't want to go shopping all day, and I can agree with that feeling, there are other things to do in town or nearby. In downtown Ellijay is the Tabor House and Civil War Museum. Home to one of the largest Civil War libraries in the state, the museum is small, but free, so it is well worth the trip. It is located to the right of the courthouse on the roundabout. Head over there first thing when you get into town though, they close at 2:00pm each day. Another fun activity, but one that requires you to leave Ellijay, is to head about twenty miles back down GA-52 until you reach the beautiful Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge. Often regarding as one of the most beautiful sites in Georgia, the Amicalola Falls are the highest cascading waterfall in the South at more than 700 feet. There are miles of trails from easy to difficult, so any outdoor enthusiast can find something they like at the park. We will share more about the park in a later post, but the trip is worth it. There is a $5 parking fee, but the rest of the park is open to you. Another tip, if the $5 parking fee really gets under your skin, see if your local library has a parking pass. The Fulton County Library has parking passes any member can check out to park for free at state parks, and your branch may have one as well.
While this trip is brief, it can be done easily in a day, you should get up and hit the road early to give yourself the whole day, especially if you plan to check out Amicalola Falls. Everyone we met in Ellijay was wonderful, and we are both excited to return in the fall when the colors start to change.
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