Places to stay near attractions in Ellijay

Ellijay, Georgia is the seat of Gilmer County and the officially designated Apple Capital of Georgia. Set at the confluence of the Cartecay and Ellijay rivers, which form the Coosawattee, the town's downtown square is anchored by a working courthouse, the Bourbon Street Grille, and small mercantiles. Its apple heritage is centered on Highway 52 east of town, where more than a dozen family orchards — Hillcrest, Panorama, R&A, BJ Reece, Mercier, and Aaron Family among them — draw families every fall for u-pick apples, fried pies, cider donuts, and hayrides.

Ellijay anchors the annual Georgia Apple Festival every October, one of the state's largest craft festivals, along with Cartecay River tubing and kayaking at Cartecay River Experience, mountain biking at the Bear Creek and Pinhoti trail systems, and the drive up to Fort Mountain State Park for its stone wall ruins and panoramic overlooks. The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest wraps the town on three sides, putting Amicalola-area waterfalls, the Benton MacKaye Trail, and Carters Lake within a short drive.

Ellijay pairs naturally with Blue Ridge to the north and Jasper to the south, and its combination of apple orchards, river tubing, and cabin rentals makes it a year-round pick for families looking for a quieter alternative to Helen or Gatlinburg.