Art and culture are alive and well in Blue Ridge and the mountains of North Georgia. If your are a visitor, new to Blue Ridge, enjoying one of our rental cabins, you can literally fill your calendar with arts fairs, gallery tours, exhibits, receptions, festivals, concerts and plays produced and sponsored by local organizations. Here's a sampling of the quality and variety of arts and entertainment in Blue Ridge and McCaysville around North Georgia.

The Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association (BRMAA)
www.brmaa.net
The BRMAA sponsors gallery exhibits, summer concerts in the park, Blue Ridge Arts in the Park and Blue Ridge Wildlife Arts Festival, Blue Ridge Writer's Conference and Telebration. Located in the historic Fannin County Courthouse, downtown Blue Ridge, 706-632-2144.

Gold Rush Days, Dahlonega
www.dahlonega.org
Gold Rush Days are held the third weekend in October, when thousands come to see fall colors peaking and celebrate Dahlonega's 1828 discovery of gold. Over 300 art and craft exhibitors gather around the Public Square and Historic District in support of this annual event, and it is estimated that a crowd of over 200,000 visit over the weekend to join in the fun and excitement!

Gold Rush Days has been voted one of the Top 20 Events in the southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The North Georgia Mountains make a great vacation spot year-round, because of the unparalleled beauty and mild weather and abundance of quality rental cabins; however, during Oktoberfest Mother Nature kicks it up a notch. Deep azure skies and color splashed mountains surround a picturesque "alpine" village, making the days as inviting as the nights.  During the day, you may decide to browse the shops, relax in a beer-garden, or simply enjoy Helen's perfect weather and beautiful scenery. At night, however, all paths lead to Helen's massive Festhalle. 

The Festhalle is the spot for authentic German bands, food, beer, and fun. You can either spend the evening dancing the Polka and the chicken dance, or you can relax in the adjacent beer garden and enjoy the crisp night air. Whichever section of the huge Festhalle you like best, be sure to sample the fresh cooked wursts, and large variety of German beers.  So, if you've never been to Helen, or just never been to an Oktoberfest, be sure to visit Helen during Oktoberfest.

Blue Ridge Wood Carvers
Every Monday, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Center, Historic County Courthouse In Blue Ridge.

Pickin' in the Park
Casual jam sessions for acoustic musicians are held under the trees and pavilions along the Toccoa River at Ron Henry Horseshoe Bend Park every Thursday evening from 6:00 til dusk, beginning the week of Memorial Day through the end of September.

Morganton Music Park
Live country and bluegrass music and dancing Friday and Saturday nights 8:00 to 11:00 p.m., Morganton.

John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, N.C.
Concerts start most Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. featuring folk, bluegrass and old time Mountain music with the Appalachian fiddle, banjo, hammered dulcimer. Community Country and Square dances feature live music and are held bi-monthly from 8 - 11 p.m. Call 800-FOLK-SCH for more information.

Southern Tree Plantation

Southern Tree Plantation is a working farm with fun activities for large or small gatherings, including weekend dinners with live music, hayrides, pumpkin picking and a petting zoo in the fall.

Team completions include a running portion, a water-based portion and a mountain biking run and mystery events throughout the race. Since the race changes from year-to-year and the route and events of the race are a closely guarded secret, here is a description of a historic race to give visitors an idea of what might occur at a race.

Teams begin assembling about 7:00am for the running section of the race at Shallowford Bridge off Aska Rd. on the Toccoa River south of Lake Blue Ridge. The teams cross the historic steel span, then follow Shallowford Bridge Road to Old Dial Road. After completing a run of 10 miles teams begin showing up at the "transition point" to the water-based portion of the race. The three members grab paddles and a "funyak," a kayak-like inflatable canoe. They begin paddling with the flow of the current on the mighty (and unforgiving) Toccoa River towards, well, the Shallowford Bridge.

Since the race is based on the time it takes the entire team to make it to the finish line in downtown Blue Ridge, handling the transition areas can be pivotal in a solid finish. For example, the team had to grab paddles, the funyak and personal flotation devices and proceed to the single entry point to the river. Make a mistake with your equipment and you have to straighten it out which can put you at the end of the line.

Racers come up to the bend of the river, where the Toccoa River rolls over rocks and makes a 90 degree turn. We saw our first mystery event here. Contestants had to ford the river and climb a rock wall. Once all three were over the wall, it was back in the funyaks and on to the next transition event. This time, east of Deep Gap parking area, teams leave the river and hop on their own mountain bikes (you have to find yours out of a total of 240), then peddle back to Downtown Blue Ridge. It's not a direct route, however, and teams have checkpoints along the way. Of course, if you reach a checkpoint with a crowd, that can eat up time on your clock as well.

Less than 90 minutes North of Atlanta...
Straight up I-75 to I-575 to Hwy. 515