Fall is right around the corner, and with it comes crisp leaves, cool air, starry nights by the campfire, and a bucket list full of seasonal flavors to savor. Fitting all the goodness autumn brings into a short time period can seem like an impossible task, but luckily, Ellijay, Georgia is the perfect place for your family to experience the best of Fall in one weekend.
Friday Evening:
Grab a bite before settling in for the evening. There’s plenty of time to explore downtown later, so stretch your legs a little and indulge in cuisine beyond the downtown dining season. For awesome food the whole family can enjoy delivered fast, head to Pueblo Cantina. For a taste of local history, head to the Pink Pig of Cherry Log: a barbecue joint that has been family-owned and operated since the 1960s.
Pro-tip: Both Pueblo Cantina and Pink Pig can accommodate larger parties. Just call ahead with your arrival time so they can save a table!
After dinner, check in to your home away from home and rest up for a long day of adventure. With over 1500 cabins and a world-class RV resort in the area, Ellijay has the perfect place for every family.
Saturday:
Early risers win the day during apple-picking season, but arriving the night before puts you leagues ahead. Arrive rested and refreshed at your favorite apple orchard for a crisp morning of apple picking, farm adventures, and bakery browsing.
Families with young kids will love BJ Reece Orchards’ array of kids’ activities like a fun petting zoo, human hamster wheels, apple cannons, and their new for 2026 hay maze. (The fact that Reece’s Cider Co. is right across the street and home to Ellijay’s first hard apple cider lineup doesn’t hurt, either.)
Hillcrest Orchards is a can’t-miss family orchard because of their iconic swimming pig races and legendary hot apple cider donuts you can buy by the bagful. Hillcrest is always inventing new, tasty treats, such as their apple pie-dipped ice cream cones and apple cider slushy floats.
If you’re not traveling with kids or looking for a quieter apple-picking experience, Red Apple Barn, R&A Orchards, and Aaron Family Orchards offer a unique opportunity to pair apple picking with flower picking, and all feature farm markets paired with a wide variety of goodies to take back to the cabin.
Once you’ve had your fun, swing by a local mainstay like Mr. P’s or The Chili Dog for a grab-and-go lunch before heading back to your cabin to escape the mid-day sun. If you choose R&A Orchards for your apple picking adventure, you can even grab lunch from their on-site café!
When you’re ready to venture back out, head to Downtown Ellijay for some retail therapy. Kids will love checking out the toys and gem mining at Gumdrop Fun Shop while the whole family will love the dirty soda selection at Addie MacBeth’s, and the Swedish candy from Cowgirl Candy Company.
Antique aficionados will find everything from an impressive record selection at Unique Ellijay to English imports at Antiques on North Main. Downtown Ellijay is also home to great specialty shops like Cartecay Cutlery’s impressive knife selection and Mountain View Artisanal’s curated selection of cheeses and cookware. Downtown Ellijay truly has something for everyone which makes it the perfect place for multigenerational families to spend the early evening.
When you’re ready for dinner, longtime downtown mainstays like Cantaberry and Ellijay Wood Fired Pizza or newer spots like The Roof of Ellijay and Ellijay’s Little Italian have diverse menus ranging from picky-eater favorites to farm-to-table delicacies that can suit the whole family.
After dinner, head back to your cabin for a movie night or roasting marshmallows by the firepit under the stars.
Sunday Morning:
After you check out of your cabin, there is still plenty of exploring to do. If you’ve got a sasquatch fan in your crew, you won’t want to miss the Expedition: Bigfoot! museum in Cherry Log to learn more about Appalachia’s most elusive resident. They even have a map of sightings around Georgia that you can add your encounters to.
If you’re looking to get some fresh air, more adventurous families will love trails like Bear Creek Trail which leads to the second-largest tree in Georgia, the Gennett Poplar. Families looking for a more leisurely stroll will enjoy heading to Harrison Park in Downtown Ellijay. This retired farm features several walking paths that meander beside the Ellijay River, over creeks, and through their massive pollinator field. This is the perfect place to enjoy a coffee or picnic before heading home.
Ellijay is the perfect place to plan a fall weekend your family will look forward to year after year. When you’re ready to start planning, find more inspiration here.
