Spring Travel: Weekend getaways just a short drive or flight away!
Take your pick from these mountaintop and seaside destinations.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Blake Guthrie
 
Blairsville
 
Less than two hours from Atlanta in the shadow of Georgia’s highest peaks (including the highest, Brasstown Bald at 4,784 feet), Blairsville has historic mountain town charm and deep agricultural roots worth exploring at sites along the North Georgia Farm Trail.
 
The Reece Heritage Farm (Free, 8552 Gainesville Hwy., www.unioncountyga.gov/reecefarm) at the foot of Blood Mountain opens for the season on April 12. It offers an enlightening glimpse into what Appalachian farm life was like in the early 20th century, as well as the life of the farm’s namesake, poet and novelist Byron Herbert Reece.
 
One mile away is Vogel State Park ($5, 405 Vogel State Park Road, gastateparks.org/Vogel), one of Georgia’s oldest state parks, with lakeside and waterfall hiking trails worth exploring on a day visit. Stay in a historic cabin at the park or in town at the newly renovated Creekside Cottages ($150 and up, 20 Cottage Creek Way, www.mycreeksidecottages.com) on Butternut Creek. Creekside’s four cottages have private fire pits on the creek bank and are within walking distance to the courthouse square downtown.
 
The cottages are also within walking distance to the Union County Farmers Market (Free. 290 Farmers Market Way, www.unioncountyga.gov/farmers-market), which opens for the season the first week of June, but you can visit the Hunter-England Cabin and Historic Homestead onsite anytime. The cabin, built in 1832, is believed to be the oldest structure in Union County.
 
Enjoy a farm-to-table Southern-style breakfast or lunch at The Sawmill Place (1150 Pat Haralson Drive, www.thesawmillplace.com), choosing from a seasonal menu sourced from local growers.