Bret and Mary 
[Updated December 9, 2022] The Western North Carolina mountains have practically everything you could possibly want if you’re looking for a back-to-nature getaway. Home to the five tallest mountains east of the Mississippi, countless cascading waterfalls, adventurous hiking trails, and bustling mountain towns, the region offers beautiful scenery every which way you turn. After a full day … Read more
[Updated November 16, 2023] Although Mary and I have been working as a travel writer/photographer team for over a decade now, we always make sure we’re home in time to spend Christmas in Georgia. Growing up in Atlanta, with extended family who lived far north of the city, I was blessed with so many … Read more
[Updated on November 20, 2023] Widely regarded as one of the best places in the North Georgia mountains to live, Dahlonega GA is one of those old-timey small towns that visitors often compare to Mayberry. It originally grew out of the gold mining boom of the early 19th century, when the Georgia gold rush brought thousands of … Read more
10 Fun, Festive Ways to Celebrate Christmas in Helen GA, including the Helen Christmas Parade, Lighting of the Village, Santa photos & more.
Asheville NC is one of our favorite Blue Ridge Mountain towns to visit, and it shouldn’t be difficult to understand why. It’s a truly a nature-lover’s playground, surrounded by ecotourism attractions such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Linville Falls, Mount Mitchell, and the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest. Of course the city itself also has a lot … Read more
[Updated January 2, 2024] For a medium-sized North Carolina mountain town with a population of under 100,000, there is a surprising wealth of unique things to do in Asheville NC. Thanks to an infusion of wealth brought in by the Biltmore Estate in the early 20th century, there’s historic art deco-influenced architecture. There are also … Read more
Hiawassee GA is a tiny town of around 1,000 residents that’s located right on the North Carolina border. Pretty much everything in Hiawassee is centered around Lake Chatuge (which it shares with the town of Hayesville NC), which is widely considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the region. The neighboring town of Young … Read more
When we started the Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide in 2019, we had two major goals in mind. The first was to explore the countless Blue Ridge Mountain towns in-depth, and share all our favorite things we experienced while rediscovering the simple pleasures of small town Americana. The second was to find our future home in the … Read more
Choosing the best restaurants in Cherokee NC is an interesting challenge. Most major tourist towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains– such as Asheville NC, Blue Ridge GA, and Roanoke VA– offer a wide array of upscale, chef-driven restaurants with their own signature culinary flair. But the majority of the restaurants in Cherokee and the Qualla … Read more
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains less than 4 miles from the border with North Carolina, Hiawassee GA is a relatively small town (2.07 square miles) on the shores of Lake Chatuge. Known as “Georgia’s Lake and Mountain Paradise,” the town was named after the Cherokee word Ayuhwasi, which means meadow. It was settled circa 1820, … Read more
