Blue Ridge GA was the first mountain town I ever remember visiting as a boy in the 1970s. It was also the first town we visited after launching Blue Ridge Mountains Travel Guide 5 years ago.
When we got an invite to visit the Bear to Dream cabin in Blue Ridge last week, we were amazed to see how much the town continues to grow and evolve, with lots of new restaurants and shops.
Although we usually spend our trips hiking and exploring all the local attractions, on this trip we were mostly interested in rest and relaxation after our busy, stressful 2024.
The gorgeous cabin proved the perfect place for anyone who just wants to connect with their loved ones and savor spectacular views of the North Georgia mountains.
Read on for our in-depth review of the 3-bedroom, 3-bath cabin, including an overview of the accommodations, amenities, and fun things to do nearby during your visit.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Things to Do in Blue Ridge GA
Bear to Dream Cabin Info
ADDRESS: 10 Oak Ridge, Blue Ridge GA, 30513
EMAIL: [email protected]
ACCOMODATIONS: This spacious, pet-friendly cabin accommodates up to 10 guests, with 3 bedrooms (all with King-sized beds) and 3 bathrooms. It also features indoor and outdoor fireplaces, a hot tub, game room, and 3 covered decks.
DIRECTIONS FROM DOWNTOWN BLUE RIDGE
From Downtown Blue Ridge, turn right onto W First St, go approximately 0.3 miles, then turn left onto Cook St. After crossing over Hwy 76, the road becomes Scenic Dr, which you’ll follow for 1.8 miles before making a left onto Sugar Creek Rd.
Continue on Sugar Creek for 1.5 miles, then make a slight right onto Chestnut Gap Rd. Take that for 1.1 miles, then go left onto Bearden Rd. In about 800 feet you’ll make a right on Chestnut Hills Ln.
Oak Ridge will be 0.3 miles on the left, and Bear to Dream cabin is the first driveway on the right.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Pet Friendly Cabins in Blue Ridge GA
Bear to Dream Cabin Background
Located 5.5 miles from Downtown Blue Ridge, the Bear to Dream Cabin was built in 2006. Current owners Wes Keen & Emily Leidy purchased the 1.73-acre property in October 2022.
Wes was born & raised in Miami, but fell in love with the North Georgia Mountains while spending a month every summer on his grandmother’s 30-acre homestead in the neighboring town of Blairsville GA.
After his best friend bought a cabin in Blue Ridge GA in 2014, Wes came to visit and fell in love with the area’s great restaurants, shops, and natural attractions.
He and Emily ultimately bought the fully furnished cabin (which is just 1.4 miles from his friend’s place) sight unseen, and began renovations to update it soon thereafter.
They started by redoing the roof and all 3 of the covered decks, which offer stunning Blue Ridge Mountain views all year-round thanks to expert pruning by a professional arborist.
The couple also added high-tech appliances, new light fixtures, and high-speed Wifi, and redecorated with gorgeous art that gives the cabin an upscale vibe of rustic luxury.
READ MORE: The 20 Best Blue Ridge Georgia Cabins to Rent
Accommodations
Other than the open floor plan, cathedral ceilings, and Appalachian-influenced decor (including bear carvings, paintings, and photographs everywhere you look), the first thing we noticed upon entering the Bear to Dream cabin was that it offers huge King bedrooms on all 3 levels.
We chose the one on the main level, which opens onto a massive wrap-around porch with an outdoor fireplace, dining table, and wooden rocking chairs (where we drank our morning coffee). But all of them were similar in size and layout, with large flat screen TVs and adjoining bathrooms.
The bedroom on the top level opens on to a smaller deck with the best long-range mountain views, and its bathroom has a large tub as well as a spacious shower. The bedroom on the bottom level is next to the game room/bar area, and its deck features a hot tub.
The main level is also where you’ll find the spacious kitchen, which includes a full-size fridge, stove, microwave, 2 coffee makers (classic and Keurig), a dishwasher, and even a wine fridge built into the island.
It also has all the pots, pans, and dishes you could possibly need for making meals, and it’s right next to a dining area with a table and seating for up to 10 people.
We especially loved the living room, which has two uber-comfortable overstuffed couches, two matching recliners, an amazing hearth-stone fireplace, and the largest flat screen TV I’ve ever seen. It also had a dog bed that Boo-Boo (our Cocker Spaniel/Papillon mix) loved so much, we bought him one just like it!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Blue Ridge GA Hotels (Including Pet Friendly Options)
Amenities
We’ve stayed in hundreds of cabins and B&Bs since launching this website in 2019, but I can’t think of any that offered more awesome amenities than the Bear to Dream cabin did.
The game room was a personal favorite because it had a 2-person mini-basketball game. I cannot tell you how many prizes I won for my daughter playing this game at arcades when she was a kid! But it was nice to be able to shoot hoops for as long as I wanted without constantly needing to feed it quarters.
Other games and activities included a ping-pong table, a dartboard, a flat screen TV, and a high-tech exercise bike in the adjoining bedroom.
This room also featured a natural wood bar area, with gorgeous live edge wood slabs, a side table, 4 bar stools, a sofa, wine glasses, a small sink, and more dishes for serving up snacks.
Double doors open out onto the lower level deck, where you’ll find more rocking chairs and Mary’s favorite feature– a hot tub large enough to hold 6 to 8 people.
Every night after we came back from dinner, we’d go out for a soak, turning off all the lights so we could gaze up at the stars while enjoying our much-needed quality time together.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Blue Ridge GA Horseback Riding Tours
Fun Things to Do Nearby
Explore Downtown Blue Ridge
Founded in 1886 with the arrival of the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad, Blue Ridge is one of the oldest towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia.
Downtown Blue Ridge has grown by leaps and bounds since then, with lots of cool shops and boutiques, an Art Center and community theater, and a historic drive-in theater.
There are also tons of great restaurants for a town with around 1,300 residents, including Black Sheep, Grace Prime Steakhouse, Harvest on Main, Rum Cake Lady Cuban Cafe, and Whiskey & Water.
If you love trains, check out the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, which offers scenic train rides all year long.
Go Chasing Waterfalls
There are at least a dozen different waterfalls within a 30-45 minutes drive of Blue Ridge, and most of these hiking trails offer excellent ROI for minimal exertion.
The closest one to Downtown Blue Ridge is Falls Branch Falls (12 miles away, near the town of Cherry Log), which features an easy, 0.9-mile round-trip hike and only 200 feet of elevation change.
Located about 24 miles away in Suches, the 50-foot Long Creek Falls is the most popular waterfall in Fannin County, with an easy 1.9-mile trail that only gains 300 feet of elevation.
The 0.5-mile round-trip hike to Sea Creek Falls is also in Suches, and Helton Creek Falls in Blairsville (36 miles away) is one of our favorite easy waterfall hikes in GA.
READ MORE:The 10 Best Waterfalls Near Blue Ridge GA
Spend a Day at Lake Blue Ridge
Beautiful Lake Blue Ridge encompasses around 3,300 acres, with 65 miles of shoreline. Only 25% of it has been developed, with the other 75% protected as part of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
This is arguably among the best lakes in the North Georgia mountains, with crystal clear waters reflecting the bright blue sky, and the Blue Ridge Mountains providing a perfectly picturesque backdrop.
Boating, kayaking, fishing and swimming are all popular in summer, and the lake boasts numerous boat ramps, marinas, and picnic spots.
Our favorites including the Lake Blue Ridge Day Use Area, Morganton Point Recreation Area (which has a campground and pebble beach), and the Lake Blue Ridge Dam Recreation Area.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Lakes in Georgia to Visit
Visit the Expedition Bigfoot Museum
If you love quirky roadside attractions as much as we do, this family-friendly, 4,000-sq foot museum in Cherry Log is an absolute must-see.
Owners David and Malinda Bakara have assembled an expansive collection of artfully displayed Bigfoot exhibits, artifacts, Applachian folklore, and memorabilia.
Their Expedition Bigfoot Museum includes hundreds of documented Bigfoot encounters, recordings of Bigfoot sounds, and Bigfoot videos.
In recent years they’ve also added exhibits on unexplained phenomena such as UFOs, ETs, sea monsters, etc. from their Adventure Outpost (formerly located in Downtown Blue Ridge). –by Bret Love; all photos by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett
