Plenty of outdoor adventure and family fun found in Blue Ridge

ZIPLINING

Blue Ridge Canopy Adventure, located at 1408 Appalachian Hwy., is a great place to kick off your outdoor adventure trip. The canopy tour offers 13 ziplines, providing plenty of thrills for children and adults alike. Jake did this adventure and said it was a highlight of his trip (see his column for more details on the zipline). Tyler and Austin were his guides and he said they did a great job leading the group and making sure it was fun for everyone.

For more information, check out the website at www.theblueridgecanopyadventure.com or call 706-946-1010.

MONSTER TRUCK

Blue Ridge Off-Road Adventure, located at 319 Hells Hollow Road, is owned by the same company as the canopy adventure. You can make arrangements for a ride on the truck while you are at the Blue Ridge Canopy Adventure office.

The former military trucks have been converted into monster trucks for this adventure. You are strapped into the seats lining the back of the truck and then you head off into the woods for a thrilling and scenic ride. On this one and a half adventure, you will go up steep grades, through washes and climb across obstacles and over rugged terrain.

Also located on the site of the monster truck ride is a trout stream where you can feed the fish, gem mining, horseback riding and pony rides.

LILLY PAD VILLAGE

The Lilly Pad Village, located at 24 Adelaide Drive, is the perfect stop for families. Children and adults of all ages will enjoy all the family-fun activities that are offered. The gem mining, putt putt and catch and release trout fishing will provide hours of fun for the family.

My nephew, Jake, loved the gem mining. It was his first time trying this and he declared it to be “awesome.” It was also educational as he learned about he different kinds of stones as he uncovered them.

“It doesn’t end here,” owner Geza Csuros said. “You can take the stones home, research them on the Internet and make jewelry.

Tiger Eye, Smoky Quartz, Amathyst, Moonstone, Soda Light, Garnet, Green Quartz and emeralds were among the stones Jake found in his bucket. He was so excited with each one that he found.

Csuros and his wife, Gina, have been operating the Lilly Pad for six years and continue to expand the business that started out as a coffee shop as a retirement business for the couple. It has changed fro a part-time retirement job to a full-time business with more than 25,000 visitors stopping by last year.

For more information, check out the website at www.lillypadvillage.com or call 706-534-1317.

TRAIN RIDE

The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway allows you to really relax and enjoy the beautiful countryside on the one-hour train ride over to McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tenn. You catch the train in downtown Blue Ridge for this sight-seeing trip that takes you through some of the most beautiful Blue Ridge scenic spots. Once you arrive, a blue line painted on the pavement allows you to stand in two states at one time as the train stop is on the Georgia-Tennessee state line. You have time for some shopping and lunch.

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway also offers special excursions throughout the year, including an Easter excursion, Halloween train ride and Santa Express.

Once you get back to Blue Ridge, plan to spend some time exploring the downtown area. Among the stops to make are The Sweet Shoppe, winner of “Cupcake Wars” where I had the most amazing cupcakes; Three Sisters Fudge, which has a wide variety of fudge; Huck’s General Store, which has a great selection of T-shirts, jams, jellies and pickles.

For more information, check out the website at www.brscenic.com or call 877-413-8724.

MERCIER ORCHARDS

At Mercier Orchards, located at 8660 Blue Ridge Drive, the family will love the wagon ride out to the fields to pick strawberries, blueberries, and apples, when they are in season. Our trip was during strawberry season and we filled out baskets with strawberries, munching on the succulent berries as we walked among the rows.

Back at the store, you will find amazing fried pies (apple, cherry, chocolate and cream cheese among the ones we tried), apple donuts, cider and gift items.

For more information, check out the website at www.mercier-orchards.com or call 706-632-3411.

WHERE TO STAY

To find the perfect accommodations, contact Georgia Mountain Cabin Rentals at www.georgiamtncabins.com. We loved Bucksnort, a two-bedroom cabin that is perfect for a family of four. The main floor had a large living room area with a television and DVD player, sofa and chair, dining area and full kitchen. One bedroom and a bathroom are also on this floor. Upstairs is another bedroom and bathroom and a sitting area with a sofa and table. Downstairs you will find a pool table and bathroom with a hot tub just outside the door.

For more information, check out the website or call 1-877-656-7368. Once you get to town, you will find the office at 3608 East First Street in Suite 105.

WHERE TO EAT

Toccoa Riverside Restaurant, located at 8055 Aska Road, is a wonderful place for dinner overlooking the scenic Toccoa River. The restaurant specializes in fresh North Georgia Rainbow trout but many other menu items are offered, including steaks, ribs and seafood. Our server, Brace, was great and he made great recommendations, as well as making sure we had everything we needed. For an appetizer, we tried the salmon treat, which was a light, tasty start to our meal. For an entrée, I had the pecan crusted flounder and it was amazing. We took a piece of the peanut butter pie back to our cabin for dessert later and it was also wonderful.

For more information, check out the website at www.toccoariversiderestaurant.com or call 706-632-7891.

To start planning your Blue Ridge adventure, go to www.BlueRidgeMountains.com or call 800-899-MTNS.