Exploring Northern Georgia: What We Did in a Week of Full-Time RV Life

Northern Georgia was the final stop in our little southern highpointing tour, and it ended up being the perfect mix of adventure, nostalgia, and everyday RV life. Our main goal was to summit Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s highest point, but we packed a lot into our weeklong stay at Trackrock Campground near Blairsville. From wandering through rhododendrons in full bloom to crossing the border for a couple of North Carolina detours, and even a visit to the whimsical Babyland General Hospital (yes, the home of Cabbage Patch Kids!), we found so many unexpected gems. We also spent a few slower days catching up on work, laundry, and life on the road, because as any full-time RVer knows, it’s not all epic hikes and scenic drives. Sometimes, it’s spreadsheets and sewer hoses too.

Day 1: Friday Travel Stress

Whooboy, Friday was a stressful day. To try to make a long story short: Josh’s meetings ran long in the morning, so we got a later start than we had planned. And we forgot to pre-plan our route the night before, which meant we didn’t realize we were going right through Atlanta traffic. Plus we went from Central to Eastern time on this drive, so it was already going to be an hour later when we got in. And then right before Atlanta we had a scare with a tire, which ended up being a glitch on our TPMS, but still put us back like half an hour because we had to reroute to get back to the highway because it was so backed up where we pulled off. So we got into our new campground at like 8pm, but wait there’s more! We pull in, find our name on the after hours check in board, and think all is good… until we drive down to our site and someone is there. We didn’t want to just take another site, because what if that person was also getting in late? So we called the after hours campground number and they ended up putting us in another site, and then we could finally set up, eat dinner, and go to bed!

We found out the next morning that the person in our site had just come off the Appalachian Trail and didn’t realize they were in a booked site, and the office staff said the other campers felt really bad about it. We ended up liking our new site just fine anyways, so it all worked out! We spent our time in Georgia staying at Trackrock Campground and we would definitely go back! It’s a private campground with full hook-ups, but the spacious sites and wooded location give it more of the state park vibes we like. There are nice amenities and the staff was super helpful and kind.

Day 2: Sunday Adventures at Babyland General Hospital, Alpine Helen, and Anna Ruby Falls

We only had one weekend in Georgia, so we wanted to make sure we squeezed in a lot of activities! On Saturday we checked off two things from my Georgia bucket list.

First up, Babyland General Hospital, which is where Cabbage Patch Kids are born. It’s a large plantation style house that’s part-museum, part-store. It is such a fever dream walking through here. The staff are all dressed as nurses, you can adopt cabbage kids from the hospital, and there is the patch itself. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see a birth. When someone adopts a custom Cabbage Patch doll, they put on a whole little show of it being born from Mother Cabbage. It’s absolutely wild, here’s a video I found on YouTube showing one.

After Babyland, we went to the next bucket list destination- the town of Helen. Helen is themed after a Bavarian town and is so stinking cute. There are lots of fun shops, and of course we ate at one of the German restaurants- The Troll Tavern.

On our way back to camp we did one last stop for the day at Anna Ruby Falls. This is a US Forest Service site and a really cool waterfall!

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Day 3: Sunday at the Hamilton Gardens, Jackrabbit Trail, and Spikebuck Mound

Our first Sunday activity was at the Hamilton Gardens at the Georgia Mountain Fair. This week was their Rhododendron Festival, since many of the plants were in bloom. We walked through the gardens and then checked out the vendors. We met a Wild Ones member who was there representing the local native plant society, had some good barbecue and locally-made ice-cream, even bought a small plant.

Next up, we headed to the Jackrabbit Mountain Recreation Area in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. We did a short, but nice, hike through the woods here- and we now we get to say we visited North Carolina this year!

After the trail, we went to the Spikebuck Town Mound and Village Site in in Hayesville, North Carolina. This site was once inhabited by the Cherokee, who had a village called Quanassee here. The Spikebuck Mound was an platform mound that was the center of the village.

Our final stop of the day was at Walmart in Blairsville for groceries- and Blairsville definitely passed the Walmart Test!

Day 4: Monday’s Cupid Falls

Monday, after logging off work, we decided to check out Cupid Falls Park in Young Harris. This is a small city park with a waterfall and short nature trail. Even though it was small, it was really nicely maintained and a great afternoon activity. Apparently I either didn’t take pictures this day, or lost them though.

Day 5: Tuesday at Camp

On Tuesday Josh had afternoon meetings, so we stayed at camp. We walked the campground and I made a (semi) homemade pizza, an activity I’ve been enjoying regularly while on the road.

Day 6: Wednesday at Meeks Park

Wednesday was evening meeting-free, so we went to Meeks Park in Blairsville. We started with trying to play disc golf, but didn’t finish the course. We played a few holes, but there wasn’t good signage and it was confusing so we ended up giving up and checking out more of the park instead. We walked one of the nature trails, checked out the mill, tried out the exercise area, and just enjoyed seeing what Meeks Park had to offer.

After dinner, we played a few rounds of pool in the campground clubhouse. We don’t usually stay in campgrounds with these kinds of amenities, so it was fun to take advantage of it.

Day 7: Highpointing on Thursday

On Thursday we finally made it to the main reason for our Georgia stay- summiting Georgia’s highpoint, Brasstown Bald. From the parking area partway up the mountain you can either take a shuttle or hike to the top. We chose the short hike, of course. At the top there is a museum with nature center type exhibits and a platform with a view. 

Day 8: Friday Travel Day

This was Good Friday, so Josh had off work, so it was perfect for our travel day. We packed up and headed to Tennessee for our next adventure!

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What We Missed in Georgia

If we ever make it back to this part of Georgia, still on our list to visit are:

• Track Rock Gap Petroglyph Site (currently closed to the public due to vandalism)
• The Aviator Cafe
• Grandaddy Mimm’s Distilling Co
• Georgia Mountain Research & Education Center gardens
• Horse Trough Falls
• Reece Farm & Heritage Center
• Sosebee Cove Scenic Area
• Vogel State Park
• Helton Creek Falls
• DeSoto Falls
• High Shoals Falls
• Raven Cliffs Trail
• Nacoochee Indian Mound