Labor Day Weekend: Celebrate Mountain Life The expansive lawn at the Mountain Life Museum is the location for the annual Mountain Heritage Festival, a heritage event that celebrates the history, lifeways and folk traditions of this small mountain community. You’ll find arts & crafts, food and demonstrations of old-timey ways each Labor Day weekend in the mountains. While at the festival, you can also visit the 1906 Butt-Mock Home and 1861 John Payne Cabin. The Butt-Mock home was donated to the Historical Society in 1994 and has been fully restored. The Butt-Mock Home includes a gift shop and is wheelchair accessible. The John Payne Cabin was bought, moved and reassembled, and features additional old-time structures. Local Food • Arts & Crafts • Music [box] Mountain Heritage Festival • One Block South of the Square in Downtown Blairsville, GA 30512 • (706) 745-5493 •  unioncountyhistory.org [/box] Share this:Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Share this:Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

October There’s no other town more in love with its local fruit than Ellijay. And with good reason — introduced into North Georgia in the early 1900s, apples saved Gilmer County from the devastation of the boll weevil on local cotton crops. Now, the middle two weekends of October are set aside for a celebration of all things apple. The high school football field is transformed into avenues with names like Winesap, Rome Beauty, Red Delicious and Granny Smith Circle. Come hungry, because you can dig into everything from savory Gyros and fried turkey legs to fresh apple cider and savory fried pies. You’ll also enjoy arts, crafts, quilts, food, apples, music, face painting, and much more. There are over 300 vendors with handmade, hand-crafted items, as well as many on-site demonstrations of how selected types of crafts are made. Be sure to check the schedule for the date of the annual parade and antique car show, too. Apples • Arts & Crafts • Animals • Live Music    [one_half] Georgia Apple Festival Lions Club Fairgrounds 1729 S. Main Street, Ellijay, GA (706) 636-4500 georgiaapplefestival.org [/one_half] [one_half_last][/one_half_last] Share this:Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click […] Share this:Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Late April Purchase a passport at any of the participating wineries for $20 and receive a Mountain Wine Country glass. The passport lets you taste wines at each of the participating wineries for three days of fun. Each winery offers a special experience to its Bud Break Weekend visitors! Participating Wineries include: Calaboose Cellars, Andrews, NC, (828) 321-2006 Cartecay Vineyards, Ellijay, GA, (706) 698-9463 Crane Creek Vineyards, Young Harris, GA, (706) 379-1236 Eagle Fork Vineyards, Hayesville, NC, (828) 389-VINO Hightower Creek Vineyards, Hiawassee, GA, (706) 896-8963 Nottely River Valley Vineyards, Murphy, NC, (828) 837-7822 Serenberry Vineyards, Morganton, GA, (706) 623-8463 Sharp Mountain Vineyards, Jasper, GA, (770) 735-1210 Valley River Vineyards, Murphy, NC, (828) 837-0691   [one_half] Bud Break Wine Highway Weekend mountainwinecountry.com [/one_half] [one_half_last][/one_half_last] Share this:Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Share this:Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)