Our Trip to Ellijay
One evening we were all hanging out and before we knew it we were booking an AirBNB in the mountains for a weekend getaway. 3 weeks later, we were on our way to Ellijay, GA for Labor Day weekend. Here’s where we stayed, what we did, and what we ate.
Itinerary
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Downtown Ellijay
Two of the four families made it to Ellijay around lunchtime on Friday. We spent the afternoon browsing the shops and had lunch at The Roof. It was a little warm, but the food was great. We noticed they had a cider on the menu from the orchard we planned to attend the next day. It was delicious.
The bakery was super cute and even had a tea room. It would be a great venue for a girl’s birthday party or wedding shower.
Cartecay River Brewing Co
Before heading to the grocery store for nonperishable items, we decided to make a spontaneous stop at Cartecay River Brewing Co. The owners were there and were extremely welcoming. The vibe was very relaxed and there were lots of games for the patrons and kids to play. We hung out their for a while trying different beverages. The kids loved the cat that meandered through.
AirBNB
We were blown away by the spaciousness of Luxury in Aska. The cabin has 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bath, 2 living rooms, a hot tub, bourbon porch, indoor/outdoor bar, and game room. 3 of the 4 adult rooms at en suite bathrooms and the 5th bedroom was a bunkroom with 6 twin beds. The big kids took this room. The littles slept on air mattresses we brought in the second living room just outside the bunk room. The kitchen was well stocked and the dining room table was large enough to accommodate all the kids at once. We spent most of our mornings and evenings on the decks. Both moms and kids loved the swinging beds.
Amicalola Falls
This state park is a must for us everytime we’re in north Georgia. We used the AllTrails app to navigate there again to the West Falls Ridge Access. The navigation still wanted to take us to the top of the falls. If you go, look for the signs pointing you to the West Ridge access. It’s a short and easy hike with an incredible view.
Apple Picking
Ellijay is Georgia’s apple capital and Labor Day weekend is considered the unofficial start of apple picking season.
There are several orchards in the area, but we decided to visit BJ Reece since they offered cow milking on top of the apple picking. There were several options for admission. We decided to go with the $13/person tickets. You pay for your apples in addition to the admission. There are maps showing the different varieties and the orchards are on both sides of the road. We picked and snacked on a few apples before visiting the petting zoo and milking Ellen, their 8-year-old cow. Weather moved into the area and cut our trip short, but everyone’s bags were full. We probably wouldn’t have stayed much longer. We ended up migrating to the Cidery they had on property, which was a pleasant surprise.
Cidery
The cidery was an amazing venue. Their closed in pavillion had panoramic sliding windows that they had open to let in the fresh air. Just outside the building, a live band played on stage in front of rows of adirondak chairs. Between the outdoor area and the indoor bar with giftshop were yard games. The kids enjoyed playing cornhole and oversized Jenga. The indoor bar also had a few snacks for the kids, but we ended up going across the street to get the kids apple cider donuts and non-alcoholic apple cider.
Each cider was delicious, but the majority of us liked the Apple Pie one the best. Caramel apple and pumpkin spice came in as close seconds.
Minute To Win It Games
Each kid was given a game card and told to put their name on it above the Cheeseball Head Title. Then, they were instructed to write the name of another player under partner for each game. Since there were 10 kids total, they were not allowed to write anyone’s name more than once.
CHEESEBALL HEAD
Materials: 1 large container of cheeseballs, 1 shower cap per player, 1 can of shaving cream, a timer, a chair for Partner A to sit in, a line Partner B cannot cross set up across from partner A
Setup: Have Partner A sit down in a chair and put on the shower cap. Spray a generous amount of shaving cream on top of the shower cap. Give the cheeseballs to Partner B and have them line up across from their partner facing them.
Format: All players are participating at the same time (1 minute rounds).
How to Play: When the timer starts, Partner B throws the cheeseballs and tries to stick them in the shaving cream on Partner A’s head. The team with the most cheeseballs at the end of the minute wins.
Round 2: Switch sides - Partner B puts on the shower cap and gets shaving cream. Partner A tosses the cheeseballs.
BLOWN AWAY
Materials: 1 balloon per team, 6 cups per team, a timer, a table or counter surface
Setup: Give each player a balloon & place a set of 6 cups rim down on a table for each player or counter near the edge of the surface.
Format: 1/2 of the players are participating at a time (two 1 minute segments per round).
How to Play: When the timer starts, Partner A blows up the balloon and uses the air from the balloon to push the cup off the surface. The first player to blow all 6 cups off the surface or the player that pushes off the most cups in the minute wins. Partner B cheers for Partner A.
Round 2: Partner B blows up the balloon and uses the air to push the balloons off while Partner A cheers for Partner B.
LIGHTS OUT
Materials: 15 - 20 tea light candles & a lighter
Setup: Line up the tea light candles evenly spaced in a row. Do not move any of the candles between rounds. Light the candles.
Format: All players are participating individually. Relight candles after each player.
How to Play: Partner A stands at one end of the table or counter, takes a deep breath, and then sees how many candles in a row he/she can blow out in a single blow. The person who blows out the most in a row wins. Partner B cheers on Partner A.
Round 2: Partner B blows out the candles and Partner A cheers.
MARSHMALLOW STACK
Materials: 8 marshmallows for each pair, 1 set of chopsticks for each player, timer
Setup: Place the marshmallows in a bowl and give each player a pair of chopsticks.
Format: All players are participating at the same time (1 minute rounds).
How to Play: This is a one-handed game. Each player readies the chopsticks and then places their other hand behind their back. Working with their partner, players use the chopsticks to stack their team’s 8 marshmallows on top of each other (flat surface to flat surface). The team with the most marshmallows stacked or the team that stacks theirs first wins.
Round 2: Challenge your players to do it again, but with their non-dominate hand this time.
MOUTH SHOVELER
Materials: 1 spoon for each player, 8 marshmallows for each team, two paper plates per team, timer
Setup: Place all 8 marshmallows on one of each team’s plates. Then have Partner A put the handle of the spoon in their mouth and then their hands behind their back.
Format: 1/2 of the players are participating at a time (two 1 minute segments per round).
How to Play: When the timer starts, Partner A uses just the spoon to scoop up each marshmallow and move it over to the empty plate. If the marshmallow falls off the spoon but not onto the plate, Partner B must put the marshmallow back on the start plate. The team that gets the most marshmallows onto the finish plate or does it the quickest wins.
Round 2: Partner B uses the spoon to move the marshmallows back to the start plate with their hands behind their back. Partner A puts any dropped marshmallows back on the finish plate for Partner B to try again.
FLIP TAC TOE
Materials: masking tape, two different colored sets of 9 cups per team,
Setup: Use the masking tape to create a tic tac toe board on a table or counter surface (Make sure the cups can fit into the boxes). Then give each team their sets of cups. Partner A uses 1 color and Partner B uses the other. Have them place on cup on the edge of the surface rim side up so it is hanging over the edge (think Flip Cup). The other cups should be stacked off to the side for the player to grab.
Format: Partner A vs. Partner B (untimed)
How to Play: When the game begins both Partners use their fingers to flick the bottom of the cup and make it land rim side down on the table or counter. If the cup lands correctly, that partner gets to claim a square on the tic tac toe board. If the cup does not land correctly, the player replaces the cup rim side up and tries again. The play continues until with each remaining cup until 1 of the partners creates a line of 3 cups in their color.
Round 2: Allow the players to switch partners (if they want to) and try again.
SO SUCKY
Materials: 1 straw per player, colored cardstock (1 color per team), scissors, 1 cup per team
Setup: Designate a color for each team. Using the scissors, cut each color cardstock into equal numbers of squares. Then mix the cardstock squares together so the colors are randomly but equally distributed throughout the pile. Tell the players how many total squares there are in their team’s color.
Format: All players are participating at the same time (1 minute rounds).
How to Play: When the timer starts, players use their straws only to pick up their cardstock pieces and put them in the cups. Their hands are not allowed to touch the cardstock. Most players used one hand to hold the straw and the other to hold the cup. The cups were not allowed to be lifted from the table. The player with the most pieces in their cup when the timer sounds wins.
Round 2: Challenge your players to do it again, but with their non-dominate hand this time.
OREO FACE
Materials: 1 cookie per player
Setup: Give each partner a cookie to place on their forehead above their eyebrows.
Format: 1/2 of the players are participating at a time (untimed).
How to Play: Tell the players they must not use their hands. Using their face muscles, they must move the cookie from their forehead to their mouth.
Round 2: Partner B moves the cookie and Partner A cheers.
Fall Branch Falls
We chose the Fall Branch Falls hike because it was about 10 minutes away from the cabin, got us outdoors, and allowed us to go tubing after lunch. The hike was longer than Amicalola but still a short hike for the area. We got to climb some rocks and the kids got to play in the water. The rocks were slippery and a few wiped out, but thankfully no one got hurt. There were some glamping yurts near the waterfall that we all took pictures of to consider for next time.
Blue Ridge Tubing
This activity was planned after we passed by it on our way to Amicalola and apple picking. We decided it was hot enough to want to go. We headed to Blue Ridge Tubing after lunch on Sunday. We did end up waiting in line for a shuttle to get to the start of the river. There were 3 vans total. We ended up getting there in two different groups. After we met up at the start, we got in the water and floated our way down. It was incredibly difficult to stay together. Some parts of the river had faster currents than others and many of us kept getting stuck on the rocks. It was actually hilarious. Somehow the closed tube would suction itself to the rock. Sometimes we could bounce a little and be on our way, other times we had to get off the raft and peel it off the rock. There were some small rapid sections that made it fun. Many parts were super shallow, which most likely contributed to the number of times we got stuck. It was nice to float back to our cars. I liked being able to grab my towel without having to wait for the shuttle or figure out how to keep it dry on the river.
Vacay Tees
We hadn’t originally planned on making vacation tees, but one of the girls suggested we do pajama tees and before we knew it we had a design. She had also sent me the “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list” design and asked me to update it with both mountain and beach scenery. I happened to have these ready at the same time as the “Take Me Away to Ellijay” tees, so both designs ended up on the trip. For cost and because the trip was coming up quickly, we decided to keep the shirts to just the adults (we typically only do shirts for the kids). While there we all shared we wished we included the kids. Next time we will for sure.
Our Meal Plan
Friday
Dinner: Lasagna and salad for the adults, frozen pizza and garlic knots for the kids
Saturday
Breakfast: Eggs, toast & bacon
Lunch: Taco/quesadilla bar
Dinner: steak & baked potatoes + side caesar salad or broccoli
Sunday
Breakfast: pancakes, eggs & bacon
Lunch: hamburgers & hotdogs with chips and grapes
Dinner: grilled chicken & corn on the cob with twice baked potatoes
Monday
Breakfast: eggs, toast, and fruit
Snacks
S’mores, Cheez Its, popcorn & peanut butter filled pretzels
Food Shopping List
Produce
3 packs 3 Romaine lettuce hearts (2 shredded, 1 for hamburgers)
2 lbs Slice strawberries
12 bananas
Apple juice and/or orange juice
2 onions (1 diced, 1 sliced)
3 tomatos (1.5 diced, 1.5 sliced)
2 sliced avocados
5 lb bag of russet potatoes
3 bags of broccoli
2 pints Blueberries
1 bag of grapes
Sliced tomatoes
8 cobs of corn
Dairy
4 cups Shredded parmesan
54 eggs
butter
2 gallons of milk
1 bottle of creamer
1 container of sour cream
8 cups fiesta blend Shredded cheese
1 jar Queso or block of velveeta cheese
Pantry
2 bags of Croutons
1 bottle of caesar dressing
4 loaves bread
Salt & pepper
1 bag of Coffee
1 large or 2 small jars of Salsa
2 bags Tortilla chips
2 packs soft taco tortillas
1 pack hard taco shells
1 pack burrito tortillas
Steak sauce: A1 and/or Heinz 57
Pancake mix
1 bag of mini morsel Chocolate chips
Small bottle of maple syrup
1 pack hamburger buns
3 packs hotdog buns
3 bags of chips
Ketchup
mustard
mayo
relish
1 bag of marshmallows
1 box graham crackers
1 pack of chocolate bars
Cheez Its
Popcorn kernels
Peanut butter filled pretzels
2 cases of water
2 packs of gatorades
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Paper plates
Napkins
1 box gallon size bags
Aluminum foil
Trash bags
Frozen
1 family/party size frozen lasagna
2 boxes Garlic bread/knots
2 frozen pizzas (1 cheese, 1 pepperoni)
Meat
6 lbs bacon
5 lbs ground beef
2 lbs chicken breast
102? ounces of steak (6 oz per person?)
2 packs hotdogs
1 pack of bratwursts
3.5 lbs chicken breast