This weekend, thirteen of us — three couples, a bunch of kids, and all our sanity (barely) — packed up and headed to Ellijay, Georgia for a cabin getaway in the mountains.
We were chasing peace, tranquility, a little adventure and a working hot tub. We got… most of that.
We rented a cozy cabin tucked into the trees — it was supposed to be our home base for the weekend… and let’s just say, it kept us on our toes. So here’s how it started: the stove was broken, the hot tub didn’t work, and then the AC peaced out like it had other plans….. But props to the owners, they fixed everything and as fast as possible on a holiday weekend, so we didn’t have to cook over a fire like mountain people or sweat like a turkey at Thanksgiving. We came for cabin core, not survival mode. But, grilled pizza is pretty good!
Our first adventure? Antiquing. One of our favorite things to do while out of town. There were several antique stores around Elljah and we had a great time exploring. Then we went to The Mushroom Farm Store. It was unexpectedly cool and super cute. We grabbed some yummy snacks and some sourdough bread and jellies for the next morning. I was super tempted to buy half the store, there were so many adorable things. We were able walk out back, cross a little bridge over a peaceful creek and make our way through the farm area too. I highly recomend this quick stop, if you are in the area.
Next stop: Roo Mountain Vineyards. This wasn’t originally part of the plan. We actually just happened upon Roo while on our way to the Mushroom Store. The views were unreal so we decided to stop by and explore on the way back to the cabin. The vibes? Immaculate. We already had dining plans elsewhere but when we saw the menu we were really tempted. I hope to go back and have luch there in the future.
Downtown Ellijay gave us the perfect afternoon with dinner at The Roof with a cool downtown view, and then we snuck into The Door, a hidden speakeasy. It was giving Prohibition meets Pinterest and it was perfect and felt a little bit like we were in a Disney version of Ocean’s Eleven. We met the owner, Matthew, and he was the best! I hope you get the joy of chatting with him if you are able to visit The Roof.
And then… the Cartecay River Experience…..
What I thought would be a gentle float turned into a full-on wilderness expedition. At one point we lost a shoe, a pair of sunglasses, almost popped three inner tubes, and somewhere along the way my grip on reality and found bruises in places I am still confused by. The current was serving Olympic qualifier with boulders popping out more frequently than I could handle, not the lazy river I thought I signed up for. We were laughing, screaming, and pretending this was “fun” but I may or may not have begged my husband to PLEASE get me off of that river! Somehow, we all made it out with only minor emotional damage and a stronger marriage.
Back at the cabin, we laughed until way too late, ate way too much and everyone passed out watching TV. Honestly? 10/10 weekend. Slightly chaotic. Mildly unhinged. Completely worth it. Even with a few hiccups, the weekend was full of laughter, tubing, great food, and even better company. This trip gave us everything we needed plus a few stories to laugh about later. Until next time, Ellijay.
Arriving home to find our Disney Cruise luggage tags in the mail was such a fun surprise too! We are deep in the planning for this cruise and now that we are home, it is time to wrap up some final details of planning and start cruise packing!
So, on to creating the next Magical moments!
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