Scenic train ride in North Georgia is now welcoming passengers again

Credit: AJC

Railways first reached Blue Ridge and the surrounding area in the 1880s from Marietta. Since then, rail has played a significant role in the area.

Every year, tens of thousands of visitors trek to North Georgia for a trip back in time thanks to the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. The passenger train takes visitors on a ride along the Toccoa River, offering sweeping mountain views.

The train will be chugging again starting this weekend, after taking its winter break.

The four-hour trip takes passengers from downtown Blue Ridge up to Tennessee and back, passing through McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, along the way. There is also a two-hour express train that travels to North Georgia and back.

The train leaves at 11 a.m. daily and ticket prices vary depending on where you want to sit.

The train offers accommodations from open air cars to closed coach or premier seating. There are discounts available for members of the military, first responders and teachers.

If now isn’t a good time for you, the railway has trips throughout the summer, including a special Fourth of July trip.

There is also a fall trip, to “reconnect with nature as the leaves change colors” in the Blue Ridge countryside.

Or you can “bundle up and sip on a cup of hot chocolate as our train calmly rolls along the Toccoa River and through the scenic Appalachian foothills” in November and December.

More information on booking tickets can be found here.