A Sweet Day At the Sorghum Festival

I always enjoy strolling through the crafts part of this fair. Artists come from more than a 300 radius to show their crafts. There is sorghum grinding and cooking on a continuous basis. There is live bluegrass and country music. And best of all, the biscuit eating contest is certainly fun.

Quick Tips:

Because this festival is held the last three weekends of October every year, the traffic leading into town can be extremely heavy. People throughout Georgia take their families into this mountainous area to view the colors of the changing leaves. Be prepared for some very slow traffic (sometimes 25 mph in a 55 mph zone) and people who stop in front of you without a signal.

Best Way To Get Around:

Blairsville is a small community. Most places in the town can be accessed by walking. You might need to drive to a few of the spots that are mentioned. There are no taxis or public transportation in town.

I have stayed at this Best Western Inn on two occassions. Usually, there is not much hotel/motel space in the city. There is not much need. But, during the North Georgia Mountain Fair in August and the Sorghum Festival in October, you will find it difficult to get a place to stay overnight. Make your reservations early.

The best part of this hotel is its proximity to the actiities that I mention in my other articles about Blairsville. The rooms were adequate, but not great. There is a continental breakfast served to those who stay overnight. You will have a clean and comfortable room and can enjoy your visit to beautiful Blairsville.

As we drove from our home to the Sorghum Festival in Blairsville, my wife and I became quite hungry, so we stopped at the Turner's Corner Cafe. Turner's Corner has operated at the same location for more than 70 years, first as a gas station and mini-store, now as a restaurant. It is located beside a fast-running stream (river) at the juncture of highways 19 and 129 between Blairsville and Cleveland. There were two dining areas; one inside and the other on a balcony that overlooks the stream. We chose to be seated outside, as the sun was warm, the wind cool, and the autumn leaves rained down upon us while we awaited our lunch of hand-formed hamburgers and home fries. The food was so delicious that we ordered a serving of the home-made peach pie for dessert.

Turner’s Corner operates only as a diner/café now. It is open at 7am for a delicious country breakfast and remains open for lunch (great hamburgers and home fries). It closes at 2pm, then reopens for supper at 3pm. The supper meal offers steaks and fresh trout, in addition to the burgers. We noticed local residents as well as many groups of tourists traveling through the area.

Although we were sad to end our moments of leisure, we were glad to get back on the road for our afternoon at the Sorghum Festival. As a word of warning, I made one error on the trip, which was to leave my sunroof open while we were eating. We returned to the car after the meal and had to scoop out all of the leaves that had fallen or blown into the seats. That is part of the autumn in the mountains, though. We know that at whatever time you stop at Turner’s Corner, you will find good food and good service and an atmosphere that is relaxed. I only hope that you will find your trip as refreshing as we did ours.

Running the last three weekends of October every year, the Sorghum Festival is one of the many arts & crafts fairs that can be found in North Georgia. This one is dedicated to the sweet syrup known as sorghum. It is made from grinding and squeezing the sugar cane, boiling the juice that comes from the cane, skimming and filtering the juice, and placing it in a bottle (or jar). Around Georgia this syrup is used to flavor many items, epecially home-made biscuits.

My wife, Anna, had never been to this festival, so I decided to take her there on the second Saturday of October last year. We left home about 9:00 in the morning and planned to spend a relaxing day. At this festival we were able to see a demonstration of making the sorghum, a pole climbing contest, a greased pig catching contest, a biscuit eating contest, live country music, and over 100 different artists who brought their work to show and sell. You could spend from one hour to three days inside the facility and enjoy every minute. We found some great apple wood smoked trout. The fish actualled had a taste more like ham than fish. We also enjoyed the home-made fudge that was for sale in the convention center area.

There is a small ($3) fee for entrance to the event. I recommend that you arrive in time to see some of the contests that are held each day. If you are hungry, try the biscuits, the curlique fried sweet potatoes, or the sweetened popcorn that are made by various vendors. The barbecue is good, also. Along with that, listen to the music, shop the wares of the artists, and watch many artists work their crafts, as we did. This will be an afternoon of pleasant memories for you and the entire family.

Travelling between Cleveland and Blairsville along Highway 19 you will cross Blood Mountain. This is one of the many areas of natural beauty that cn be found in North Georgia. I have always made a point of going this route into the city because I enjoy the view so much.

The Appalachian Trail passes across Blood Mountain. This is the highest point on the trail in the state of Georgia. People from throughout the country will make an effort to trek this route.

Autumn in this state produce some of the most vivid color changes in the leaves that I have seen. People from throughout Georgia make their way into the mountains in late September and all through October to view the scenery. As you go north along Highway 19 and almost to the summit of the pass you will find one of the most striking views that can be found anywhere.

There are numerous campsites on the mountain and several activities. There is a mountain gear site at the summit of the pass. What more can I say. This is awesome!!

One of the overlooked wonders of North Georgia is DeSoto Falls. This is a small waterfalls by which a Spanish suit of armor was found. It is widely believed that the armor was left over 400 years ago by a member of the group led by the Spanish explorer Hernan DeSoto. Whether or not this is true, the falls are worth visiting.

I have gone to the falls at least 10 times, walking along the 2 mile trail that leads around the falls. It is possible to see some wildflowers that are only found in the North Georgia mountains and similar ecosystems. Some peole have seen some local wildlife, also. The deer in the state are abundant, and some even notice the skunks from time to time.

The falls has a greater flow in the Spring months, due to the snow melt, but it is a relaxing view at any time of the year. The trail that leads to (and around) the falls is mostly level, but one section allos you to climb upward about 200 feet to get a different view.

There is no charge to visit this area, but recently the State has begun charging a small amount for using the parking area.

Vogel State Park is the second oldest state park in Georgia. It is located at the foot of Blood Mountain, just outside of Blairsville. I have always enjoyed visiting the park, although I have never had much luck with the fishing. The trails, however, are a different story. There are at least five trail systems that lead through the park. One of the major trails that go through here is the Appalachian Trail, which extends from Georgia to Maine. Most of the trails give the visitor a path to a waterfalls or to a scenic view.

Lake Trahlyta was formed by the Civilian Conservation Corps by damming a creek. This is a very beautiful lake. I have not spent much time on the lake, but I see many who boat and fish and swim there.

This is a must see for those who pass through this area.