Just Might Be the Nicest Place in America

A circle provides great symbolism for the town of Ellijay, Georgia. It’s located smack dab in the middle of incredible natural beauty and surrounded by miles of hiking trails, unexplored wilderness areas, lakes, streams, waterfalls and even reports of Bigfoot sightings. The historic downtown has a circle right in the middle of town square—a roundabout that directs traffic in a one-way counter-clockwise circumference past historic brick buildings filled with shops, restaurants, and taverns. The circular pattern in the center of town creates a feeling of unity and welcoming environment.

There’s a wholesomeness to this town akin to Mayberry, which circles back to a bygone era when people actually smiled, waved and talked to each other instead of having heads buried in smart phones. 

Marie and Steve Cortes, on their first visit to Ellijay, walked into a crowded café and were surprised when some diners made room for them at their table. They applauded the friendliness they experienced by nominating Ellijay in a contest to find the “Nicest Place in America.” Ellijay made the round of 10 finalists out of 450 nationwide nominations. The voting was conducted through a poll on the USA Today 10Best.com website in collaboration with Reader’s Digest Magazine and Good Morning America. This issue of Smoky Mountain Living went to press right before the winner was announced, but Ellijay stood a good chance of winning. For an update, visit 10best.com/awards/travel/readers-digest-nicest.

There’s plenty of free parking in front of businesses along the roundabout and on side streets and ample pedestrian crosswalks. Drivers here are aware and polite as they carefully watch for the walkers. 

During a recent visit, a spot opened up right in front of Cantaberry for a quick lunch. Amid the bounty of traditional sandwiches and salads, I was surprised at one of the daily soup choices because I’d never heard of it before: Chicken Lime Avocado soup.  It proved delicious with its shredded chicken, black beans, corn, and chunks of avocado in the broth, and served as testament to the fact that even in a small town (Ellijay’s population is around 1,619 with that number approximately 33,000 for the whole of Gilmer County), the businesses here are innovative and progressive with their offerings.  

It feels quite natural to discover antique stores like Antiques on North Main and Misty Hollow Antiques, with relics and mementoes from an earlier age, but there’s also a mix of other shops catering to specialty items (olive oil and handcrafted soaps to name a couple); a pet boutique with full-service grooming, treats and toys, as well as clothing shops and outdoor outfitters. And for those looking for a place to down a cold drink, River Street Tavern beckons with beer and wine from local breweries and vineyards, along with a full menu of bar food. 

Cherokee history

Walking around town, it doesn’t take long before modern day circles back to a connection with the past. Laura Thomas, owner of Green Willow Soaps, said: “My papa was born here in Gilmer County and his grandmother was Chief White Path’s granddaughter.” 

Chief White Path, born in Ellijay in 1761, was a famed Cherokee Indian leader who spoke out at the Cherokee National Capitol at New Echota, arguing against the influence of white settlers. He viewed the new Cherokee constitution and the introduction of Christianity by missionaries as direct threats to the traditional ways and beliefs. He’s also known for fighting alongside General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in Alabama in 1813. 

“Chief White Path was a great friend of Andrew Jackson in the beginning and he fought with Jackson to run the Creek [Indians] out of Georgia into Alabama,” Thomas said. “When the lottery happened in Georgia, the governor told the Cherokee they needed to leave. Chief White Path told the governor, ‘If you send troops to North Georgia we will slit their throats in the dark.’ Our government decided to have a summit and they called the chiefs to Washington. While that was happening they erected Fort Hetzel, which was a concentration camp for the Cherokee. They sent in troops and many of the Indians fled to Cherokee, North Carolina. It was the elderly, infirmed and the children that stayed and they went into Fort Hetzel. It was a very sad time in our history.”

Chief White Path ultimately realized the best chance for the survival of his people lay in an orderly removal to Oklahoma, so he organized what came to be known as the Trail of Tears. He died at the age of 77 at a stop on the trail near Hopkinsville, Kentucky. 

“They let a lot of the smaller children stay with white families and be raised as white,” said Thomas. “That’s how a lot of the Cherokee Indians survived. That’s how my papa’s grandmother survived.” 

Finding a new life path

In 2006, Thomas faced a tough diagnosis. After a successful round of radiation treatments that destroyed an inoperable brain tumor, she turned her attention to researching why some people get cancer and it led her to the idea of crafting non-toxic body products. Her grandparents had made their own soap and other items, so it was natural for her to follow this path. 

She started making soaps with natural ingredients and essential oils in her kitchen in 2006 and sold them at a wide variety of shows and festivals. Then it started taking over her house and she made a move to downtown Ellijay. She set up shop six years ago and then made a move to 52 N. Main Street four years ago. She makes all of her products on site—soaps, deodorants, sugar scrubs, body mousses, bath bombs and more. 

“I change out scents … bringing new things in. I have florals, herbals, and seasonals (lots of Christmas on the shelves right now). I have four ladies who work for me. I run a sweat shop for little old ladies,” she said with a laugh, “but I recently hired a younger girl. She’s in her late 20s. She’s the granddaughter of one of the ladies.”

As Thomas talks, a woman knocks on the window and she turns and waves—it’s a friendly place in this town. 

Apple capital of Georgia

On Friday afternoons, Barry Pritchett knows to avoid Georgia 515 North. That’s when the road becomes clogged with drivers from Atlanta, eager to leave the rat race behind and hunker down for some much needed rest and relaxation. Pritchett says he knows one Atlanta couple who muddle through high-powered jobs during the week and then hit the road every Friday bound for their Ellijay cabin. They stay through the weekend and refuse to turn on a TV. They come for the peace and quiet. Ellijay is about an hour and a half north of Atlanta, yet the town appeals to more than just the Atlanta crowd. Folks from all directions find respite here. 

“The population doubles most weekends,” Pritchett said. “I think people like to get away, chill and enjoy this area. When I was young there was a lot of industry here—carpet mills—now a lot of young people who want to stay close to family will live in a place like Alpharetta and they can be back up here in about an hour.” 

Pritchett’s demeanor certainly fits into what makes Ellijay a friendly town. He welcomes visitors to his family’s apple orchard with an easy smile and kind words. He knows the area like the back of his hand and is happy to share his knowledge with newcomers. He’s kept his heart and his hands close to the earth as a second generation owner of The Red Apple Barn Orchard. 

Three generations, including Barry’s 85-year-old father, Marvin Pritchett, and Barry’s children Breann and Zach currently keep customers happy with a wide variety of apples grown on about 12 of their 100 acres, as well as pumpkins, flowers, and a variety of food products bearing their label—everything from salsas to pickles to jams. Barry has another son, Joel, who is a dentist in Lagrange, Georgia, and like his siblings he grew up working on the farm. “They worked hard and learned a strong work ethic,” Pritchett said. “It’s year-round work on the farm.” 

“My grandfather, W.T. Pritchett, bought the farm in 1928,” he said. “He started with some small things and then my uncle and my dad grew it out of that. We used to have about 25 acres of apples, but my dad figured out that in wholesaling you’re doing a lot of work for nothing. We used to have a lot of people come and buy apples. Women used to can and freeze and make pies and all that, but most everything is finished now. Our whole model has changed from having apples to having finished apple products.” The Red Apple Barn Orchard is open August through December.

Ellijay is known as the “Apple Capital of Georgia,” and boasts close to a dozen apple houses and orchards. During the second and third weekends of October, Ellijay hosts the Georgia Apple Festival and Apple Arts on the Square. Pritchett says up to 40,000 people swarm into town for these events. 

To find all of the orchards, the Gilmer County Welcome Center offers a brochure that lists each place as well as provides a handy map for easy access. The Red Apple Barn is closest to the downtown historic center, while many of the others are stretched out along Highway 52 E. 

Curiosities and mysteries

A chat with Joe Sewell, Information Specialist at the Gilmer County Welcome Center, circles into topics of history and mysteries. He enjoys investigating in the area and finding remnants of the past. He and his wife retired to Ellijay in 2004, but he has been coming to the area since 1949. “I have relatives who have lived here since the late 1700s,” he said. 

When he’s out rambling through the woods, he keeps an eye out for trail trees, which are signs left by the Cherokee Indians. “They would take a small tree and bend it or break it or put a rock on it to point in the direction of a cemetery or a spring or a special trail or something,” he explained. “There are several of them still around this area. Also, in 2005, I went on my neighbor’s property and found an old metal hand tool that to this day no one has been able to identify. It dates back 150 to 200 years when the early settlers came in here. Evidently one of them designed it and forged it for his own use.” 

Sewell says he’s fascinated by the discovery of mystery walls in the area. “Last year at Apple Festival, a gentleman came up and asked me to come out and look at his property. He had a wall on his property well over 500 feet long. It looked like there were graves out there in that area. What fascinated me about it is that we found one tree that had grown on top of this wall with roots on each side. Down a little farther, the wall goes into a tree and comes out the other side. The tree had grown around the wall.” 

He also mentions another intriguing nugget of Ellijay history. “Chief White Path was one of the first Indians to find gold in this area,” Sewell said. “He found a large nugget. The big gold was found in nearby Dahlonega 20 years before California. In the mid-1950s, they mined gold out of these mountains up here, carried it to Atlanta on a wagon train and presented to the governor in Atlanta. That was used on the gold dome (at the state capitol). The gold is actually from this area.”

Discovering Bigfoot

Just a few miles outside of downtown Ellijay, in Cherry Log, folks can investigate another mystery—whether Bigfoot really exists. David and Malinda Bakara opened Expedition: Bigfoot! The Sasquatch Museum in 2016, two years after moving to Ellijay from Florida. They were drawn to the area by the natural beauty and their love of outdoor adventure. 

They realized Gilmer County needed a good family attraction. Since they were both long-term Bigfoot investigators, they naturally gravitated to the idea of showcasing the mythical creature. They hoped to just be able to break even with their venture, but interest has been phenomenal. They expect 40,000 people to explore the museum this year. 

“I think the draw to this whole Bigfoot thing is that the whole family can come,” he said. “You’re not required to climb a rope or jump over a mountain or get in an airplane. It’s something that everybody can do together and laugh and learn and be amazed. When the kids are interested, mom and dad are happy.”

This isn’t a static, boring museum to walk through. Adventure music greets guests as they walk in the door, candles are burning, and a tray of free cookies provides a welcoming atmosphere. Then there’s the explosion of color, artifacts, enormous replicas of Bigfoot, recordings of what they say are Bigfoot voices to listen to, movies to watch and footprint casts to examine. There’s also a well-stocked gift shop with lots of fun Bigfoot items including socks, air fresheners, t-shirts, books, games, chocolate bars with Bigfoot wrappers and even mints. 

“My wife and I are huge Disney World fans,” Bakara said. “When we visit good museums and well done theme parks, we like to see what works. We come back here and use that inspiration to build something a little downscale. Disney has been a big influence. They are family oriented and we’ve incorporated that Disneyesque family feel into the place.”

The museum is filled to the brim with items. It’s nearly impossible to see everything on one pass through. Bakara estimates he has about 700 objects on display, but he has more things in storage. 

“I’m out of room,” he said. “I didn’t think we could fill 6,500 square feet, but we filled it up in a year and a half. I have things stacked up.”

So where did they find all this Bigfoot gear, equipment, video, recordings, and casts? Bakara says he turned to his friends and to other investigators in the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO). “All of my friends, since I was 12 years old, are Bigfoot investigators of some kind. Once I put the word out that I was looking for stuff, a lot of my friends in the BFRO or other affiliated organizations were very helpful to us, and I reciprocate.” 

Bakara has his own Bigfoot experience to share. He says he spotted two of them in Florida in 2011. There was a larger one and a smaller one looking out from behind the trees while he was on the property of a commercial fisherman. “I wasn’t scared, but I have talked to people with much more interesting encounters,” he said. “If you’re too close for comfort, it haunts you for the rest of your life. I’ve talked to grown men who cry every time they have to recount it because it terrified them. I know of guys who were deer hunting and it reached up and grabbed their leg or gun and there’s no where to go. They are huge. They’re like King Kong—eight, 10 feet tall. The largest one recorded was 14 feet tall,” he claimed. “Seven- or eight-foot is not full grown.”

He says the most believable eyewitness accounts come from people who weren’t out searching for Bigfoot. In fact, Bigfoot wasn’t on their radar at all. They’d be out hanging clothes or chopping wood and have an encounter. “Those people don’t tell anybody because they’re afraid they’ll be laughed at,” Bakara said. “They come to us and tell us, but we don’t give out their name.”

When witnesses come to Expedition Bigfoot! there’s an investigator on staff who can create a composite sketch of what they claim they’ve seen. Sybilla Irwin, originally from Texas, is a BFRO investigator and talented artist who has drawn many sketches of Bigfoot from eyewitness accounts. Her artwork hangs in the museum. 

Bakara says in January 2018 alone there were three Bigfoot sightings in Ellijay, but his map details dozens of reported encounters within a 40-mile range. He also has maps with red-capped thumbtacks pinpointing other sightings across the country. 

He has a theory about why there aren’t more Bigfoot sightings or discovery of their skeletons. “That’s a two-pronged question. Number one: We aren’t supposed to know about these things. Like other things, they are intentionally kept from us. When the skeletons turn up, they are squirreled away,” he said. “Number two: In my opinion, after doing this for 40 years, I don’t get all my information from books that are filtered through authors. I get information directly from witnesses who tell me what they saw. You come to realize these things have abilities that do not jibe with our science as we know it. I’m not trying to be intentionally vague. I’m just saying they utilize a science that we don’t understand yet.” 

The Bakaras also have a museum in nearby Blue Ridge called Expedition Bigfoot! Adventure Outpost. It showcases all kinds of strange, unexplainable things. 

Where to stay

Cabin rentals are prolific in Gilmer County and a perfect way to feel more immersed in the surrounding landscape. On my recent visit I traveled with my 89-year-old dad and my 21-year-old son. Spending time in a cabin gave all of us a chance to unwind amid comfortable furnishings plus fire pits, hot tub, and wi-fi. With all the black bear items throughout the cabin, I especially felt at home, since I’ve had quite a few bear encounters and now think of a black bear as my spirit animal. We enjoyed a lake view, grilled a great meal, and dreamt of a way to buy the place. 

It’s intriguing to think about having a home in Ellijay. The beauty of the area captured the attention of a developer who had been concentrated in Florida. Covered Bridge Estates (estatesatcoveredbridge.com) is a professionally planned, gated community with home sites beginning in the $30s and homes starting at $200,000. The development provides easy access to trails for hiking and biking, water sports, vineyards, orchards and shopping. 

Heading out of Ellijay, I drive the downtown roundabout again for one more look at this town that offers so much—charm, friendliness, mystery and history. No doubt, I’ll circle back for a return visit some day.