17 SEPTEMBER 2026
A TABLE FOR EVERYONE
See what holidays in the mountains could look like for your friends and family. From apple festival weekends to the Thanksgiving table, three homes with room for the whole group.
VOLUME 01 ISSUE 12
CON T E NTS 04 Make Your Holiday Season 06 Cartacay River Retreat 08 October in the Mountains 10
Great Trails Lodge
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Thanksgiving in the Mountains
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Mountain Time
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Fall Offers
THE COMFORT COLLECTIVE
The Thanksgivings people
Be the First to Experience Our Newest Mountain Getaway
the table for the whole crew, and
remember happen in houses with room for everyone. Room at enough bedrooms that nobody argues about who sleeps where. That’s what this issue is about. We’re looking at Thanksgiving now, while the big houses still have their dates open, with three homes that sleep ten each. Cartacay River Retreat sits right on the river in Ellijay. Great Trails Lodge spreads across thirty private acres in Epworth with a pickleball court of its own. Mountain Time perches on Laurel Ridge in Big Canoe, and the dogs can come too. Between the house tours, you’ll find the fall festivals worth planning a trip around, from the Georgia Apple Festival to Light Up Blue Ridge and the holiday train. Let us help plan your North Georgia holiday stay today.
THE COMFORT COLLECTIVE
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Save 15% on Fall 2026 North Georgia Cabin Rentals Escape to the North Georgia mountains this fall and save 15% on select cabin rentals. Enjoy crisp mountain air, colorful scenery and relaxing days in Blue Ridge and the surrounding mountain communities. Book a stay of two nights or longer between September 1 and November 19, 2026, and enter offer code FALL2026 when booking to receive 15% off your stay.
USE OFFER CODE: FALL2026
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MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON ONE TO REMEMBER Blue Ridge Turkey Trot 5K
Book Christmas Week Early & Save 15%
Run, walk or cheer, and make a mountain getaway of it! Save 15% on select cabins when you stay 4 nights or longer during Blue Ridge Turkey Trot week. (Valid 11/22 - 12/1/2026)
Celebrate Christmas in the North Georgia mountains! Enjoy 15% off your Christmas week stay of five nights or more when you book early.
USE OFFER CODE: FINISHLINE
Book Now
Stay Dates: 12/18/2026 to 12/26/2026
USE OFFER CODE: XMAS15
Special Offer THE COMFORT COLLECTIVE
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CARTACAY RIVER RETREAT
4 BED | 4 BATH | SLEEPS 10 Ellijay | Riverfront
This is the house for the family that spends Thanksgiving morning on the water instead of in front of the stove. Cartacay River Retreat sits directly on the Cartecay, and river life runs the whole visit: coffee on the porch swing while the fog lifts, the firepit by the water once the dishes are done. Three king bedrooms on the entry level and a bunk room upstairs mean nobody argues about who sleeps where. Highlights • Entry-level king primary suite with private bath, sitting area, reading nook, and smart TV • Entry-level king bedroom with reading nook, sitting chair, and smart TV • Entry-level king bedroom with sitting chair, shared bath with vanity and tile shower • Upper-level game room • Queen-over-queen bunk room • Living room with leather sofa, three chairs, flat-screen TV with streaming, and wood-burning fireplace • Fully equipped kitchen with stainless steel appliances • Breakfast bar seating for 6 and dining table seating 6 • Coffee station • Laundry room on entry level • Screened-in hot tub area • Covered deck with river views and porch swing • Firepit and grilling area • Fishing platform on the Cartecay
Cartacay River Retreat THE COMFORT COLLECTIVE
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OCTOBER IN THE MOUNTAINS October is the month the mountain towns earn their keep. The color usually peaks in Blue Ridge and Ellijay during the last two weeks of the month, the orchards are deep into harvest, and every weekend gives you a different reason to head north. Ellijay’s big weekends come first. The Georgia Apple Festival fills the Lions Club Fairgrounds on October 10 and 11 and again on October 17 and 18, with more than 250 vendors, live music, and enough apple baked goods to carry you through winter. The Red Apple Barn just outside town runs U-Pick apples and pumpkins through the season, with a tractor ride, fresh cider, and a warm cider doughnut included with admission. Hiawassee answers with the Georgia Mountain Fall Festival across two weekends of its own, October 9 through 11 and October 15 through 17, with arts and craft
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vendors, live music performances, carnival rides, and fair food at the historic Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds. Halloween belongs to Blue Ridge. The Trick or Treat Train departs the depot at 5 PM on October 31 for the 26-mile round trip along the Toccoa to McCaysville, with the crew in costume and tickets that sell out early every year. Back in town, the Halloween Safe Zone brings trick-or-treating to downtown from 5 to 6 PM, and an evening ghost tour is the right way for the grown-ups to see the historic district after dark. However you build the weekend, the best part of October is the part nobody schedules. Pick your dates and let the mountains handle the atmosphere. Book Now
SPOTLIGHT EVENTS CHIMP OR TREAT
October 24 and 25, Project Chimps, Morganton. Kids tour the sanctuary in costume and come home with a treat bag, with the sanctuary’s 104 residents in view along the walk. Ages 3 to 12 are $11 and every child’s ticket includes a free adult ticket. Chimp or Treat
GREAT APE ESCAPE 5K-ISH
Saturday, October 3, Project Chimps, Morganton. The fifth annual off-road run through the sanctuary’s trails, and leashed dogs run free with the family.
Great Ape Escape
FALL ARTS IN THE PARK
October 10 and 11, downtown Blue Ridge. The 16th annual show from the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association, with 170-plus artists and makers in the park by the depot, 10 to 5 both days.
Arts in the Park
THE COMFORT COLLECTIVE
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GREAT TRAILS LODGE
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4 BED | 2 BATH | SLEEPS 10
Epworth | 30 Private Acres & Pickleball Court This is the house for the family that treats Thanksgiving as a tournament. Great Trails Lodge spreads across thirty private acres in Epworth, with a pickleball court of its own and two miles of manicured hiking trails out the back door. Two levels keep the group’s two speeds apart: the entry floor for the meal and the conversation around it, the lower level with its arcade table and wet bar for whoever is still going at midnight. Highlights • Entry-level king bedroom with walk-in closet • Two lower-level king bedrooms • Twin bunk room with two sets of bunk beds and deck access • Shared full bath on the lower level • Living room with gas fireplace and 65” Smart TV • Fully equipped kitchen with Keurig and pantry closet • Breakfast bar seating for 3 and dining area for 6 • Lower-level entertainment room with 75” Smart TV, retro arcade table, and wet bar • Two gas fireplaces • Private pickleball court and corn hole • Hot tub seating 8 on the lower-level deck • Entry deck with gas fire table, gas grill, outdoor dining for 6, picnic table, and Smart TV • Firepit area with Adirondack chairs along a stone walkway • Two miles of private manicured hiking trails across 30 acres
Great Trails Lodge THE COMFORT COLLECTIVE
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Friendsgiving Cabin Special Gather your favorite people for a North Georgia mountain getaway Celebrate Friendsgiving and save 15% on a three- or four-night stay at a participating cabin between 11/18 and 11/24/2026.
OFFER CODE: FRIENDS15
Book Now
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THANKSGIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS Thanksgiving travels better than any other holiday. Bring the whole family to one big house in the mountains, cook the meal in a kitchen built for a crowd, and let the group’s energy run through three days instead of one afternoon. The week itself gives you plenty to do beyond the table. Ellijay’s orchards are still pressing cider and baking fried pies into late November, and the hiking is at its quietest of the year, with trails that October crowds leave behind. Then the holiday season opens the moment Thanksgiving wraps. Light Up Blue Ridge brings the Christmas parade and the tree lighting to downtown on November 27 and 28, with vendors and festivities running all day. The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway’s Holiday Express starts its run the same Friday, November 27, and continues through Christmas Eve, a one-hour ride with holiday music and a reading of The Night Before Christmas. Stay through that first weekend and you get Thanksgiving, the parade, and the train in a single trip. The houses on the following pages are the ones we’d put your family in for it. THE COMFORT COLLECTIVE
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MOUNTAIN TIME
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4 BED | 3.5 BATH | SLEEPS 10 Big Canoe | Pet Friendly
This is the house for the family that counts the dogs when it plans Thanksgiving. Mountain Time sits on Laurel Ridge in Big Canoe, three levels stepping down the mountainside, and beautiful mountain views. The main floor holds the meal and the fire, and the terrace level keeps the rec room and the ping pong table going for whoever is still up after the last slice of pie. Highlights • Main-floor king master suite with flat-screen TV and private bath with tub/shower • Upper-level queen bedroom, sharing the upstairs bath with tub/shower combo • Loft with 2 twin beds, sharing the upstairs bath • Terrace-level king bedroom and queen bedroom, sharing the Jack and Jill bath with walk-in shower • Great room with wood fireplace, flat-screen TV, and seating for the whole group • Dining room seating 8 • Fully equipped kitchen with coffee pot, crockpot, blender, and mixer • Keurig coffee maker • Terrace-level rec room with game table and flat-screen TV • Screened porch off the great room with EZ Breeze panels and large back deck with mountain views • Screened porch with ping pong table off the terrace level • Pet friendly, 2 dogs
Mountain Time THE COMFORT COLLECTIVE
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FALL OFFERS Stay 3 Nights & Get 4th Night Free Enjoy a free night stay on your North GA getaway. Book your stay for 3 nights and get the 4th night free. Can’t stay the extra night just use it as an early check in or a late check out! Valid through 10/31/2026 and can be applied to Labor Day Weekend!
OFFER CODE: BOOK4GET1 Book Now
Stay 2 Nights & Get 3rd Night Free Give Yourself the Gift of a Free Night! Book your stay for 2 nights and get 1 night FREE. Can’t make it for the extra night? Use this offer for an early check in or late check out! Valid for stays through 10/8/2026 Minimum 3-night stay required
OFFER CODE: BOOK3GET1 Book Now
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Veterans Offer Escape to the North Georgia mountains this Veterans Day and enjoy an extra night to relax, explore, and reconnect. Book a four-night stay at a participating cabin and receive one night free. Enjoy crisp fall days, peaceful mountain views, cozy evenings by the fire, and more time to experience everything Blue Ridge and the surrounding mountains have to offer.
OFFER CODE: VETERANS
Blue Ridge Parade of Homes
Book Now
TURN PARADE WEEKEND INTO A MOUNTAIN GETAWAY Mark your Calendar! October 16 - 18, 2026
The Blue Ridge Mountains Parade of Homes is one of the most inspiring fall weekends in North Georgia, bringing together beautiful mountain homes, thoughtful design, skilled craftsmanship, and the scenic lifestyle that makes Blue Ridge so special. Whether you are visiting for architecture, design ideas, mountain views, or simply a reason to enjoy a fall weekend in Blue Ridge, our cabins give you the perfect place to relax after a day of touring.
OFFER CODE: BRPOH for 15% Offer valid October 14 to October 21 Minimum night stay 3 Nights
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