The North Georgia Cider Trail

Hard cider is the easy excuse for a long, pretty drive. A couple of orchards west of Helen press their own apples, pour flights on shaded patios and sell cider donuts and fried pies for the road home. It isn't a signed, mapped trail like a wine route. Think of it as a day (or a weekend) that links Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge with Reece's Cider Company and Roo Mountain Vineyards in Ellijay.

Plan on a real drive. Mercier is about 80 minutes from downtown Helen and Reece's about 95, so most people make this a day trip or tack it onto a stay in Blue Ridge or Ellijay rather than a quick afternoon outing.

Hours come from each business's own website and can change by season; call before a long drive. Drive times are estimates without traffic.

Mercier is a fourth-generation, family- and veteran-owned farm that has been growing since 1943. It also makes its own hard cider, and by its own account it's the only apple orchard in Georgia that grows, presses, ferments and cans its own. There's a farm market and a tasting room at the winery and cidery; ask there for current flight prices and which ciders are pouring.

In season you can pick your own. Mercier's site lists more than 40 apple varieties across the season, and tractor rides carry you out to the trees. Apple picking runs roughly August through October, depending on the weather and the crop.

Details are from Mercier's u-pick page, checked October 2026. Call 706-632-3411 for what's ripe this week.

Reece's is run by Taner and Sarah Reece. Taner's grandfather started the well-known BJ Reece Orchards in the 1960s, and the cider is made from fruit picked in the family orchard. The tasting room has sixteen hard ciders on tap and sells growlers to take home; the four-glass flight is the best seller. There's also an event space, and live music turns up on some days, so check the company's social pages.

Roo sits on a ridge a few miles from downtown Ellijay and pours wines and ciders from a tasting room and a rooftop patio bar, with a bistro on site for lunch and dinner. It's strictly 21 and over, so leave the kids with the grandparents. Alcohol service in Gilmer County doesn't start until 12:30 PM on Sundays, which is why the Sunday tasting room opens then.

Apple season is the sweet spot. The Georgia Apple Festival fills the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds (1729 South Main Street) on October 10-11 and 17-18, 2026, with hundreds of craft vendors, music and fair food. Expect heavy traffic into Ellijay on those weekends, and go early or on a weekday if you'd rather taste in peace.

The tasting rooms are open year-round on the hours above, and Mercier's u-pick moves on to berries and peaches in summer. Winter hours can shift, so call first. For leaf color on the drive, see our fall color guide.

More from Blue Ridge and Ellijay: our Mercier Orchards guide, the Ellijay apples guide and the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway page, which covers the train that runs from Blue Ridge. Back in Helen, Unicoi State Park is the easy place to walk off a flight.