This is the first in a four-part series exploring the railways that travel through the Southeast’s mountains and forests. In Part 1, we hop aboard the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.
By the Backroad Portfolio staff
There was a time when the low, resonant whistle of a train carried more than just freight or passengers—it transported the promise of elegance.
In the Southeast, silver coaches once glided through pine forests and past moss-draped oaks; dining cars served sophisticated meals on white tablecloths; and travelers watched the landscape unfurl at a civilized pace.
The journey itself was the point.
Today those same tracks still cross the region, yet most of us rush past them in cars or above them in planes, treating the train as a relic rather than a choice. Few still board for the simple pleasure of looking out the window. The routes remain, the views endure, and the slower way of moving through the South is still available to anyone willing to reclaim it. We invite you to journey down those tracks with us, starting with the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.
Blue Ridge Beauty
The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway pulls out of downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia’s historic 1905 depot for a 26-mile round trip through foothills along the Toccoa River. You can ride vintage rail cars past rolling hills, dense forests, river bends, and preserved homelands.
Choose the two-hour Express with no stops or the four-hour Extended Tour that includes a two-hour layover in the twin border towns of McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee. Open-air coaches deliver wide-open views and fresh mountain air.
Adults 18 and older can step up to climate-controlled Premier cars with padded seats, refreshments, and a few extra amenities on select trips. Rail bikes are available to anyone who wants to pedal a stretch of the line at their own pace.
During the early 1900s, these tracks hauled copper ore and timber. Conductors share those stories as you roll along. In McCaysville and Copperhill, you can explore downtown shops for crafts and antiques, grab a riverside meal, or stroll across bridges.
Fall rides are crowd favorites, as the mountains light up in crimson, gold, amber, and orange. Winter trips run in heated coaches with vinyl windows that keep out cold weather while still framing snow-dusted evergreens.
