Wednesday, July 16, 2003
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Wednesday, July 16, 2003 |
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Take a day trip back in time to age of railroads By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
At least once during the summer, most people feel the need to get out of town. If you can't plan an extended vacation, why not take a field trip for a day? Residents of Georgia are very fortunate because there are many different types of locales within a driving distance. One location that is enjoying a surge in popularity this summer is Blue Ridge, home of the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. Blue Ridge is an hour and a half outside of Atlanta and the railway offers passengers a 26-mile ride to the Georgia-Tennessee line. Retired seniors volunteer their time to serve as conductors and car hostesses for the trip, wearing costumes and entertaining folks with their tales of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The train itself is made up antique cars that make the trek over the Toccoa River to the historic towns of McCaysville, Ga., and Copperhill, Tenn. Sometimes, live mountain music is played on the train as the banjo, guitar, mandolin and fiddle-toting volunteer musicians play in the cars of the train. Visitors get a 90-minute layover in the two towns, where they can walk along the old streets, visit gift shops, antique and craft shops, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and country cooking restaurants. After the stop on the border, visitors get back on the train and head back to Blue Ridge. The train is operated by The Georgia Northeastern Railroad. Wilds Pierce, owner of The Georgia Northeastern Railroad, created the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway six years ago. He has been in love with railroading since he was a boy and he wanted to share the memories he had with visitors both young and old. The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway will run seven days a week through the month of July and then will revert to its normal schedule of Friday-Sunday. Phone 1-800-934-1898 or visit www.brscenic.com for more information or to reserve tickets in advance.
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