Fall is the peak festival season in North Georgia. The towns fill up, the leaves turn, and the events calendar gets busy. Not all of them allow dogs — some specifically do not — and knowing the difference before you make the drive with your dog in the car is worth it. Here is what we know from experience.
Check the full events calendar for dates. Policies can change year to year; always verify before you go.
An outdoor and fishing festival in downtown Blue Ridge each spring. Dogs are welcome. But the reason to know about this one if you are staying on the Toccoa is the Toccoa River Tagged-Trout Fishing Derby that runs in the weeks leading up to it.
About 30 days before the festival, 100 tagged trout are released into the Toccoa River at public access sites in Fannin County. Catch one and you get free gate admission to the festival. The tags are also redeemable for prizes and cash awards donated by area businesses — grand prizes have reached $550. The derby is free to enter, no registration required, open to all ages.
Both Headwaters and Fish Head Lodge put you on the Toccoa. Headwaters is riverfront. Fish Head has community access to the river. Either way you are fishing the same water the tagged trout go into.
blueridgetroutfest.com →The festival closest to the cabins. Indian Summer Festival is held right in Suches — about as local as it gets when you are staying here. A small-town fall festival with mountain character. Dogs are welcome.
indiansummerfestival.org →Dahlonega's annual gold rush celebration fills the historic square with vendors, music, and the kind of mountain-town energy that makes Dahlonega worth the drive in October. We have brought our dogs and it worked. The square is open air, the crowds are manageable with a dog on leash, and Dahlonega as a town is generally welcoming to dogs.
dahlonega.org →Dogs are welcome here. The Apple Arts Festival is held in downtown Ellijay and runs the same weekends as the Georgia Apple Festival. Arts, crafts, food, and the full fall Ellijay atmosphere — and your dog is not just tolerated, they are welcome. If you are planning an Ellijay apple weekend with a dog, this is your festival. The Georgia Apple Festival is a separate event held outside of town and does not allow dogs. Do not confuse the two.
gilmerchamber.com →An event built specifically for dogs and the people who bring them everywhere. Pawsfest is a fundraiser for the Humane Society of Blue Ridge and draws dogs of every size and personality. If you are in Blue Ridge in mid-October, this is worth building a day around.
humanesocietyofblueridge.org →Dogs are not allowed. The Georgia Apple Festival is held outside of Ellijay, not downtown, and has a no-dog policy. Shuttle service is available from town, which is worth knowing if you are going without a dog. Crates were available on site one year but that is not guaranteed — if you are hoping for crate accommodation, contact the organizers in advance. The better option for dog owners is the Apple Arts Festival, held the same weekends in downtown Ellijay, where dogs are welcome.
georgiaapplefestival.org →The best month to be here. Plan your festival around your dog, not the other way around.