The rolling hills of north Georgia are dotted with local farms to explore, all while breathing in the fresh mountain air and enjoying the great outdoors.
Ellijay is known as the “Apple Capital of Georgia.” However, with more than 260 farms functioning across Gilmer County, a diverse variety of crops and livestock are produced beyond Granny Smiths and Pink Ladies.
While visiting apple orchards is a beloved and well-known must-do in the fall, don’t think you can’t enjoy the beauty of the county’s agriculture in the spring and summer months. From picking herbs to meeting sheep, some local farms offer unique experiences year-round.
Cress Creeks Farm
Besides selling baked treats and curated items like lamb, beef, pork, eggs, dairy products and more, Cress Creeks Farm lets people meet the sheep in its herd.
The farm, housing more than 100 sheep, is located at 4708 Boardtown Road in Ellijay. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, its hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
At the farm store, Ziploc bags of corn can be purchased to feed the wool sheep, named Kevin and Coco, corralled outside. Fan-favorite Tom the Turkey and his family also reside in the area next to the store. They can be heard gobbling “hello” to visitors.
Baby lamb tours are available on the hour, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., for $15 a person. A hayride will take you down to the barn where you’ll get to hold and snuggle the little ones.
“They get a full farm tour so we stop in the fields, explain what kind of sheep we have, and they can meet our sheep dog Diesel,” Mindy Forbes said. She owns Cress Creeks, alongside her husband Lee and son Hayden.
They’re offering a new farm-to-table experience as well. For $100, you can dine on a five to six course meal featuring what’s growing and lamb, of course. They’re partnering with local farmers for quail eggs and mushrooms, live music will be playing, and attendees can bring their own wine.
“We really want to get the word out about our lamb … and we’ve got the beautiful property under the old walnut trees,” she noted. “We’ll cook seasonally. Right now, we’re doing fresh raspberries that’ll be blooming and the microgreens we grow.”
If you’re searching for a unique spot to staycation, and are curious what it’s like to wake up to a rooster’s crow on a working farm, check out Cress Creeks’ rental property.
The three-bed, two-bath house offers a dog-friendly, farm stay experience for up to six guests. It overlooks the sheep farm, with long valley views as well. Guests also receive a dozen fresh eggs during their stay.
“[Guests] can be as hands-on as they want,” Forbes added. “If they want to shear a sheep, the more hands the merrier.” Booking can be done through links on the farm’s website.
Ever Wilder Farm
Ever Wilder is a 7-acre, ecological farm that provides educational experiences on nature in the north Georgia mountains.
“We are dedicated to learning how to best interact with our ecosystem, so that everyone benefits,” its website stated. “This means we garden in a regenerative organic (non-certified), no till fashion with an emphasis on sustainability.”
On the farm full of rare wildflowers and native medicinal plants, crawling with wildlife like deer and turkeys, you can learn, stroll and craft alongside experts.
Ever Wilder staff offers leisurely, plant walks where you can venture along the creek and through woods, while learning about the native uses of what grows around us. You’ll also discover more about Appalachian folklore and what it takes to survive in the region during the walk.
The U-Pick Apothecary allows participants to harvest their own herbs from the garden and learn how they can best be used and prepared. The experience lasts about 2 ½ hours and costs $65 per person.
“Not only will you appreciate and know your herbs better, you will have fresher product that is often of higher quality than its store-bought counterpart,” Ever Wilder’s website noted.
Group workshops are also available for all ages. This spring, those include how to make baskets out of bark and crafting hand drill kits to start a fire.
Ever Wilder is located at 10092 Big Creek Road. You can purchase seeds, plants, dried herbs, various crops and other products that are grown on the farm. Items for purchase are listed on its website, where you can also sign up for the educational experiences.
Ellijay Mushrooms
A family-owned, sustainable farm that produces shiitake, oyster and lion’s mane mushrooms is also where you can pick your own flowers. Ellijay Mushrooms’ U-Pick Flowers will be available as soon as they bloom and while supplies last.
When people arrive at the f
arm, they’ll be greeted by its unique storehouse selling not only fresh mushrooms, but also a wide variety of mushroom-themed merch and decor. From there, they can take a leisurely stroll out the back and pass over a bridge to the flower garden.
You can cut stems of zinnias, garden cosmos, sunflowers and more to fill a cup for $10. If you choose to add dahlias, that’s an extra charge of $3 per stem. All cutting supplies are provided, and they have a watering station.
“We’re going to eventually have little swings out [by the garden], more sitting areas and picnic spaces,” Howard Berk, president and co-founder of Ellijay Mushrooms, said. “We really want people to be able to come out and visit us, enjoy the moment, take time with their families and decompress.”
This summer, they will start offering flower-pressing and art classes, Berk said. He’s also working with local restaurants to offer grab-and-go meals that people can enjoy throughout their outdoor space.
Ellijay Mushrooms produces more than 5,000 pounds of mushrooms a week that are distributed to retailers and restaurants across the area. Farm visitors can peek inside the greenhouses where the fungi is grown.
They’re working on creating QR codes to display in front of different points on the farm, to guide people through the growing process. Hopefully, those will be available this summer, he noted.
“Then you can just wander around to the greenhouses to see the different stages, from first harvest to where the logs are decomposing and mushrooms are on the floor, and then we’ll take it up to our compost,” Berk explained.
The store is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 12 to 4 p.m. From Friday to Sunday, it’s open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those hours are also when people can pick flowers. It’s located at 2269 Old Flat Branch Road in Ellijay.