Georgia Apple FestivalEllijay
Oct 10 and 11, and Oct 17 and 18
Two weekends of over 250 craft vendors and fair food and every apple thing you can think of (the fried pies and the cider and the apple butter), right in the Apple Capital of Georgia.
Fall in North Georgia6 things
The ones people drive in from other counties for. Most of them run the whole season, so you don't have to pick a weekend yet.
Burt's Pumpkin FarmDawsonville
Sept 1 to Nov 10, hayrides daily
Fields full of pumpkins and gourds and the hayride with a peek at Amicalola Falls, and this year the hayride drives right through a brand new 45 foot pumpkin. The pumpkin bread and pumpkin rolls in the store are the move.
Helen OktoberfestHelen
Sept 10 to Nov 1, every night in October
The oldest Oktoberfest in the country with polka bands and German food in the little Bavarian town, and the weeknights are the more family friendly ones.
Fall foliage train on the Blue Ridge Scenic RailwayBlue Ridge
Sept 19 to Nov 3
A train ride along the Toccoa River up to the Tennessee line, either two hours or four with a stop in McCaysville where you can stand in two states at once. Peak weekends sell out.
Apple picking at Mercier OrchardsBlue Ridge
late summer through October, check what's ripe · check the date
Pick your own apples and then the big farm market with the fried pies and cider.
Apple picking at B.J. Reece OrchardsEllijay
late summer through October, check what's ripe · check the date
Pick your own apples on Apple Alley outside Ellijay, with the apple house and fall weekend stuff for the kids.
The little stuff, by town1 things
The city Halloween parties and the trunk or treats and the free stuff. Cities post their 2026 dates late, so anything marked "check the date" gets fixed the second it's announced.
Fall in Ellijay
Apple Arts Festival
Oct 10 and 11, and Oct 17 and 18
The downtown sister festival on the same weekends, with crafts and food on the square, and it's free and dogs are welcome.
For the rest of your list
These don't need an address, tap them and they go on your list with everything else.
Christmas in North Georgia3 things
Most of these post their 2026 dates in November, so these show last year's windows. Dahlonega lights the square the day after Thanksgiving, and the Santa Express sells out, so plan those two first.
Dahlonega's Old Fashioned ChristmasDahlonega
starts with the Lighting of the Square the day after Thanksgiving · check the date
The whole historic square wrapped in white lights, the Festival of Trees in Hancock Park, Santa on weekends and horse drawn carriage rides, and it honestly looks like a Hallmark movie.
Santa Express on the Blue Ridge Scenic RailwayBlue Ridge
Thanksgiving weekend, December weekends and the week before Christmas · check the date
An hour long train ride with Christmas music and The Night Before Christmas read out loud, and every kid gets a jingle bell and a candy cane and sees Santa.
Mountain Country Christmas in LightsHiawassee
Thanksgiving through December · check the date
The fairgrounds by Lake Chatuge lit up for Christmas.
Town Christmas stuff
The town stuff, and I'll add the tree lightings as the cities post them in November.
Christmas in Dahlonega
Dahlonega Christmas Parade
a Saturday in December at noon · check the date
A real hometown parade that brings Santa to town, and it goes on rain or shine.
For the rest of your Christmas list
This is the at-home stuff, tap them and they go on your list with the lights and the train.
put it on the wall
Turn your Christmas picks into a real bucket list
Tap the lights and the trains and the town stuff you want and pick the Christmas design you like, and I'll hold onto your picks. The Christmas lists are coming soon, and the second they're up your picks drop straight into the slots.
Good any weekend3 things
The stuff that doesn't need a date, for the Saturday when nothing's going on.
Babyland General HospitalCleveland
Where the Cabbage Patch Kids get "born" out of the cabbage patch, and it's free to walk through.
Amicalola Falls State ParkDawsonville
The tallest waterfall in Georgia, and it pairs perfectly with a Burt's stop since they're right by each other.
Tallulah Gorge State ParkTallulah Falls
The rim trails and the suspension bridge swinging over the gorge.
North Georgia fall and Christmas questions
When is the Georgia Apple Festival in 2026?
The Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay is October 10 and 11 and October 17 and 18, 2026 at the Lions Club Fairgrounds. It's $10 for 12 and up and free for kids under 12, and the Apple Arts Festival downtown is free on the same weekends.
When does Burt's Pumpkin Farm open in 2026?
Burt's opens September 1 and runs through November 10, 2026 in Dawsonville. It's free to get in, hayrides are $10 and start daily September 15, and this year the hayride goes through a new 45 foot drive-through pumpkin.
When is Helen Oktoberfest in 2026?
September 10 through November 1, 2026 at the Festhalle in Helen, Thursday to Sunday in September and every night in October. The parade is September 12 at noon.
When do the leaves change in North Georgia?
Usually mid to late October, and the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway's fall foliage trains run September 19 to November 3, 2026.
Where are the Christmas lights in North Georgia?
Dahlonega's square, which lights up the day after Thanksgiving, Mountain Country Christmas in Lights at the fairgrounds in Hiawassee, and the Santa Express train in Blue Ridge.
who's writing this
Hi, I'm Amy.
We roadschool six kids out of a van. I'm just a mom with a Ford Transit and a lot of opinions about corn mazes, so if something on here is wrong, or your town's party is missing, email me at hello@bellebucket.com and I'll fix it.
put it on the wall
Turn your picks into a real bucket list
Tap the ones you want and I'll drop them onto whichever fall design you pick, then you add your own stuff (birthdays, carving pumpkins, whatever your family does). It prints big, like 24x36 big, and it hangs on the wall all season.