One of my favorite places to visit in north Georgia is Big Canoe. This mountain community is nestled in the foothills of the North Georgia Appalachian Mountains and is so picturesque and peaceful. I’ve rented a home there a few times now—once when the floors were being refinished in the downstairs part of my home…
…and in June of 2024, to see what it would be like to live in a home located way up high on one of the mountains.
The view was amazing, but the drive back down the mountain to make a run for groceries took 15+ minutes, and that was just to reach the gate leading out of BC. So you really, really have to want a long-range mountain view to do that on a regular basis. As I drove down the mountain, my SUV’s transmission was going nuts on the steepest sections of road. It insisted on assisting with the descent even though I was braking the majority of the way. It made me wonder how much wear and tear living on top of a mountain would put on a car’s transmission and brakes over the space of a year. Imagine waking up to this view every day, though! That view just might make it worth it! (Note: This house is currently for sale here: Big Canoe Home With Amazing View.)
During that visit, I enjoyed lunch with a friend at the Big Canoe Clubhouse. The view was spectacular!
This past Christmas, I had an opportunity to visit my friend again, this time staying in her beautiful new home in BC. That was the trip where we toured the amazing Tate House, all decked out for Christmas. If you missed all the tours I shared of the Tate House, you’ll find those here: Tour the Tate House Decorated for Christmas.
The Big Canoe clubhouse just went through a major renovation in 2025. When I visited at Christmastime, I walked around a bit, taking in some of the updates and the pretty Christmas decor. I know Christmas has long since passed, but I thought you would enjoy some of the photos I took during that brief visit. I think this area is referred to as the pub, but I’m not really sure.
There’s a Black Bear Pub somewhere, I think in the clubhouse, but it may be in a different area, or this may be the area they refer to as the Black Bear Pub.
Love the huge candlelier hanging in this room!
The clubhouse has several meeting areas, and the rock fireplace in this room was decorated for Christmas. No matter what room you’re in while visiting the clubhouse, the views are always spectacular.
I thought the wood detail on the new bar in the main part of the Clubhouse was really pretty.
I didn’t take a photo of the dining room where we had lunch since the restaurant was super busy with every table filled, but I was able to capture a photo of the gorgeous rock fireplace in this room.
The wallpaper in the women’s bathroom was so interesting!
There’s a whole forest world tucked inside each leaf/heart-shaped tree.
I was curious about what wallpaper they used in the men’s bathroom after seeing the paper in the women’s bathroom. My friend’s hubby helped capture this photo. I really do like how the wallpaper that was chosen during the renovation so beautifully reflects life in Big Canoe.
If you would like to read more about Big Canoe, check out their website here: Big Canoe. Always love my visits to this enchanting place in beautiful North Georgia!
O, kiddo…this is spectacular…I do remember you going previously… “If” it’s in the cards…you should go for it!! Get a rental service to assist… With your place in Ohio, too…might be…a lot…but, gosh…you can’t replicate that view…franki
I’m not planning on moving there; it’s way too expensive now. Home prices there have gone up drastically over the past few years, even though it’s so far away from regular grocery stores/shopping/doctors, etc.
Still saying nice place to visit but not own. That home has been on the market 406 days. We are all getting older; especially me. More trips to the hospital – that’s my location location location! Imagine going up and down to get dozens of Amazon packages and groceries. Imagine in the snow and ice.
Great place to vacation with a rental car. It’s beautiful. Practical no.
Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking. Prices have gone up drastically over the past few years and BC is way far out. It takes 25-30 minutes to get to Kroger or Publix from the gate, although they have a cute smaller store not far outside of BC.
It rarely snows there since it’s in Georgia. Some packages get delivered to your door, I think UPS and FedEx deliver to the houses.
Those are spectacular views; looks like a great place to visit…several times a year. But I agree with all the points Myrna was making above. I hope whatever decision that you make ends up being the best one
Not all the houses there have such great views. I’ve only seen a couple of houses there that I liked that had those spectacular long-range views. I’m not planning on buying a house there anytime in the near future. The prices of many houses in BC have doubled over the past few years. If the prices ever come down to more reasonable levels, I would be tempted to sell and move there, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Houses sold quickly and for inflated prices during the C period that we went through, so a lot of the homes that are available to purchase now are way overpriced, in my opinion. Plus, the POA dues (currently $415) continue to go up every single year and there’s a $5,000 capital contribution fee that you have to pay to be allowed to even buy a house.
It’s a beautiful view but I’d worry about getting trades people out for house projects. Just travel time each day to and from the house could adds hundreds of dollars to the cost.
I was also wondering if the houses are sold furnished, as vacation homes often are. How would you get rid of those sofas!?
Some are sold furnished, but they also have a bulk trash day every so often where folks can bring furniture or anything they want to discard. They really do try to make things as convenient as possible for those who live there.
Back in the day, when BC was first developed over 50 years ago, a lot of the houses were built as weekend getaway homes for people living in Atlanta who wanted to escape the summer heat. So a lot of the older homes lack garages or just have carports.
One house I looked at a few years back didn’t have closets in the two upstairs bedrooms. You could see where a closet was added to one of the bedrooms because it weirdly stuck out into the room. The other upstairs bedroom didn’t have a closet, though they called it a bedroom in the real estate listing. That has def changed over the years. I’ve noticed that homes without garages, or at least carports, don’t sell as quickly or sell for a lot less. I think about 60% of the residents are full-time, and about 40% are vacation/summer homes for those who live elsewhere. Homes were drastically cheaper about 4-5 years ago, as were the POA dues.
Actually, from following one of their Facebook pages, it appears that they have a list of reliable tradesmen who live nearby, so I don’t think that’s an issue.
The mountain views are gorgeous! As a teen my father moved us from LA to a mountain area near Feather Falls, CA. My bus ride to school was almost an hour on winding roads. A trip to town the same. There was a small logging community where there was a store/post office that was a bit closer but still a drive. Where I live now it’s a 45 min drive to access “bigger” stores and I can tell you at my age it is really getting to be a drag to drive that far! Amazon has really become my best friend.