The Blue Ridge Mountains is also home to Cherokee, North Carolina, a small town that features a lot of really cool stuff. One of the main entrances to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in Cherokee. People like me who love a good road trip know that the southern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway is located here as well. And nothing says "Life is good" quite like prime rib, crab legs, and a perfectly cooked brisket courtesy of The Chefs Stage Buffet at Harrah's Casino. With fall foliage season approaching, I scheduled a Friday off work to plan a long weekend getaway to see some of these sites.

Mother Nature was forecast to cooperate nicely for my journey northward. I set out with the roof down and camera on the dash. The Athens area sits in a region characterized by low elevation rolling hills were pretty consistent for the first part of the trip. It wasn't until I crossed Interstate 85 and headed north toward Cornelia and Tallulah Falls that mountains began to appear. The photos above and below are from the Dillard, Georgia area.

Dillard is near the North Carolina border.

Various online Fall Foliage calendars seemed to indicate the actual peak of color had already occurred about one week earlier. But that doesn't mean there was nothing to be seen.

US Route 441 near Dillard, Georgia.

US Route 441 near Dillard, Georgia.

Bright colors were intermittently scattered throughout this leg of the journey.

The beautiful colors continued as I crossed the border into North Carolina.

US Route 441 near Franklin, North Carolina.

US Route 441 near Franklin, North Carolina.

US Route 441 takes motorists over a mountain between Franklin and Sylva in North Carolina. I am beginning my ascent in the photo above.

Fall colors outside of Franklin, North Carolina.

This is Gold City Gem Mine, which sits along US Route 441.

Passing by the Gold City Gem Mine means I am approaching the crest of the roadway, which appears to be around 2,300 feet. The peaks in the immediate area reach beyond 3,000 feet.

I've reached the top of the mountain and will be beginning the descent toward the towns of Savannah, Dillsboro, and Sylva, North Carolina.

The fall colors remained quite beautiful on my northward journey. My destination was about 25 minutes ahead of me at this point.

Fall colors outside of Savannah, North Carolina.

The Jag made it to Cherokee, North Carolina without incident.

I am staying at the Chestnut Tree Inn in Cherokee, North Carolina. I had every intention of staying at Harrah's until I saw the prices and availability. Staying at a casino hotel on a weekend can cost big bucks. The Chestnut Tree Inn turned out to be a less expensive alternative located only a few miles down the road.

The Chestnut Tree Inn sits beyond the intersection of US Route 441 and US Route 19 outside of Cherokee. The colors at the hotel were beautiful !

Trees in the Chestnut Tree Inn parking lot.

Trees in the Chestnut Tree Inn parking lot.

Fall colors were everywhere. The hotel sits on a hill which made for good visibility.

Behind the Chestnut Tree Inn in Cherokee, North Carolina.

I see several small cabins on the hill behind the hotel.

Cabin rentals are quite common and readily available in this area. Not sure who owns these cabins. But the view would be pretty spectacular.

Time to check in and hit the restroom before hitting the road again.