World travelers relax in N. Ga.

Family business takes Brian and Tijana Graham all over the world. Brian, 39, is CEO of Nioxin, a hair care company. Tijana, 33, and their oldest daughter, Amanda, were born in Europe.

“As much as we love traveling, it’s a treat to have a place to get away from it all,” Brian said. “It’s about creating a destination where we can spend time together.”

That place is their second home in the North Georgia mountains.

Picking a house: Brian’s brother had a second home on Lake Blue Ridge for 10 years, and the Grahams used it frequently. They fell in love with the clean water and the abundance of wildlife. In December 2005, they bought their home from a couple who had built it as their primary residence. It’s log-sided and sits on a point so it has a panoramic view with its 425 feet of lake frontage.

“We had been looking for a house and had seen this one,” Brian said. “We told our agent that if he ever spoke to the owner, to let him know we were interested in buying. Two weeks later, our agent called and the house was available. It was serendipity, but that’s how it works in Blue Ridge.”

Time on the lake: It takes the Grahams about an hour and 20 minutes to get to the lake from their home in Buckhead.

“It’s a pretty easy commute,” Tijana said, “and we go about twice a month year-round, more often in the summer. I’m an artist, and I paint there. Our three daughters enjoy watersports in the summer and the seasonal activities like the train and trick-or-treating at Halloween. It’s a very unique place with a wonderful small-community feel. Everything is a little more personal and family-friendly than the big city.”

A love of the outdoors: “We love the mountains and outdoor recreation,” Brian said. “On Lake Blue Ridge you can feel like you’re out by yourself, and that’s because 80 percent of the lake is surrounded by national forest. But you have the conveniences of a great small town like Blue Ridge that’s just 90 minutes from Atlanta. It’s hard to find a destination that offers as much as this one does.”

Family time together: “The house has changed dramatically our family lifestyle and the way we spend time together,” Tijana said. “We go there to be focused on each other. It’s easy to get distracted in the city so close to work and the things you do Monday through Friday. Being here changes our focus and gives us some very special time.”

Blue Ridge

The Grahams have a whole list of things they enjoy about the Blue Ridge area. “There’s the Swan Drive-In Theater, one of the last five or 10 in the state, and our girls love that. We enjoy picking our own apples in the fall at the many orchards and enjoy the apple turnovers and apple fritters,” Brian said. The family travels to the surrounding towns, enjoying the shopping and the scenery and visits a local Christmas tree farm to cut their holiday tree.

What’s special

The Toccoa River flows into Lake Blue Ridge and, said Rachel Callihan of Georgia Mountain and Lake Properties, is a fisherman’s dream well-known for its white bass and small-mouth bass. There are over 100 miles of shoreline and 50 public campsites, and 80 percent of the shoreline is U.S. Forest Service land.

Current listings

$1.9 million: 763 Eaton Road, Blue Ridge; 4-bedroom, 4-bath home, over 4,000 square feet; on 1.34 acres with deep water year-round, open views and frontage on Lake Blue Ridge.

$899,900: 165 Lakeshore Drive, Morganton; 4-bedroom, 2-bath home; 1 acre on Lake Blue Ridge, wide view of the lake, 200-plus feet of lake frontage.

$149,000-$210,000: Woodpecker River Resort, Morganton; lots on the Toccoa River with over 100 feet of lake frontage.

Getting there

Take I-75 north to I-575/Ga. 5 north. This will turn into Ga. 515 and U.S. 76. Follow U.S. 76 into Blue Ridge.

Info

706-258-8067; www.georgiamountainandlakeproperties.com