One-tank trip: Cornelia, Ga.

Tucked away in the foothills of northeast Georgia, Cornelia was nothing but rolling farmland for centuries. Hunters and trappers passed through, but settlers went elsewhere until two railroad lines intersected there in 1882.

The settlement was first called Rabun Gap Junction, then Blaine, and finally Cornelia. The railroad brought passengers escaping Atlanta’s summer heat, and it took apples and peaches out to market. From 1907 to 1946, the Tallulah Falls Railway ran through Cornelia as far north as Franklin, N.C.

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Credit/Lodge at Apple Pie Ridge

The Lodge at Apple Pie Ridge recalls Cornelia’s apple-centric past by naming its five guest rooms after apples that were once grown on the property.

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Lisa Lowe Stauffer / AJC Special

Georgia’s version of the Big Apple has stood in Cornelia since 1926, when the area was famous for its bountiful crops of the delectable red fruit.

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The Big Apple statue, given to the city by the Southern Railway Co. in 1926, still stands outside the railroad depot, reminding visitors that this was once the heart of the largest apple-growing area in the South. Cornelia’s Historic Walking Tour brochure is available in the depot’s museum. Many of the buildings from the early 1900s are still in use.

Don’t Miss:

Cornelia Railroad Depot Museum was built in 1914. Railroad buffs will love seeing artifacts from both the Southern Railway Co. and Tallulah Falls Railroad Co., including a switching station for managing train traffic in pre-computer days. Outside the depot are two restored cabooses. Be sure to peek in a caboose’s window to see an old potbellied stove. 201 Clarkesville St. Free. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and by appointment. 706-778-7875.

Habersham County Historical Society, Standard Telephone Co. Museum offers a history of the telephone. Today we take cellphones and instant satellite communication for granted. In this museum, you’ll see how complicated phone calls really are. 228 N. Main St. Free. 706-778-7875.

The Everything Elvis Museum is in the Loudermilk Boarding House, built in 1908. In addition to more than 30,000 Elvis items, the house showcases Loudermilk family items including clothing, furniture and historic photos of Cornelia. 221 Foreacre St. $10. Appointment only. 706-778-2001.

Railroad Antiques is small but worth a stop. Furniture, china and household items are displayed without the usual antique store jumble. 101 N. Main St.,

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday -Saturday. 706-776-7799.

Hartford House is a treat. All furniture is made in America, much of it in North Georgia. Dining chairs are crafted by a Mennonite community. The wood pieces are all finished in-house. Tours of the shop available 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays. 126 Anderson Circle, Alto. 10 a.m.-

5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. 706-778-3449,

www.hartfordhousefurniture.com.

Wilder Outdoors features everything the adventurer needs: clothing, books, walking sticks, birdhouses, fishing rods, camping gear, hunting supplies and more. Look for T-shirts by Sweetea (“Heyhireyew?”). 3840 Ga. 365, Baldwin. 10 a.m.-

7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 706-776-1300, www.wilderoutdoors.com.

IF YOU GO

Where to Eat

The Basket Peddler and Coffee Shoppe. Serving breakfast, lunch and daily specials. There’s also a shop with gourmet items, cookbooks, china and gifts. Bright sunroom for dining. For lunch, try the chicken salad with grapes or the tomato basil soup. Breakfast $3.25-$4.75; lunch $4.25-$7.25.

7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday. 127 Hodges St. 706-778-4869,

www.thebasket peddler.net/index.html

Fenders Diner. Booths, a soda fountain, old signs and a tasty menu attract hungry crowds. Homemade cakes are served on Thursdays. Serving daily specials, sandwiches and ice cream. $3.99-$6.89.

11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 4:30-8 p.m. Thursday and Saturday and till 9 p.m. Friday. 631 Irvin St. 706-776-2181

Sacred Grounds Coffee. Specialties include Snickerdoodle latte, $4, and Aunt Leslie’s Amish Bread, $1.75. 282 Smithville Lane, Alto. 706-778-1208

Where to Stay

The Lodge on Apple Pie Ridge. An airy log lodge atop a ridge has chandeliers from the original Atlanta Macy’s, flooring salvaged from a pencil factory burned by General William T. Sherman and custom-painted murals adding to its charm. Five guest rooms. $149-$169 per night. 2154 Apple Pie Ridge Road, Alto. 706-776-6012, www.lodgeonapplepieridge.com.

For more information

www.habershamchamber.com