Hopping into a river with a kayak, hitting the links on a mountain course, picking apples during the fall, and hiking trails while searching for wildlife might seem like a getaway for most. Those activities are part of everyday life for residents of resort-style communities in Georgia.
Neighborhoods throughout Georgia’s mountains lure buyers with natural settings and relaxing views of lakes and rivers, plus a range of amenities, such as golf courses, pools, tennis courts, clubhouses, fitness facilities and more. Buyers have to look for the right setting and right home style when purchasing or building in resort-style communities.
Array of activities in Ellijay
Custom home builder Sara O’Tuel often sees people floating down the river from her home in the Coosawattee River Resort, a private, gated community on 5,500 acres near Ellijay and next to local landmarks such as the Red Apple Barn (after all, Gilmer County is known as the “Apple Capital of Georgia”). She’s lived and built in the area for 20 years, seeing people from Atlanta and states such as Florida purchasing homes in the foothills of the Appalachians.
Tongue-and-groove ceilings and walls are common in the three-story homes she builds, which have porches and decks with stacked stone fireplaces, and terrace levels that enable people to walk out to the water.
“We have our own kayaks. There’s a lot of people I see when I do come down to the river with their own kayaks … and floats,” O’Tuel said. “I see people come by my house. It all ends up in Carters Lake, which is beautiful.”
Coosawattee River Resort, which began in 1977, comprises residential home site lots (averaging a half acre to 1 acre), homes and villas ranging from the $100,000s to more than $1 million, time shares and deeded RV lots. Since hunting is not allowed inside the community (fishing is permitted), wildlife that homeowners often see includes deer, bears, foxes, turkeys, raccoons, woodchucks, coyotes, hawks and eagles.
Ray and Glenda Goodwin moved to Coosawattee River Resort after living in the Florida Panhandle, and prior to that, in Marietta for 20 years. Glenda works out of their home, in the textiles and design side of the hospitality industry, while Ray is a pilot with Delta Air Lines.
“We had rented a cabin up here a few times. It was just so tranquil and just so lovely and just so, ahh,” Glenda said.
She first viewed their home online and then had a “wow” reaction to the view and the house, which has three decks, when she visited it. The home on 3 acres with river views, built by John Todd, was still at a point in the construction where they could customize the wood cabinets, a desk and other features.
The amenity package in resort-style communities is the big draw for some folks. In Coosawattee River Resort, for example, amenities include two outdoor pools, one indoor heated pool, a fitness center, arcade, tennis and volleyball courts, general store, trout streams, six parks, miniature golf course, hiking trails, a swim team and clubs for adults. Scenic structures include a suspension bridge that crosses the community, which also has campgrounds. Many residents also own four-wheelers for exploring, in addition to gear for the water.
Stuart and Janet Brenner — former Marietta real estate brokers — have a home with a screened porch overlooking the Coosawattee River, with stunning views of sunsets, they said.
“It looks like an oil painting that’s changing in front of you at night. The sky turns purple and blue,” Janet said. “Standing in my kitchen, I watch an oil painting in movement. Then when we sit outside on our deck or screened porch, we hear the rapids of the river below.”
Blue Ridge beckons some
About 20 minutes from Ellijay, Blue Ridge communities with new construction include The Falls Over Lake Blue Ridge, which has the highest elevation in the county, said Rachel Callihan-Cowart with Harry Norman, Realtors.
“That in itself makes it extremely unique,” builder Keith Sumner said.
The average elevation of lots in The Falls Over Lake Blue Ridge is about 2,900 feet, said Sumner, whose rustic, lodge-style homes with wood and stone elements average $450,000. Natural features are part of the landscape in the gated community, where paved roads wind up Davenport Mountain.
“As you drive up, there’s a set of waterfalls … that’s right on the side of the road,” Sumner said.
The community is located in the Aska Adventure area, with access to hiking trails. Since part of the mountain is U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service land, the amount of residential lots is limited to keep the mountain from being overbuilt, Callihan-Cowart said.
Award-winning amenities
Some mountain and lake communities are gaining attention for their amenities and home styles. Big Canoe, an 8,000-acre-plus community in Jasper, was awarded the Best Amenity Package in 2012 by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and named Community of the Year in 2011. More than 2,000 acres of Big Canoe’s woodlands, meadows, lakes and streams are accessible green space, and the community has more than 22 miles of trails, more than 50 clubs and organizations and resort-style amenities, including golf, tennis, swimming and a fitness center.
Stained beams and columns in common spaces, such as the foyer, great room, and kitchen and dining areas, are in demand, said Dan DeJiacomo, owner of Dan DeJiacomo Custom Homes, which has been building in Big Canoe for nearly 13 years.
“It’s enough just to make you feel like you’re in the mountains there, to kind of give you a little bit of a treehouse effect,” he said.
Homes at Big Canoe range from $200,000 to $3 million. Spaces such as formal dining rooms are going away because people want not only the master on the main, but also an additional bedroom on the main level for a guest suite or office, DeJiacomo said.
Currahee Club, a 1,200-acre community overlooking Lake Hartwell, recently opened its five-acre Currahee Sports Club and amenity campus. The $2.5 million project included adding a grand lawn, community gardens, fire pit, zero-entry swimming pool, two tennis courts, sand volleyball court, playground, basketball and four-square courts, two bocce ball courts and a fitness room.
The community has homes ranging from cottages to manor homes priced from the $300,000s to more than $1 million. Another addition to the community is the 2013 Southern Living Showcase Home by Dillard-Jones Builders, which overlooks hole No. 17 of the Jim Fazio-designed golf course and is open to the public through December.
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