Trip Planning: Frequently Asked Questions

We thought you'd probably ask...

Q: What do we do if we are coming in after hours?
A: If you are coming by the office to pick up directions and keys after hours, arrangements will be made automatically to leave these items in a designated location, which you may pick up at any time after we close for the day. If you were to go straight to the cabin, then you should already have directions. With the directions should be a code for the lockbox located at the cabin, which contains your key.
Q: Why do some people go to the office first and others go straight to the cabin?
A: Convenience (or inconvenience). For example, it could be considered impractical for a group from the metro Atlanta area to come up to our office in Ducktown to pick up keys and directions for a cabin they are staying at in Blue Ridge (they would come through Blue Ridge on their way in). This “doubling back” might make guests more familiar with the area, but often is a needless trip.
To remedy this, lock boxes are placed at all of our outlying properties. This allows us as a management team to exercise discretion in the party’s best interest, with respect to where they are coming from and to which cabin they are going to.  
So why not just send all guests straight to the cabin? Let’s say we have a group coming from Knoxville and staying at a cabin in Blue Ridge. They would have to pass through Ducktown to get there, so there is little to no inconvenience by stopping by our office and picking up keys.
This method does not eliminate “doubling back” completely. The cases where this occurs generally are with cabins that are 15 minutes away or less from the office.
Q: What do I need to bring?
A: Food. Clothing. Personal Items. That means “kitchen stuff” such as pots and pans, silverware, dishes and cups/glasses, etc. are all there. It also means that linens such as bed sheets, towels, dishcloths, and the like are there too.  If the grill at your cabin is charcoal, however, you might want to consider picking up a small bag if you plan to grill out. For gas grills, tanks are provided and are checked on a frequent basis.
Q: Does my cabin have a DVD or VCR player?
A: In almost every cabin, there is at least one or the other. Many have both. Please ask us if it is not specifically listed on the website.
Q: How well will my cell phone service pick up?
A: Unless you have Verizon or AT&T (formerly Cingular), you don’t have a chance. Those two carriers are virtually the only two that will pick up with any significance here in the area. Even still, Verizon and AT&T might not pick up at your cabin, depending on your elevation and location. Unless otherwise specified on the website, all cabins have land-line telephones. These telephones are for local calls – you may place long distance calls with a calling card or collect service. If there is a specific person that you want to get on the phone with, you can do what we call “third-party calling”…that is, call the management office and give us the number of who you want to speak to. We will call them from the office, and give them the telephone number to the cabin; having them call you…we are happy to do this as a courtesy for those who don’t have a calling card.
Q: We’ve got multiple groups in our party coming in at different times. What do we do?
A: Don’t sweat it – we handle this kind of request all the time. Just let us know how many different little groups are coming within your party as a whole at separate times, and we will leave extra sets of directions for them at the office. The policy regarding after-hours check in above applies for them too.
Q: What do we do with our keys when we leave?
A: If you were given a key, leave it inside the cabin on the kitchen table and lock the door behind you. If you were given a code for a lockbox, please leave the key inside the lockbox, locking the door behind you.
Q: What do we do if something goes wrong when we get there?
A: Stuff happens. While we do take several precautionary steps to catch problems before they become a problem, no system is foolproof. So in the event that something does go wrong during your stay, please call the office. Even if it is after hours – just leave a message, and our property manager on call will be paged.
Q: What about Alcohol?
A: Both Polk and Fannin Counties are dry. You can only buy beer and wine in either county. Hilltop Beverage in East Ellijay, Geoergia (roughly 15 miles south of Blue Ridge), or the ABC Store in Murphy, North Carolina, roughly 20 minutes east of Ducktown, TN. For determining which of these two are closest and how to get there from your cabin, please call the management office for assistance.
Q: What are check-in and check-out times?
A:  Check in is anytime after 3:00 pm on the date of arrival. Check out is before 11:00 am on the date of departure. We receive many requests for guests wanting to come in early and/or stay late. We generally are happy to permit one or the other in hopes that it will make your experience more enjoyable. If you want to come in early or stay late, please call and ask for permission a day or so in advance before your scheduled check-in date. Ultimately we as management have the right to both grant and deny such requests.
Q: Will I need four wheel drive to get to my cabin?
A: No. In virtually every case, your regular car will do. We do ask that you do not bring up any low-riding vehicle, as there are many gravel roads that might scrape it up. Further exceptions to this might include fifteen passenger vans or even buses. Also due to the gravel roads, motorcycles might have trouble as well. Please contact the office if you are driving any of these described vehicles.