Peter and Margo Vallone, Georgia Mountain Property Specialists

Big Canoe, Georgia is a gated resort community located in the North Georgia Mountains. Each year Big Canoe celebrates the beginning of Autumn by hosting Oktoberfest with friends, festivities, fun, sausages and of course a genuine Oom-Pah Band! This Oktoberfest was a big hit with the largest crowd ever more vendors than I have seen as well.

It was a lovely sunny day with a slight breeze and cool enough for long sleeves. Many friends and neighbors were seen carrying umteen different hand-made crafts purchased by the vendors in one hand and a big old Warsteiner cup in the other! Others went straight for the food lines and came out happily with brats, sour-kraut, German Chocolate cake, brownies, and or course delicious Bavarian pretzels with extra salt! The Oom-Pah band played for all of Big Canoe to hear and there were some brave (possibly too much Warsteiner) neighbors that shook their groove things out on the dance floor. We watched them from our table under the very large tent.

Big Canoe Animal Rescuewas a very popular venue with some very handsome rescue-dogs ready to be adopted. The community volunteers for BCAR are truly devoted to rehabilitating and finding homes for these sweet dogs. It wouldn't be Oktoberfest without them.

There are many other Big Canoe community events throughout the which makes this neighborhood such a treasure. This serene neighborhood allows you to be completely secluded when you want to be but at the same time you can fill your calendar to the gills with social events.

Moving to the Big Canoe Community may make you wonder how you are going to be able to make a living. Although Big Canoeis sometimes considered a retirement community many people are not retired but want to get out of the 9-5 mentality. The women of Big Canoe have been very inventive by creating businesses in Big Canoe based on necessity. They have formed a group called the Georgia Mountains Business Women's Network (GMBWN). This  group of approximately 90 members is flourishing, and most of it is good word of mouth, aka networking!

The GMBWN is coming out with a directory listing 60 businesses and services that are female operated right here in our own foothills! The following are a few samples of what the GMBWN has to offer:

Odds and Errands- Owner Gloria Berger is ready to work when you are to ready to relax in the mountains. Her business includes shopping, and stocking vacation homes with everything you need for a peaceful mountain getaway vacation.

Just Faux Fun-Owner Rhonda Stock focuses on faux painting and custom signs.

Catered Events- Owner Cindy King creates custom wedding favors and prepares gourmet foods

Ella Bleu- Owner Linda Schmidt creates custom gift baskets

Sweet Dreams Farm- Owner Vicki Craig teaches all aspects of horsemanship at her farm.

Bear's Oh My!-Owner Barbara Maslyk runs Big Canoe's ONLY retail gift shop!

Game Plan Africa- Owner Donna Smeltz will customize an African Safari for you. Donna also started the NGBWN and also created a special events photo-journey company entitled "Story Tellers".

Doogwoods Boarding Kennels-Owner Sharon Biles provides a safe and comfortable retreat for your pets while you can rest easy on a vacation.

If you are on the fence about how to keep busy in Big Canoe, come by my booth at the Big Canoe Octoberfest in Big Canoe, Georgia on October 11th. I'll have the directories ready!

See you there!

Margo and Peter Vallone
Visit Our Featured Big Canoe Homes for Sale

Living in the North Georgia Mountains has its advantages - clear skies, fresh mountain air, and a much more relaxed atmosphere. However some of the bigger communities can leave you feeling like a mouse in a maze if you don't know where you are going.  The Big Canoe Community has a smart system of letting you know where where you are in a subtle and sometimes funny way. Keep reading for more helpful information to guide you through your next trip to Big Canoe.

Your first visit to the Big Canoe Community may be a little bit confusing if you are on your own with nothing but a map! We have all been there at one point or another and it can be a challenge to say the least. Let's start with a few historical notes and hopefully enlighten any visitors to the Big Canoe Road Code. Where did the name Big Canoe come from in the first place? Believe it or not it was chosen as the winning name in a contest conducted by the original developer of Big Canoe, Cousins Properties way back when in the 1970's. The good thing about a name like Big Canoe is that it makes you say "What?" and then it sticks in your head. Pretty smart ad campaign.

The road structure has been published as an atlas titled Big Canoe Atlas which is very helpful but keep in  mind you may not have it when you need it. Theme grouping has helped to organize and differentiate the neighborhoods in Big Canoe. For example, the Cherokee Neighborhood has Indian names such as Canacaught, Yanoo,and Ahyoka. The Equestrian Neighborhood has names like Hunters Trace, Yearling, Shetland Trace. The Nature Valley has tree names such as Dogwood, Chestnut Oak, and Sweetgum. The Indian Rocks Park neighborhood has funny animal names like Little Beaver, Crazy Bear, and Owls Brow.

The good news is that the whole experience in Big Canoe is truly "idyllic"!

PS - If you REALLY get lost look for the white arrows on top of the street signs. They will lead you back to the village of Big Canoe.

Peter and Margo Vallone
Featured Big Canoe Homes for Sale | Mountain Home Resales Blog

Have you driven around in Big Canoe lately with no particular purpose except to observe what's going on around us in this lovely sanctuary we gratefully call home?  Peter and I did that the other day, and we were struck by all the activity happening just outside and inside the gates.  

Beginning with Foothills Village, renovation has begun for the expansion of the IGA store with the much-anticipated addition of a pharmacy.  We're all excited with the progress of the beautiful new "Clubhouse at Lake Sconti" and pro-shop rapidly taking form, with a July grand opening.  A new, beautifully landscaped tiered parking lot for the Chapel and play field events has just been completed, along with additional parking for the newly renovated tennis center. Looking down on Lake Petit, you'll notice that colorful pontoon boats are temporarily anchored along the shoreline, while the marina is being renovated and a number of new slips added. The entrance and exit to the North Gate has been totally rerouted and widened, and a series of meandering rock walls and stone entrance pillars with islands of freshly planted trees and bushes border the road. We're now encouraging our visiting friends to use the North Gate when they come see us, because it's becoming almost as lovely an entrance as the main gate!

And then the absolutely charming North Gate Station, with its unique architecture depicting famous Southern train stations, is beginning to fill with new business tenants.  Some of us are hoping for a cafe featuring coffee and bagles for breakfast, healthy deli sandwiches and salads for lunch, and ice cream and frozen yogurt for an afternoon snack!  Dream on! 

So, the next time someone asks you, "What's new in Big Canoe?" you can print this out and use it as a cheat sheet. Probably by then, there will be even more items to add to the list, and if you ever need any assistance with Big Canoe Real Estate, contact us at 706-268-6426 or e-mail us.  And if you'd like to check out another great Big Canoe Real Estate website, visit ibamountainhomes.com. 

Thanks for reading,

The Vallones