The 2026 Blue Ridge Mountains Parade of Homes runs October 16 through 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. One all-access ticket covers any or all of the three days. There are 14 homes this year from seven builders, and they are spread out. Some are south toward Ellijay, some are north off GA-5 and Hwy 2, and some are east toward Blairsville. The organizers' own FAQ says seeing every home in a single day is possible but a stretch.
The weekend calendar settles most of the routing for you. Ellijay's apple festival takes over the southern corridor on Saturday and Sunday. One of the most talked-about view homes is closed Sunday. Downtown Blue Ridge fills up Saturday around midday. Put those three facts together and the order of the corridors mostly falls into place.
Before the weekend, the price changes
Tickets cost $25 now and go up to $35 on October 6, 2026, which is six days from today. The pass admits one person age 18 or older, and anyone under 18 gets in free with an adult ticket. If you buy online, you can pick up the ticket at SouthState Bank, 59 Orvin Lance Connector at Hwy 515, on the Tuesday through Thursday before the event or on any Parade day. Picking up midweek means you can head straight to the first house on Friday morning without waiting at check-in.
The bank doesn't take cash or cards for tickets. If you show up without one, staff will point you to the website to buy it on your phone. At check-in you get a lanyard, a magazine about the homes and a driving map. Keep the map in the car. The Parade app has turn-by-turn directions, but organizers warn that cell service varies and suggest setting your route before you leave Wi-Fi.
Friday: the US-76/515 run toward Ellijay
The 55th Georgia Apple Festival's second weekend falls on October 17 and 18 at the Ellijay Lions Club Fairgrounds, 1729 South Main Street. No official traffic advisory ties the festival to the Parade. Still, the directions to four homes use the same highway that festival traffic uses, so Friday is the day those homes are likely to be easiest to reach.
- Home #4, 75 Patterson Lane. Keith Sumner's 1,379-square-foot industrial-rustic barndominium has an oversized drive-in garage and a loft with its own kitchen, office area and balcony. The directions take US-76/515 south past Patterson Lane, then a U-turn at the second Ballewtown Road crossover.
- Home #3, 3820 Whitepath Road. This is shuttle-only. You park at Hwy 515 Auto Auction, 107 Whitepath Road, Ellijay, about 12 miles down the highway. The house is a 5,408-square-foot rustic-modern home by Keith Sumner, with timber framing, a pool, an outdoor kitchen and Viking appliances.
- Home #1, 877 Mulkey Road. Follow US-76/515 for 14.5 miles, turn at First Avenue near Hardee's, then take Hwy 52 East for 3.7 miles. Lomonaco Homes built this modern European farmhouse on a 40-acre property that includes a pond and a wedding venue. Inside are a theater and a golf simulator.
- Home #2, 232 North Mountain Ridge Drive. The route passes Cherry Log and Ellijay, then picks up Highland Parkway near the East Ellijay Walmart and Yukon Road to the gated entrance of The Vineyard at Yukon and "The Preserve." This second Lomonaco home is a stone-and-wood contemporary on nearly 3.5 acres, with long-range views and a bunk room.
Seeing the two Lomonaco homes on the same afternoon makes for a useful comparison. One is a farmhouse on open acreage, and the other is a contemporary built for the view.
Saturday: north on GA-5, plus the one home that closes Sunday
Saturday is the day for Home #5, because 78 Green Ridge Mountain Road is closed on Sunday, October 18. Coleman Log Homes built it as a cedar-log and timber-frame modern chalet. It has views across three states, a lake below, a floating fireplace and a wine room. You park and catch the shuttle at 1571 West Campbell Camp Road, which you reach by way of Aska Road.
From there, the rest of Saturday is the GA-5 North and Hwy 2 group, five homes that share much of the same route:
- Home #7, 7 Chief Ron Green Trail, just inside the gate at Goleega. It's a 4,590-square-foot Keith Sumner home on 2.03 wooded acres about 100 feet from Fightingtown Creek.
- Home #9, 204 Lickskillet Hollow. Coleman Log Homes' 7,000-square-foot Western red cedar estate sits on 45 creekfront acres, with cantilevered decks that reach out over the water.
- Home #10, 187 Briar Woods Lane. Log Homes of Yellowstone's Western-style log home has a live-edge walnut bar. The route continues past Lickskillet Road onto Madola, Mobile and Macedonia Church roads.
- Home #8, 560 Horatio Drive, in a gated subdivision reached by Damascus Road and Tipton Road. Kevin Teague Homes built this 3,400-square-foot house with two Viking-equipped kitchens and four fireplaces.
- Home #11, 13 Hope Drive, about 7.7 miles north on GA-5 toward McCaysville, then 0.3 mile on Kyle Road. Nicholson Home Builders combined locally sourced stone and wood in this 3,280-square-foot mountain-modern home.
Saturday also brings the Humane Society of Blue Ridge's Pawsfest to Downtown Blue Ridge Park beside the train tracks. Pet parade lineup starts at 11:15 a.m., the parade goes through downtown at 11:30, and the festival runs noon to 4 p.m. with live music from Mook & Mimi starting at 1. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under. To catch it, plan a midday break between homes, or expect more people downtown if you're passing through around lunch.
Sunday: the GA-60 shuttles, Blairsville and Staurolite Mountain
Check-in closes earlier on Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., compared with 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. If you already have your ticket and lanyard, that cutoff won't affect you. Sunday's homes sit on the Blairsville side of the county and close to town.
Home #6, 44 Staurolite Mountain Road, is in gated Staurolite Mountain, which the home page describes as just minutes from downtown Blue Ridge. The directions from check-in take Bullen Gap Road for about a mile to the community entrance, then continue through the gate. Kevin Teague's 4,700-square-foot chalet has 25-foot A-frame ceilings and a Jacuzzi on the deck.
Home #13, 1081 Dana Road, is shuttle-only. Take US-76/515 toward Blairsville, then GA-60 North, Hardscrabble Road and Laurel Springs Road to a grass-field parking area. Keith Sumner designed the 5,028-square-foot home around mountain and sunset views and included a sauna and an outdoor kitchen.
Home #14, 452 Summit Trace, is about 14.9 miles down US-76/515 in Blairsville. T. Wosyluk Construction's 4,100-square-foot home has walls of glass, a private theater and a safe room.
Home #12, 80 Jackie's Bluff, shares the GA-60 approach with Dana Road, so it fits the same Sunday stretch. Its directions follow US-76/515 toward Blairsville for about 2.6 miles, then GA-60 North for about 2.7 miles and Hardscrabble Road for about 1.8 miles before a left onto Piney Road. Park there where permitted and take the shuttle to the house. Nicholson Home Builders' rustic 6,150-square-foot home has an expanded billiards loft and sweeping views.
Four of the fourteen trace back to one builder
Keith Sumner built four of this year's homes: Whitepath Road, Patterson Lane, Goleega and Dana Road. Between them, they cover all three corridors. The Parade also lists him as its founder. His four range from a 1,379-square-foot barndominium to a 5,408-square-foot timber-framed home with a pool. That's about as wide a spread of scale as the tour has.
Ticket proceeds go to The Future of Our Trades Scholarship Foundation. The Parade's scholarship foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Dionne Ryff, the Parade's Executive Director, works with builders, sponsors, volunteers and partners to advance the foundation's mission. The foundation reports more than $1,040,000 in scholarships awarded to 91 students from five local schools. Applications open in February. Teachers nominate students from school systems in Pickens, Gilmer, Fannin and Union counties in Georgia and Polk County, Tennessee, and awards are presented in the first week of May. For scale, at the 2024 banquet 18 students each received a $10,000 scholarship, $180,000 in all. 11Alive has reported that Fannin County High School's career and technical program offers 19 pathways, including construction, welding and engineering. Students can earn credentials like OSHA 10 there.
So the timber framing and stonework on this year's tour help pay for the training of the next group of local framers, welders and masons.
A few house rules
- Take your shoes off or wear booties inside every home, and keep your ticket visible.
- Some homes have designated parking or a shuttle, and organizers say terrain may limit mobility access at some homes and parking areas.
- Ticket details and the full home lineup are on the official Blue Ridge Mountains Parade of Homes site, and the weekend's other events are on the Blue Ridge Mountains events calendar.
If a home on this year's tour has you rethinking a remodel, an addition or a build on land you already own, Christy Reece is glad to talk through the site, the construction and how these builders' work holds up over time in the North Georgia mountains. Let's Connect.
