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Town guide

McCaysville, Georgia: the state-line town on the Toccoa

The short answer

McCaysville is the Fannin County, Georgia, town on the Tennessee line, sharing its downtown with Copperhill, Tennessee. The Toccoa River runs through it and becomes the Ocoee in Tennessee. It is the turnaround and layover stop for the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, and it sits downstream of Blue Ridge Dam, where TVA placed one of its dam-warning sirens in 2022.

Last checked October 18, 2026

Oval painted wooden sign on a pole against a red-brick storefront, showing a mountain-and-river painting with the letters GA and TN on either side of a blue stripe, with a sidewalk, street lamps and utility poles receding down the street.
Photo: Thomson200, CC0

McCaysville is a Georgia town on the Toccoa River at the Tennessee line, and its downtown runs straight into Copperhill, Tennessee. Below Blue Ridge Dam the Toccoa flows northwest into Tennessee, where it is called the Ocoee River (TVA). McCaysville is also where the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway turns around.

Two towns, one downtown

McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, are the sister towns at the end of the scenic railway’s run from Blue Ridge, and the Georgia-Tennessee line runs through their shared downtown (Blue Ridge Scenic Railway). You can stand with a foot in each state.

Quiet small-town street with a faint painted blue line crossing the pavement toward a small white building, older brick and stucco storefronts with dark awnings on the left, a wooden fence, utility poles and a partly cloudy sky.
The Georgia-Tennessee line crossing a McCaysville street. Photo: Thomson M, CC BY 3.0

This guide covers the Georgia side, in Fannin County. Fishing and boating rules differ by state, so if you plan to fish or paddle on the Tennessee side, check Tennessee’s own rules first. We don’t print a population for McCaysville because we couldn’t find a current Census figure for it.

Where the Toccoa becomes the Ocoee

TVA says that below the dam the Toccoa River flows northwest into Tennessee, where it is called the Ocoee. The name changes at the state line here. TVA names McCaysville, Mineral Bluff, Copperhill and Pleasant Hill among the communities downstream of the dam (TVA).

Silver steel truss bridge crossing a calm green river reflecting the bridge, a small kayaker on the water, wooded hills, low buildings and a red storefront on the right bank under blue sky with white clouds.
The steel truss bridge over the Toccoa in McCaysville, at the Copperhill, Tennessee line. Photo: Thomson20192, CC0

The river between the dam and town is the Toccoa tailwater. Georgia DNR stocks rainbow and brown trout there every year, and most fish run 8 to 12 inches (GA DNR). Anglers 16 and older need both a fishing license and a trout license. The tailwater is a different fishery from the Delayed Harvest section, which is upstream of the lake. Our tailwater vs. Delayed Harvest explainer sorts out which is which, and the Toccoa River guide covers access.

Dam sirens: what to do

In March 2022 TVA placed dam-warning sirens in Tammen Park, in Mineral Bluff, on Toccoa River Forrest Road and in McCaysville, and it tests them every year (TVA). When the dam releases water to generate power, the Toccoa below it becomes a Class I-II float, so the river can change while you are on it.

TVA's instruction for anyone near the river who hears the sirens, feels a severe earthquake or sees rapidly rising water is to get off the river to high ground immediately. (TVA, checked Oct 18, 2026)

The scenic railway’s turnaround

The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway leaves the historic depot in Blue Ridge for a 26-mile round trip along the Toccoa River to McCaysville and Copperhill. Trips are two hours, or four hours with a layover (Blue Ridge Scenic Railway). The 2026-27 winter season runs Nov. 5, 2026, through Feb. 28, 2027.

The railway’s Trick or Treat Train runs Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m., with about a two-hour layover for trick-or-treating in vehicle-free downtown McCaysville-Copperhill. Seating is limited. Our Blue Ridge town guide covers the depot end of the trip.

Mineral Bluff depot and Ride the Rails

Upriver, near the dam, the Mineral Bluff community has the historic L&N depot at 150 Railroad Avenue, home to a large HO-scale model railroad. On scheduled weekends the Tri State Model Railroaders run 5-mile round-trip motor-car rides over the Toccoa River iron bridge to Murphy Junction. The next listed weekend is Oct. 24-25, 2026, with rides at 12, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Motor-car tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for ages 3-12, per the Blue Ridge Mountains CVB listing, checked October 2026.

Rusty steel truss railroad bridge spanning the river with low mist rising off the water, framed by dark green trees and leafy brush in the foreground under a bright hazy sky.
Morning mist under the railroad trestle over the Toccoa between Mineral Bluff and McCaysville. Photo: jwshaw, CC BY-SA 3.0

Holiday events in McCaysville

The Twin Cities Holiday Market runs on two Saturdays, Nov. 21 and Nov. 28, 2026, in the Copperhill Steel Bridge area on Bridge Street, with handmade crafts and treats at the Twin Cities Farmers Market on the state line. It opens at 10 a.m.; the listing gives two different closing times, so check before you go (Blue Ridge Mountains CVB).

Light Up McCaysville is Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. at 100 Blue Ridge Drive, with downtown shopping and dining, Santa at the Riverwalk Shops and a tree lighting at dusk (Blue Ridge Mountains CVB).

Places in and around McCaysville

  • Fishing

    Toccoa River tailwater below Blue Ridge Dam (trout)

    Georgia DNR stocks rainbow and brown trout in the Toccoa below the dam every year and calls it an excellent destination because of high catch rates. Most fish are 8-12 inches, with a chance at a fish over 20 inches. Water levels change fast when TVA generates, so heed the dam's siren warning system.

    • Georgia fishing + trout license (16+)
    • Toccoa River downstream of Blue Ridge Dam toward McCaysville (Fannin County, Georgia)

    Source: Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, checked Oct 18, 2026

  • Attraction

    Blue Ridge Scenic Railway depot

    A heritage railway running a 26-mile round trip along the Toccoa River from the 1905 Blue Ridge depot to McCaysville, GA, and Copperhill, TN. Trips are 2-hour express or 4-hour with a layover. The 2026-27 winter season runs Nov. 5, 2026, to Feb. 28, 2027, and the 1-hour Holiday Express runs on select dates Nov. 27 to Dec. 23.

    • Year-round seasonal schedule (2026-27 winter: Nov 5-Feb 28)
    • 241 Depot Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513 (Fannin County, Georgia)
    • (877) 413-8724

    Source: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, checked Oct 18, 2026

  • Town

    McCaysville (twin town of Copperhill, TN)

    A Georgia town on the Toccoa River at the Tennessee line, where the river becomes the Ocoee. The Georgia-Tennessee line runs through its shared downtown with Copperhill, TN. It is the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway's turnaround and layover stop, and TVA lists it among the communities downstream of Blue Ridge Dam.

    • McCaysville, GA 30555 (Fannin County, Georgia)

    Source: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway; TVA, checked Oct 18, 2026

  • Attraction

    Historic L&N Depot, Mineral Bluff (Tri State Model Railroaders)

    The historic depot houses a large HO-scale model railroad. On scheduled 2026 weekends (April, July and Oct. 24-25), the Tri State Model Railroaders run 5-mile round-trip motor-car rides over the Toccoa River iron bridge to Murphy Junction. Motor car tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for ages 3-12.

    • Scheduled ride weekends only
    • Motor car $15 adult / $5 ages 3-12
    • 150 Railroad Avenue, Mineral Bluff, GA 30559 (Fannin County, Georgia)
    • (423) 299-3914

    Source: Blue Ridge Mountains CVB (Fannin County Chamber) event listing, checked Oct 18, 2026

For the dam itself, see our Blue Ridge Dam page.

Questions people ask

Is McCaysville in Georgia or Tennessee?

McCaysville is in Georgia. It shares a downtown with Copperhill, Tennessee, and the Georgia-Tennessee line runs through the middle of it.

Source: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, checked Oct 18, 2026

Where does the Toccoa River become the Ocoee?

At the Tennessee line. TVA says that below Blue Ridge Dam the Toccoa flows northwest into Tennessee, where it is called the Ocoee River.

Source: TVA, checked Oct 18, 2026

Does the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway go to McCaysville?

Yes. The railway runs a 26-mile round trip from the Blue Ridge depot along the Toccoa River to McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee. Trips are two hours, or four hours with a layover.

Source: Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, checked Oct 18, 2026

Is there a dam warning siren in McCaysville?

Yes. In March 2022 TVA placed sirens in Tammen Park, Mineral Bluff, on Toccoa River Forrest Road and in McCaysville, and it tests them every year. If you hear them near the river, TVA says to get off the river to high ground immediately.

Source: TVA, checked Oct 18, 2026

When is Light Up McCaysville in 2026?

Friday, Nov. 27, 2026, from 5 to 7 p.m. at 100 Blue Ridge Drive, with the tree lighting at dusk.

Source: Blue Ridge Mountains CVB, checked Oct 18, 2026

Calm lake water in front of a densely forested shoreline with several covered boat docks, a green wooded ridge rising behind, and two hazy blue mountain summits under a grey-pink sky.
Photo: Thomson M, CC BY 3.0

Living on the lake

Thinking about a place on Lake Blue Ridge? Start with people who know North Georgia.

Gold Peach Realty is the North Georgia brokerage behind this guide. If a weekend on the lake has you thinking about a cabin, a lake house or a move to Fannin County, our agents will walk you through what is for sale and what owning near a TVA lake involves.

Visit Gold Peach Realty Call Gold Peach Realty (770) 283-1223

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