24 | ACTIVITIES DIRECTIONSGA.COM
Fun iin the
making History
The locals call this area the Copper
Basin due to its long history of copper
mining. Copper was discovered in
1843 by a gold prospector panning
in North Potato Creek. After that,
mining for copper ore and sulphuric
acid production became the primary
industry through the late 1980s.
Although mining created a burst
of wealth, it came with an environmental
cost: Open smelting, timber
harvesting and acid rain denuded the
surrounding forest for 50 square
miles. Following historic restoration
efforts by the TVA and Tennessee
Copper Company, the Copper Basin
has regained much of its natural
beauty. Today, it’s a source of pride
as locals welcome visitors to enjoy
the new restaurants, retail shops and
rivers of fun.
Finding New Life
Since 2018, both towns have
undergone a dramatic revitalization,
and seen an influx of new stores,
restaurants, entertainment — and
visitors! — as a result. The steel
bridge was powerwashed, and ongoing
updates include installing new
park benches and streetlights around
town, upgrading landscaping, and
adding copper mining artifacts and
McCaysville, Ga., and Copper hill,
Tenn., provide two states’ worth
of fun, food, shopping and history —
all in one adventure-packed corner
of the mountains. Whether you’re
traveling by road, rail or river, the
Copper Basin is a great place to
spend the day exploring.
Originally home to the Cherokee,
the two rivers here still bear Native
American names: Toccoa (meaning
“beautiful”) and Ocoee (“apricot
vines”). The historic steel truss bridge,
built in 1911, marks the spot where
the gentle-flowing Toccoa becomes
the whitewater powerhouse Ocoee as
it flows northward from Georgia into
Tenn essee. It also joins the two cities
of McCaysville and Copperhill.
Take a trip across
A blue line divides GA & TN.
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