Labor Day weekend: Where can you enjoy BBQ feast, live music, waterfalls, hiking, horseback riding?

DILLARD, Ga. — Do you know what Labor Day honors? It’s a day set aside to recognize the American workforce and the contributions workers have made to the development of the United States.

Hopefully, you’re celebrating Labor Day and Labor Day weekend without doing any labor!

Instead, enjoy some great BBQ, live music, horseback riding, golf, and a trip to the North Georgia mountains.

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Things to see and do in Dillard For those looking for an experience to remember, look no further than Dillard. Splash down the Little Tennessee River on horseback with the Dillard House Stables... (Kurtis Miller Photography/City of Dillard)

“Rabun County is unique,” John Dillard Jr. from the Dillard House said. “It’s one of the only places you can go to in our country that has the Chattooga River. It has Lake Rabun, Lake Burton, Seed Lake. It also has three state parks.”

If you’re headed to North Georgia, don’t miss the Labor Day Sunday Cook-Out at the Dillard House.

Yes, there’s the famous Dillard House chicken, but some of the best BBQ in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the headliner here.

“My father, John Dillard, actually traveled the South and went to all the small towns and all the best BBQ places he heard about, and actually studied it, and learned what the best process was,” Dillard Jr. said. “And he took that and built an open pit and we still have that today.”

The Labor Day Sunday Cook-Out at the Dillard House will feature all the fixings for a feast, including macaroni and cheese, baked beans, corn on the cob, potato salad, and more.

Hunter Grayson provides live music from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Spend the night or even the whole weekend and enjoy some time away.

“We have anything from a standard room to suites (at the Dillard House),” Natalie Dillard said. “We have 25 houses, but the special thing is all of our rooms have a mountain view, rocking chairs, (views of) horses. It just gives families a chance to relax, unwind and really just disconnect from things.”

Disconnect from the phone but connect with some serious fun. There’s horseback riding on the Dillard House grounds, fishing, ziplining, shopping, and more in the surrounding area.

If you can’t make it for Labor Day weekend, with school back in session, the crowds have disappeared. Visitors will have all the outdoor adventures to themselves.

And don’t forget, leaf-peeping season is just around the corner. Travel experts suggest booking a room well in advance to avoid the “no vacancy” sign.

But if you can make it for Labor Day weekend, remember this.

“It is always 10 degrees cooler and there’s always a breeze (in the mountains),” Natalie Dillard said.

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