Our Town: Murray County
MURRAY COUNTY, Ga. (WDEF) — Murray County: the first thing you’ll notice when you arrive is the breathtaking views. But the county is also full of talented people.
“As far as our God-given tourism spots, Fort Mountain … the mountains are beautiful here. It’s our backdrop to Chatsworth and Murray,” said Barry Gentry, President and CEO of the Murray County Chamber of Commerce.
Fort Mountain sits just east of Chatsworth. It’s part of the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains.
“There’s about a million visitors a year to Fort Mountain,” Gentry added.
Many of those visitors will make stops in Murray County, especially in Chatsworth and Eton. And when stopping by, there are some new places to check out.
“We’re really excited about new businesses popping up,” Gentry said.
One of those businesses is the Broken Horseshoe Vineyard.
“We are officially a farm winery. We grow most of the things that we actually share on the bar here,” said co-owner of Broken Horseshoe Vineyard, Charles Carroll.
This local business has only been open since July 15, 2023. They host events such as yoga nights, paint and sips, and even a Halloween party.
“We’ve had a lot of people come in that say, ‘I don’t drink wine. I don’t know anything about wine.’ But they will taste his samples and they will say, ‘oh I love this,'” said Terri Carroll, co-owner of Broken Horseshoe Vineyard.
Locals say there are plenty of other spots to check out as well.
“Including an outfitter store, a ninja hibachi restaurant, which is my favorite, and there’s an Italian restaurant moving down here. And there’s a salad shop. A boutique. And it’s growing really, really fast. And it’s time,” Gentry explained.
“It’s just one of them untouched gems over here, and there’s so many hiking trails and stuff that people could come and enjoy,” said Charles Carroll.
One place for visitors to check out is the Chattahoochee National Forest. Besides Fort Mountain, there are other hiking trails as well.
The forest also has OHV trails for off-roading, and Carter’s Lake sits at the southern end of the county.
In addition, the North Georgia Speedway is also located in Murray County.
“People on the way to Knoxville for UT games, or whatever, they’re passing through our county. And we want to do everything we can to entice them to stop and rest a while,” Gentry said.
Though it seems more likely that tourists will stop by on their way to Athens. That’s because Murray County is home to University of Georgia wide receiver, Ladd McConkey.
McConkey went to North Murray High School, in Chatsworth. There, he played multiple sports.
He may be most known for being wide receiver for UGA, but in high school he also played as quarterback, running back, defensive back and returner.
That was one notable aspect of his recognition at his high school on October 20. During halftime, the school retired his high school jersey. They also named a road after him and changed the speed limit signs to include his number 15 high school jersey.
“As we retire Ladd’s jersey, we immortalize a legacy of a young man who has made our school, our community and our hearts proud,” the announcer stated.
We even got to speak with McConkey about what this recognition meant to him.
“I mean, this is home. This is where I’ve spent, I guess 18 years of my life. So, my whole family’s here. All my friends are here. It feels good to come back and see everybody,” said McConkey.
As he walked onto the field, the crowd got to hear various play calls of McConkey’s notable plays at UGA. “He may go! Ladd McConkey! Touchdown Georgia!”
McConkey also said, “I played football, basketball here. So, I have a lot of great memories. It’s a great place. No place I’d rather have been.”
The locals take pride in knowing McConkey is from their hometown. While touring Murray County, we spotted many people who were sporting his Georgia jersey.
The University of Florida’s football head coach is also from Murray County. Billy Napier grew up in Chatsworth, Georgia and graduated from Murray County High School in 1998.
Aside from football, the county’s talent was shown off at their annual Black Bear Festival, which took place October 21 to 22.
“We have over 130 vendors this year. I think that’s the largest so far,” Gentry explained.
The festival included plenty of food, crafts, inflatables, axe throwing and even a mechanical bull.
It also featured live music, including one Chatsworth native named Josh Young.
“There’s just so much to see. It’s just a short trip from Chattanooga, or wherever you are. Just hurry to Murray,” Gentry concluded.
