Where To Eat › Barbecue › Barbecue Road Trips
Short answer: Two one-day barbecue drives: a mountains loop from Atlanta through Jasper, East Ellijay and Dahlonega, and a shorter Middle Georgia day from Macon to Gray and Jackson for pit pork and Brunswick stew. Road times come from OpenStreetMap routing; days open come from each place’s own site. The mountains day works Wednesday to Sunday; the Middle Georgia day works any day.
- 2Road tripsone day each
- 9Stopsall pinned on the map
- Wed-SunMountains daywhen both main stops are open
- 10:00Start timeour planning estimate (first trip)
How we checked: each stop’s own website for its address and days open. All read on November 4, 2026. Hours, prices and dates change, so confirm with the place or organizer before you drive. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. Road times between stops come from OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), with no live traffic, closures or construction. Time at each stop, Essential or Optional, and arrival times are our own planning estimates. We rank nothing: no source we used ranks these places, and we did not taste, rate or compare them. Nobody paid to be listed.
North Georgia Mountains Barbecue Day From Atlanta
A loop into the mountains with three smokehouses, each lunch-sized: share a plate, then drive on. Go Wednesday to Sunday: BBQ-1 in Jasper is closed Monday and North Georgia BBQ is closed Monday and Tuesday, per their own sites.
Jasper, East Ellijay and Dahlonega
Day at a glance: about 120 min at stops plus 234 min on the road, 5 h 54 min in all, done about 3:54 p.m. (our estimate from a 10:00 start).
- Stop 1: Georgia State Capitol (start and finish)10:00 a.m. arrival (our estimate)First stop. A public landmark used only as a start point in downtown Atlanta. Start whenever suits; arrival times move with it.
- Stop 2: BBQ-1 (Sam’s BBQ-1, Jasper)11:04 a.m. arrival (our estimate)64 min, 54.6 mi by road from the last stop. About 45 min here, Essential (our estimate). 3958 Refuge Road, Jasper. Open Tuesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Monday, per its site, which also lists a $10 lunch special from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The map pin is on the road, not the door Not confirmed
- Stop 3: Col. Poole’s Bar-B-Q12:19 p.m. arrival (our estimate)30 min, 23.0 mi by road from the last stop. About 30 min here, Optional (our estimate). 164 Craig Street, East Ellijay. Its site prints no days or hours today Not confirmed Its online-ordering page showed it open on Wednesday, November 4, until 2:30 p.m. Call (706) 635-4100 before you count on this stop.
- Stop 4: North Georgia BBQ (Dahlonega)1:45 p.m. arrival (our estimate)56 min, 38.5 mi by road from the last stop. About 45 min here, Essential (our estimate). 59 East Main Street, Suite 2, on the Dahlonega square. Open Wednesday to Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday, per its site.
- Stop 5: Georgia State Capitol (finish)3:54 p.m. arrival (our estimate)84 min, 65.6 mi by road from the last stop. A public landmark used only as a start point in downtown Atlanta. Start whenever suits; arrival times move with it.
If it is Monday or Tuesday: North Georgia BBQ is closed both days and BBQ-1 Jasper on Monday, so pick another day. If Col. Poole’s is closed: go straight from Jasper to Dahlonega. Dogs and kids: none of these sites says whether dogs are allowed on patios Not confirmed; plan for kids to eat at a table. Places sell out at times; check each place’s own site the morning you go.
Middle Georgia Pit and Brunswick Stew Day From Macon
A shorter day north of Macon to two long-running pit houses that serve Brunswick stew beside the pork. Both list every day of the week on their own sites, so this works any day; Old Clinton closes at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Gray and Jackson
Day at a glance: about 105 min at stops plus 132 min on the road, 3 h 57 min in all, done about 2:57 p.m. (our estimate from a 11:00 start).
- Stop 1: Macon City Hall (start and finish)11:00 a.m. arrival (our estimate)First stop. 700 Poplar St., downtown Macon, used only as a start point. Start whenever suits; arrival times move with it.
- Stop 2: Old Clinton Bar-B-Q11:18 a.m. arrival (our estimate)18 min, 12.3 mi by road from the last stop. About 45 min here, Essential (our estimate). 4214 Gray Highway, Gray. Open Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., per its site, which calls it a fixture in Gray for decades and mentions a signature tangy sauce.
- Stop 3: Fresh Air Bar-B-Que (Jackson)12:58 p.m. arrival (our estimate)55 min, 38.7 mi by road from the last stop. About 60 min here, Essential (our estimate). 1164 Highway 42 South, Jackson. Its Jackson page lists Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; its home page prints 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day Not confirmed The site says it has been in continuous operation since 1929 and describes a tangy tomato and vinegar sauce.
- Stop 4: Macon City Hall (finish)2:57 p.m. arrival (our estimate)59 min, 40.7 mi by road from the last stop. 700 Poplar St., downtown Macon, used only as a start point. Start whenever suits; arrival times move with it.
Big Pig Jig weekend: the Big Pig Jig grounds in Vienna are about an hour south of Macon on I-75; see our Big Pig Jig guide. Shorter version: Fresh Air also has a Macon location at 3076 Riverside Drive. Dogs and kids: neither site says whether dogs are allowed Not confirmed.
Map of Road Trip Stops
9 of 9 stops are pinned. Pins sit on the street address each place prints, placed by OpenStreetMap; they are not checked entrances or parking.
What We Could Not Confirm
- Time at each stop, Essential or Optional, and the arrival times: our planning estimates. Not confirmed
- Road times: OpenStreetMap routing, with no live traffic, closures or construction. Not confirmed
- Whether dogs are allowed on any patio: no stop’s site says. Not confirmed
- Col. Poole’s hours: not printed on its site. Not confirmed
- Fresh Air’s exact hours: its home page and Jackson page disagree. Not confirmed
- The BBQ-1 Jasper map pin: placed on Refuge Road, not on the building. Not confirmed
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the mountains barbecue day?
The “day at a glance” line under the plan adds our time-at-stop estimates to the computed road time, from a 10 a.m. start at the State Capitol. Dropping Col. Poole’s shortens it.
Can I do these on a Monday?
The Middle Georgia day, yes: Old Clinton and Fresh Air list Monday hours. The mountains day, no: BBQ-1 Jasper and North Georgia BBQ are closed Monday.
Where do the road times come from?
From OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), computed between each pair of stops when we built the page. They include no live traffic, closures or construction, so add time for Atlanta traffic.
More Barbecue Pages
Sources
- OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), read November 4, 2026 (road times, no live traffic)
- New Georgia Encyclopedia, Barbecue (Timothy W. Patridge), read November 4, 2026 (meat, cooking method, sauce by region, sides)
- BBQ-1, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Col. Poole’s Bar-B-Q, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- North Georgia BBQ, Dahlonega, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Old Clinton Bar-B-Q, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
- Fresh Air Bar-B-Que, read November 4, 2026 (address and days open)
How we check: editorial standards. Spot a mistake or a closure? Tell us.
Cite this page: It's Georgia, “Georgia Barbecue Road Trips”, itsgeorgia.com/barbecue/road-trips/ (updated ). Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page.