Lake townsGeorgia2026
Georgia Lake Towns
Blue Ridge, Morganton and Hiawassee were the most booked of the 8 lake towns in Georgia on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 48,897, 10,607 and 7,274 stays. October is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 3.8 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Among the 5 towns with 200+ homes
- Most booked of these 5
- Blue Ridge 48,897 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 5
- Eatonton $49,409 a year
- Lowest nightly rate of these 5
- Hiawassee $291 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 5
- Gainesville 4.9 nights
Ranking
Georgia Lake Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the lake towns in Georgia with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Blue Ridge | 48,897 | $393 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Morganton | 10,607 | $372 |
| 3 | Hiawassee | 7,274 | $291 |
| 4 | Gainesville | 6,136 | $368 |
| 5 | Clayton | 5,280 | $275 |
| 6 | Eatonton | 5,032 | $537 |
| 7 | Buford | 2,701 | $281 |
| 8 | Hartwell | 2,472 | $305 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5.
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
4 of 8 are busiest in October. Gainesville, Eatonton and Hartwell peak in July, and Buford in June. Among guests who left a review, Atlanta is the top home city in all 8. Houses are the largest home type in 6 of the 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Blue Ridge
Of the 5 lake towns in Georgia with 200 or more homes, Blue Ridge had the most Airbnb homes, at 1,523, in the 12 months to October 2026. Cabins, campers and other outdoor stays were the largest home type in Blue Ridge, at 82% of homes.
- Morganton
In the 12 months to October 2026, cabins, campers and other outdoor stays were the largest home type in Morganton, Georgia, at 75% of homes.
- Hiawassee
Of the 5 lake towns in Georgia with 200 or more homes, Hiawassee had the lowest nightly rate, at $291, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 4Gainesville
Of the 5 lake towns in Georgia with 200 or more homes, Gainesville had the longest typical stay, at 4.9 nights, and had the highest occupancy, at 43%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 6Eatonton
Of the 5 lake towns in Georgia with 200 or more homes, Eatonton had the biggest share of homes that sleep 8 or more, at 71%, and had the highest nightly rate, at $537, in the 12 months to October 2026.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
October, July and November rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the lake towns in Georgia, and February and January as the quietest. October is the busiest month in 4 of the 8, while Gainesville and Eatonton peak in July, and Buford in June. Across the 8 towns, nightly rates run lowest in September, at about $340, and highest in December, at about $398. Across the 8 towns, stays run longest in July, at 4.7 nights, and shortest in September, at 3.2 nights.
October ranks first, January last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October | 3.4 nights | $387 |
| 2 | July | 4.7 nights | $389 |
| 3 | November | 3.7 nights | $386 |
| 4 | June | 4.3 nights | $386 |
| 5 | December | 3.9 nights | $398 |
| 6 | September | 3.2 nights | $340 |
| 7 | March | 3.8 nights | $356 |
| 8 | August | 4.0 nights | $341 |
| 9 | May | 3.8 nights | $361 |
| 10 | April | 3.7 nights | $349 |
| 11 | February | 3.3 nights | $352 |
| 12 | January | 3.4 nights | $363 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 98.1% come from within the United States. The top home cities among those guests are Atlanta, Tampa and Marietta. Gainesville draws the most from abroad, at 3.3%, among towns with 200 or more homes.
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
98.1% from within the United States
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 5 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Eatonton has the highest estimated revenue per home, at $49,409 a year. Of those 5, Gainesville has the highest occupancy, at 43%, and Hiawassee has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at $291. The most booked of the 8, Blue Ridge, earns about $49,016 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 5
A year, AirROI estimate
- Eatonton $49,409
- Blue Ridge $49,016
- Gainesville $42,219
- Morganton $41,726
- Hiawassee $30,320
Highest occupancy of these 5
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Gainesville 43%
- Blue Ridge 40%
- Morganton 36%
- Hiawassee 35%
- Eatonton 32%
Lowest nightly rate of these 5
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- Hiawassee $291
- Gainesville $368
- Morganton $372
- Blue Ridge $393
- Eatonton $537
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular lake town in Georgia?
By AirROI's estimates, Blue Ridge is the most booked of the 8 lake towns in Georgia, with 48,897 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Morganton is second, with 10,607. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable lake town in Georgia?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among lake towns in Georgia with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Hiawassee ($291), Gainesville ($368) and Morganton ($372). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small lake towns in Georgia?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 8 lake towns it lists in Georgia are Hartwell (112), Buford (147) and Clayton (193). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What lake towns in Georgia offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among lake towns in Georgia with 200 or more homes, the highest are Eatonton ($49,409), Blue Ridge ($49,016) and Gainesville ($42,219). Among the same towns, Gainesville has the highest occupancy, at 43%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on the shore of a lake or large reservoir, and the lake has to be a main reason to come. The town's own listings can back that up, with 35% of its homes listing lake access, or 25% of its titles naming the lake with 10% of homes listing it. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 210,779 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.