Whether you’re touching down with plans to explore exciting and buzzy Atlanta or you plan on seeing remnants of the Civil War, Georgia contains more than enough for several visits. Best explored by car, you can head to the coast or drive north to the mountains, take detours and stop in friendly towns for fine food and a hearty welcome.
Sweet Savannah
Hugging the east coast, Savannah is Georgia’s oldest city, as well as its prettiest and most endearing. Tree-lined streets, lovely squares, soaring oak trees, well-preserved antebellum mansions – it’s a city with a foot in the past.
Take time to explore gorgeous Forsyth Park with its famed fountain and stop for lunch at a place that specialises in traditional Georgian cuisine, or enjoy a true taste of the south by getting your fingers sticky with some BBQ. Mrs Wilkes’ Dining Room in the historic district is only open 11am-2pm every day but always has a queue for its home-cooked classics – fried chicken or meat loaf.
If the weather is good, take a short drive to the best nearby beach at Tybee Island. There’s an old lighthouse, piers to fish from, dolphin cruises and watersports. Alternatively enjoy one of the nearby hiking routes or simply relax on the beaches. You’ll find wonderful places to eat crab, oysters and other fresh seafood.
East of Atlanta
While there’s much to lure you into Atlanta, it’s also worth heading just over an hour or so east of ‘The ATL’ for the cool, laidback cultural city of Athens. The university here makes for a lively atmosphere with a thriving music and food scene. There’s culture galore too, with the Georgia Museum of Art, the State Botanical Garden and the Natural History Museum.
There’s also southern cuisine with a twist. At Home Made on Baxter Street you can find chicken beignets with hot sauce, beer battered cheese curds and gulf shrimp and grits. Desserts include a decadent bourbon crème brulee with brown butter and buttermilk pralines.
The Antebellum Trail
Athens is one of the numerous cities that make up the Antebellum Trail, one of the very best ways to immerse yourself in the Old South’s rich history. It covers 100 miles in all and takes in not just Athens but also Watkinsville, Madison, Eatonton, Milledgeville, Macon and Gray/Old Clinton.
You’ll see historic houses, covered bridges and museums that were once stagecoach stops. Venture on for farms, Governors’ mansions, plantation houses and sites of civil war battles. Stop to take information-packed guided tours or simply do it at your own pace.
A state with a proud history that sits alongside an exciting present and ambitious future, car hire in Georgia will give you the freedom to see the thriving cities and quiet backwaters, the pretty mountains and sparkling ocean in one of America’s most interesting states.