Georgia

The US state of Georgia, not to be confused with the country in the Caucasus, stretches from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the salt marshes along the Atlantic. A vacation in Georgia combines the big city of Atlanta with oak-lined avenues draped in Spanish moss, antebellum homes, and secluded barrier islands. Martin Luther King Jr. was born here, and this is where "Gone with the Wind" is set.

Landscape and Location

In the north, the southernmost ridges of the Appalachians rise up; the Appalachian Trail begins at Springer Mountain and runs more than 2,100 miles (3,500 km) all the way to Maine. Waterfalls such as Amicalola Falls and Tallulah Gorge are popular day-trip destinations. To the south lies the rolling Piedmont, home to Atlanta, Athens, and Augusta, followed by the broad coastal plain with pine forests and peanut and cotton fields. On the Florida border lies the Okefenokee Swamp, one of the largest freshwater wetlands in North America. The coastline is short but sheltered by numerous islands known as the Golden Isles.

Atlanta and the Cities

Atlanta is the economic hub of the Southeast, home to Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, and host of the 1996 Olympic Games. The World of Coca-Cola, the huge Georgia Aquarium, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights are all close together at Centennial Olympic Park. The Atlanta BeltLine, a bike and walking path on a former rail corridor, connects neighborhoods such as Inman Park and Old Fourth Ward. The metro area includes Marietta, with its historic square, and Sandy Springs. Athens is a college town and the breeding ground of music acts such as R.E.M. and the B-52's. Augusta is world-famous for the Masters golf tournament, Macon for its Cherry Blossom Festival in March, and Columbus on the Chattahoochee offers whitewater rafting right in the middle of the city.

Sights in Georgia

Savannah is one of the most beautiful destinations in Georgia: the historic district is laid out around 22 green squares, shaded by live oaks and lined with homes from the 18th and 19th centuries. On River Street, visitors stroll past old cotton warehouses. Offshore, Tybee Island, Jekyll Island with its former Millionaires' Club, and Cumberland Island with its wild horses and ruins of old mansions beckon. East of Atlanta, Stone Mountain features an enormous relief carving of Confederate leaders, which is now the subject of controversy. At Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, you can visit the birth home and Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King preached.

History and Culture

Georgia was founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe as the last of the 13 British colonies, with Savannah as its first city. Cotton was grown on plantations using slave labor, and in the Civil War General Sherman burned Atlanta in 1864 and marched on to the sea at Savannah. In the 20th century, Atlanta became a center of the civil rights movement. Today, a strong African American culture, gospel, hip-hop, and a growing film and television industry shape life here. On the coast, Gullah Geechee culture lives on, preserving West African traditions, for example on Sapelo Island, where a small community still practices basket weaving, singing, and its own Creole language.

Food and Drink

Georgia calls itself the "Peach State," but pecans and peanuts, harvested here in enormous quantities, are just as important. Vidalia onions are so mild that some people eat them like apples. Southern cooking includes fried chicken, shrimp and grits, collard greens, and peach cobbler. In Savannah, you can get Lowcountry boil with shrimp, corn, and sausage, and Atlanta has one of the most exciting restaurant scenes in the South, from soul food spots to the Vietnamese and Korean restaurants along Buford Highway.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is one of the busiest in the world, with numerous connections to Europe. Savannah is served mainly by domestic flights within the US. For trips to the mountains and the coast, you'll need a rental car. The best time to visit is spring, when azaleas and dogwoods bloom, and fall. Summers are long, hot, and humid; on the coast there is some risk of hurricanes from June through November.