The stars of Lady Antebellum share their favorite Georgia destinations

Since 2006, the year Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott came together to form Lady Antebellum, the group has dominated the country charts, garnered a trove of recording-industry and fan-favorite awards (including six Grammys) and gained an international following of fans. And while their spirited songwriting and heart-felt harmonies have won them worldwide acclaim, the trio continue to hold fast to their hometown roots. For bandmates Charles and Dave, those roots run deep in their East Georgia boyhood home of Evans, just outside Augusta.

Last October, just weeks after the release of their third album, Own the Night, Lady Antebellum returned to Evans for a very special performance, which heralded the opening of the Lady Antebellum Amphitheatre. The 5,000-seat Columbia County venue is the focal point of the new Evans Towne Center Park, and the group donated proceeds from ticket sales to the John W. Kelley, M.D., Cardiovascular Endowment. (Dr. Kelley, a cardiologist and surgeon from Augusta, is Charles’s father.)

Says Dave, "Twenty years later, I hope people will talk about us and say, 'They were just genuine people who made genuine music based upon their life experiences.'" It’s that combination of honesty, humility, talent and heart that endear Lady Antebellum to their fans—and inspire so much pride in the home-state crowd.
>> Read our Q&A with Lady Antebellum