From left: Richard Rhodes, interpretive naturalist in the Okefenokee, Mike and Jan Miller, caretakers for Calhoun Rock Garden, Scott and Sheila Granger, owners of Squatch-Fishing Outfitters

Photographs by David Walter Banks and John E. McDonald

How to explore Georgia like an expert

Insider tips for 6 destinations

We may call it vacation, but they call it home. For these insiders, Georgia’s most beautiful and memorable travel destinations are also where they work and live, and they know these spots better than anyone. From paddling the Okefenokee Swamp to searching for Sasquatch in the North Georgia mountains, these adventures are best enjoyed when led by the greatest guides around.

So for this travel issue, we asked them to weigh in. Here, Georgia’s adventure insiders share some—but not all—of their secrets, to help you make the most of your next trip across the state. Find out when to go, where to find the best eats nearby, and what’s not to miss during your visit.

Read on, and get out there.

By Rachel Garbus and Xavier Stevens

Vyvyan Hughes and Craig Weido in front of a wall of neon signs

Atlanta’s The Neon Company, one of few surviving fabricators of neon signs in the U.S., is still going strong

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Mike and Jan Miller, Caretakers for Calhoun Rock Garden

The Calhoun Rock Garden’s caretakers share their insider tips

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Paris isn’t the only place to see the Notre-Dame. A little more than an hour’s drive north of Atlanta is a replica built with rocks. It’s one of 50 miniature dwellings hidden behind a Seventh-day Adventist church in Calhoun. From models of famous landmarks like France’s cathedral to castles built entirely from imagination, Calhoun Rock Garden regularly attracts thousands of visitors a year.
JR Grovner, Tour Guide on Sapelo Island

A 10th-generation local shares insider tips for Sapelo Island

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Sapelo Island might just be the most peaceful place in Georgia. A two-hour drive south of Savannah, it has 24 residents, according to JR Grovner, a native who has been running Sapelo Island Tours since he was 12 years old. Grovner’s family has lived on the island for 10 generations, and Sapelo’s peace and quiet, with its idyllic, untouched beaches and diverse wildlife, has kept him enamored with it his whole life. 
Enocha Edenfield in a grey sweater with black skulls

A ghost tour leader shares insider tips for Savannah

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Savannah’s ghosts play a much larger role in Enocha Edenfield's life, as she’s the founder of Enocha Edenfield Tours. With so many history tours available in Savannah, it was important to Edenfield that hers stand out, with a mix of charm and fact-based storytelling. “I’m a history nerd with a paranormal problem,” she says. “Not every ghost tour is dedicated like mine are to historic accuracy and to constantly studying and updating things as we discover new things.”
Scott and Sheila Granger, Owners and Operators of Squatch-Fishing Outfitters

These Bigfoot believers share insider tips for searching in Georgia

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In 2018, Sheila Granger and her husband Scott Granger launched Squatch-Fishing Outfitters in Ellijay. From April to November, the Grangers’ Bigfoot expeditions bring a group of about 10 people into the Chattahoochee National Forest, where, for two nights of intensive observation, they traipse about with night-vision equipment, thermal cameras, and audio-recording devices.
Tracie Revis, director of advocacy for the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative

A cultural ambassador shares insider tips for Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park

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Tracie Revis is working to reconnect the Muscogee Creek Nation with the sacred Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park while leading efforts to expand the site into a national park that preserves both its cultural heritage and natural landscape.
Richard Rhodes, speaks into a microphone on the boat

A swamp storyteller shares insider tips for the Okefenokee

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In 2021, Richard Rhodes, interpretive naturalist, began to work at the Okefenokee Swamp to lend his expertise as a guide with Okefenokee Adventures. His job is to help visitors see beyond the alligators and appreciate the full wonder of the Okefenokee and the thousands of species that call it home. 
Atlanta Magazine March 2026 cover - Georgia on their Minds

Read our March 2026 issue

Atlanta Magazine
Since 1961, Atlanta magazine, the city’s premier general interest publication, has served as the authority on Atlanta, providing its readers with a mix of long-form nonfiction, lively lifestyle coverage, in-depth service journalism, and literary essays, columns, and profiles.

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