Once FIFA World Cup 2026™ fans have seen Atlanta, an easy road trip beyond the capital will reveal a whole different side of Georgia. From the folklore and forests of its mountains to the rich heritage of its coastal cities and islands, you’ll find spectacular scenery and surprises within just a few hours’ drive. Small towns in the state’s heartland are renowned for their hospitality, and river settlements to the south seduce visitors with history, adventure, and memorable meals. So set your car on cruise and hit the road. There’s a whole lot of Georgia out there waiting for you.
Map by Jasmijn Evans
If you’re in the moods for mood for mountains
Head to the hills for some of the state’s most breathtaking landscapes and plenty of outdoor fun, including river tubing, hiking, fly fishing, and mountain biking. Or, take it easy at scenic wineries, folk museums, and art galleries. Whatever your choice, keep your eyes open: You might just catch a glimpse of Bigfoot!
Photograph by Fannin County Chamber of Commerce
Photograph by Folk Pottery Museum of Northern Georgia
You have to see Helen to believe it: The highlands town looks like a Bavarian village, complete with German-inspired architecture, shops, and restaurants. Order a homemade pretzel or a schnitzel, and you’ll swear you’re in the Black Forest. Hop into a tube and drift through town along the Chattahoochee River—an outfitter runs buses to bring you back to the starting point. A few miles away, the Sautee-Nacoochee Center offers a deep dive into local culture. It’s home to the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, where you can learn about the area’s beloved craft traditions and pick up a souvenir mug or hand-thrown vase. Afterward, drop in to 1872 Old Sautee Store, a general-store museum that sells old-timey snacks (think shortbread bites and rock candy).
Dahlonega has lured fortune-seekers since 1828, when it became the site of America’s first gold rush, attracting as many as 15,000 prospectors decades before California’s boom. Today, you can visit an underground mine, pan for gold, and learn about the glittering history at the Gold Museum. But the coveted mineral isn’t the only sparkling treasure to be found here. The town is also the hub of North Georgia’s wine industry, with a dozen tasting rooms and wineries in the area showcasing a number of varietals. The Dahlonega Plateau is even recognized as a designated American Viticultural Area.
Take a trip up Apple Alley (Georgia Highway 52) to Ellijay, the state’s self-proclaimed Apple Capital, with orchards and farmstands offering fruit, baked goods, and cider. The region also calls itself the state’s Mountain Bike Capital, thanks to its miles of trails. But as you’re out exploring, be on the lookout: This is Sasquatch country, and Bigfoot has been spotted in these parts. Drop into Expedition: Bigfoot! to learn about sightings of this legendary creature in the sometimes-spooky North Georgia woods.
Photograph by Explore Georgia
In Blue Ridge, anglers come to fly fish in the Toccoa River and Rock Creek. Others choose the area for its natural beauty, easily admired on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, which takes riders from a vintage depot into the mountains. But even if you never leave the charming town, there’s plenty to keep you busy. Browse Pezrok for home decor fashioned from minerals, fossils, and gems, or peek into Oyster Fine Bamboo Fly Rods to admire its handcrafted fishing gear.
Photograph by Explore Georgia
Plus: Drink in the drama of Georgia’s tallest cascading waterfall at Amicalola Falls State Park. The 729-foot cascade is easy to access: There’s parking at both the base and the top. For a greater challenge, hit the eight-mile uphill trail to Springer Mountain, the southern start of the Appalachian Trail, which stretches all the way to Maine.
Map by Jasmijn Evans
If you’re ready to cruise the coast
Georgia’s seaside towns offer a beguiling mix of history and charm. Although this area was the first part of the state to be settled, some sections still feel undiscovered, with secluded stretches of beaches and several uninhabited islands. Come here to connect with the past—and to unwind.
Photograph by Explore Georgia
Photograph by Hotel Bardo
A national treasure, Savannah’s historic district and 22 squares offer countless hours of wandering and discovery. Find your way to the Plant Riverside District with its many restaurants, bars, shops, galleries, and music venues. Excellent places to stay include Hotel Bardo, which transformed the Mansion on Forsyth Park into an urban resort, and the Municipal Grand, a midcentury bank reborn as a luxury property. Stop by the Lavender Rooftop Kitchen & Bar, a Mediterranean-inspired rooftop eatery at the new AC Hotel.
Once Georgia’s second-largest city, the port town of Darien is now known for its rich history and natural beauty. Start at Fort King George Historic Site, the southernmost outpost of the British Empire in North America. At nearby Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation, you’ll confront the brutal history of slavery on a rice plantation. Ecotours on the Altamaha River take you past live oak trees dripping with Spanish moss and into backwater swamps. Wrap up your visit with dinner at Skippers’ Fish Camp on the banks of the Darien River, where you can sample local shrimp, crab, and oysters as the sun sets.
Photograph by goldenisles.com
Photograph by GA State Parks
Once the playground of America’s Gilded Age tycoons, Jekyll Island embraces its heritage. Landmark Trolley Tours offers leisurely rides through the 240-acre historic district and includes admission to the Mosaic museum, an engaging interactive gallery built in 19th-century stables. You’ll even find history on the greens: The island, which first attracted golfers more than a century ago, recently restored a 1927 nine-hole course to create the 18-hole Great Dunes Golf Course. Toast your visit at the Wharf on historic Jekyll Pier, offering cocktails, craft beer, and a full menu of fresh, local seafood.
The jumping-off point for the Cumberland Island ferry, St. Marys is worth a visit itself. Its Submarine Museum engages visitors with interactive exhibits and artifacts, including a 40-foot periscope that lets you peek around town and out to the St. Marys River. With its location near the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, it attracts knowledgeable docents eager to share stories about “the silent force.”
Photograph by GA State Parks
Plus: Reachable only by ferry, state-protected Sapelo Island is home to the Hog Hammock community, a rare outpost of Gullah Geechee people—descendants of enslaved Africans who have preserved their language and culture. Come to explore pristine beaches, hike, kayak, and fish. If you want to overnight, groups are welcome at Reynolds Mansion.
Map by Jasmijn Evans
If you’d like to head to the heartland
A journey to the state’s center takes in college towns and grand antebellum mansions. You’ll learn about the region’s creativity with museums and tours dedicated to local musicians and writers who found global fame. You’ll also find inspiring natural sites, including sprawling gardens and parks.
Photograph by Explore Georgia
Visit Athens GA
Start your journey heading northeast from Atlanta to Athens. Home to the University of Georgia, this is the state’s quintessential college town, which helped launch some of the country’s biggest bands. Take a Music History Walking Tour and follow in the footsteps of performers like the B-52s, R.E.M., Widespread Panic, and the Drive-By Truckers. You’ll probably be humming their tunes later when you hike the trails lacing the State Botanical Garden, home to native plants and an international garden with displays from the Mediterranean, Latin America, and China. After, steer your way over to Creature Comforts Brewing, which operates out of a converted 1940s Chevrolet dealership and recently opened a downtown distillery, Cura. For dinner, try Pretty Boy, where a former Top Chef contestant, Kenny Nguyen, serves bold takes on Vietnamese classics.
Photograph by Georgia Safari Conservation Park
Picture-perfect Madison feels like an idyllic small-town movie set. You can visit stunningly preserved historic homes like Heritage Hall, a Greek Revival residence built in 1811. There’s also Rose Cottage, constructed by a formerly enslaved woman who purchased the land and designed the modest home in 1891 for her family. Stop for a meal in the cozy town square; the Dining Room pays homage to a beloved restaurant with the same name that acclaimed chef Günter Seeger once ran at the former Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. Call it a night at the Georgia Safari Conservation Park, where you can book a suite in the giraffe barn or a classic safari tent.
You’re on Southern literary holy ground in Milledgeville, home to writer Flannery O’Connor’s Andalusia Farm, where new displays include the comedic author’s recently discovered artwork. Once Georgia’s state capital, the small town cherishes its Old Governor’s Mansion, a 1839 landmark considered one of the country’s best examples of Greek Revival architecture (it’s also an anchor for the charming antebellum Historic District). See more at Lockerly Arboretum, where lovely gardens and hiking trails surround elegant Rose Hill mansion. Fuel up at Kai Thai, a pan-Asian eatery with sushi, noodles, and curries; or try Greene’s Southern Kitchen, a modern meat-and-three with produce-forward offerings alongside Southern favorites like mac and cheese, collards, and fried chicken.
Music’s in the air in Macon, home to the Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House, which served as the rockers’ home and headquarters in the early ’70s. The Otis Redding Museum honors the soul singer’s legendary career, as do tours at Capricorn Sound Studios, which he cofounded. Learn more about the region’s rich history at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, where indigenous tribes lived for 10,000 years. (The site is awaiting approval to become America’s next national park.)
Plus: Make a literary detour to Eatonton. Take the Alice Walker driving tour, seeing the writer’s birthplace, home, church, and school—sites that inspired her Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, The Color Purple. Then stop by the Georgia Writers Museum where interactive exhibits honor the contributions of Walker, Flannery O’Connor, and journalist Joel Chandler Harris, known for his “Br’er Rabbit” tales. You’ll learn more about those tales at the Uncle Remus Museum; made from preserved slave cabins, it focuses on African American oral folk traditions.
Map by Jasmijn Evans
If you’re ready to relax on southern rivers
Travel south of Atlanta, and you’ll discover enchanting small towns and cities that shaped U.S. history from the Civil War to the civil rights movement. Rafters, hikers, and bird-watchers will also find plenty to do, as will those who love exploring surprising museums and landmark homes.
Photograph by Explore Georgia
Photograph by Explore Georgia
Splash into Columbus, home to the nation’s longest urban whitewater course, which turns the Chattahoochee River into a 2.5-mile playground. (You can also cross the rapids on a zip line or just enjoy the views from the Riverwalk.) See Confederate warships at the National Civil War Naval Museum and learn about the lives of U.S. Army soldiers at the immersive National Infantry Museum. Meanwhile, the eight Columbus Collective Museums focus on everything from peanuts to cars—one museum is dedicated entirely to lunchboxes, a pop-culture favorite. And the Columbus Museum puts Southern art front and center, including standout works by African American artists.
Toast your trip in Americus, home to Georgia’s oldest operating distillery, 13th Colony, known for its cask-strength bourbons. The city is beloved for its glass blowing: Stop by Hot Glass Academy for workshops and demonstrations, or take in an exhibit at the Gallery at Mobile Glassblowing Studios, where you can purchase a piece of glass art. Be sure to spend the night at the Windsor Hotel, a five-story Victorian confection with a three-story interior atrium.
Photograph by Explore Georgia
You’ll be mesmerized by the Blue Hole Spring at Albany’s Flint RiverQuarium. The 175,000-gallon, 22-foot tank teems with 120 kinds of fish, turtles, even alligators. From Albany’s natural wonders, turn to its cultural ones at Ray Charles Plaza, where a bronze statue of the famed soul singer sits at a piano as speakers serenade the city where he was born with his songs. Continue your visit at the Albany Civil Rights Museum, which recounts Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s protest campaign to bring reforms to the city. Finally, plan a stop at Pretoria Fields Collective, a farm brewery using organic barley, wheat, rye, and hops.
Keep heading south to reach Thomasville, a gem of a city that found fame as a Gilded Age resort. Check out Pebble Hill Plantation, an antebellum mansion that became a hunting lodge, and nearby Lapham-Patterson House, a whimsical 19-room “cottage,” now open for tours. At Birdsong Nature Center, enjoy 565 acres of wildflower meadows, forests, and swamps, and look out for northern cardinals, Carolina chickadees, and Eastern bluebirds. Whatever you do, don’t skip the postcard-perfect downtown. Stop at Firefly for stylish jewelry and home goods and pop into Sweet Grass Cheese Shop to sample the popular Green Hill soft-ripened cheese. Grab a bite at places like Empire Bagel, where you can get a pimento-cheese schmear on your New York–style bagel; and Jonah’s Fish & Grits, with some of the state’s best seafood.
Photograph by Explore Georgia
Plus: Don’t miss Plains, the beloved hometown of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Pay your respects at their burial site in a new memorial garden designed by Mrs. Carter, then visit the Carter Boyhood Farm. Make sure to hit Main Street, home to Plain Peanuts, famous for its soft-serve peanut ice cream.
