A taste of the Peach State: Your full travel guide to Georgia, USA

How to get to and around Georgia

Getting there: 
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport sees regular flights from the UK. Delta, Virgin, and British Airways all offer non-stop flights from the UK to Georgia.

Public transportation: 

In Georgia’s larger cities, public transport is the best way to get around. In Atlanta, the MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) operates buses and trains ($2.50/trip or around $9/day for unlimited rides), plus streetcars ($3/day unlimited rides). In Savannah, the DOT is a fare-free service to help visitors get around downtown. Shuttles operate every 10 minutes and serve 24 stops in the Historic District. The Savannah Belles Ferry is another way to get around the city as is The CAT which offers 15 fixed bus routes in Savannah and Chatham County. While in the Historic District, don't miss a chance to go on a Savannah trolley tour to listen to stories of the area and learn of its past while on board. 

Exploring Georgia: 
The best way to explore Georgia is by rental car. Rentals are available at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and in major cities. A fly-drive is a great option and allows you the freedom to go where you want, when you want. Taxis and rideshare services like Uber serve most cities and towns. Those who prefer to explore on two wheels should head to bike-friendly coastal resorts such as Jekyll Island and Savannah. You can also join in with a bike tour along the Atlanta BeltLine. 

If you only do three things

1. Visit the North Georgia mountains

Where better to start your Georgia adventure than in the sprawling North Georgia mountains? The Blue Ridge Mountains are packed with places to play. Go fly fishing on trophy trout streams, head downhill on a heart-racing mountain bike run, take on the first few miles of the storied Appalachian Trail, or just while away the hours at one of the vineyards in Georgia’s wine country. Make the most of the sunny skies and head to towns such as Dahlonega, Ellijay, Blue Ridge, and Helen, where you can blend your daily dose of nature with Southern hospitality and unexpected touches of luxury at spas, chic restaurants, and B&B’s. 

Also catnip for adventurers is Tallulah Gorge State Park in North Georgia where you can kayak, brave the suspension bridge and gaze out at the park's namesake, Tallulah Gorge, one of the most dramatic canyons in the whole of the eastern USA at over 300m deep. 

2. Explore the Georgia coast

From Savannah to Cumberland Island, Georgia has 160 kilometres of coastline to discover. Soak up Savannah's southern charm by gazing at its architecture, strolling its historic squares, sampling the vibrant culinary scene and learning about its impressive film heritage. 

Tybee Island is home to Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse – the 44.2 m Tybee Island Light Station, dating to 1736 – and you can climb 178 steps to the top for a seldom-seen view of the coast. The Gullah-Geechee community on Sapelo Island has kept West African foodways, folkways and dialects alive for more than two centuries. Blending serene nature and seaside luxury, the Golden Isles are home to five-star hotels, exclusive eco-resorts, clubs that were the playground of Gilded Age magnates such as the Rockefellers and J. P. Morgan, and natural wonders including Driftwood Beach where a skeletal forest stands sentinel in the surf. On Cumberland Island, feral horses roam among the ruins and remains of the Carnegie family’s southern estate.

3. Explore the Peach State's small towns and cities

The best of Georgia can be found in its small towns, from the barrier islands to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and whether you travel for the history, the food, or the scenery, you’ll find towns that epitomise Southern Hospitality. Visit Darien, a city located along the Georgia Atlantic Coast and Altamaha Scenic Byway. It offers striking views across an important tidal estuary, is where the term ‘Golden Isles’ was coined, and here, Fort King George Historic Sites preserves the British Empire’s southernmost outpost in the colonies. Grab a bite at a fish house overlooking the Altamaha River where you can look for the Altamaha-ha, a sea monster rumoured to live here, forever memorialised in the novel River of Kings by Georgia’s own Taylor Brown.

An hour's drive from Atlanta in Morgan County is Madison, often called the 'South's Prettiest Town'. The town holds one of the state’s largest National Register of Historic Districts packed with homes that are the picture of traditional Southern architecture. From Madison, it's an hour's drive to Washington-Wilkes, another town bursting with history. The Washington Historical Museum gives a great insight into the town's history.

Further north, visit the old Consolidated Gold Mine in Dahlonega where the USA's first significant gold rush took place in 1828. Take a guided tour of the original tunnels to hear the fascinating stories about the accidental discovery of the gold and the thousands that rushed here to find their fortunes. 

If you only eat three things

1. Peaches

When in Georgia, eat a peach. From May to September, pick up a punnet of luscious golden and red fruit in Fort Valley or find a peachy treat on nearly every restaurant menu in the state. Be sure to try the famous peach cobbler, where the fruit is baked under a biscuit topping and served with ice cream.

2. Barbecue

Cooked low and slow over wood coals, Georgia’s barbecue stays succulent to the last bite. Whole hogs, pork butts, ribs, even chicken and turkey are dusted with a dry rub and cooked overnight, transformed by salt and smoke. Slather on some sweet and spicy sauce for the full experience.

3. Fresh Seafood

Set the table for a seafood feast because in Georgia you can dine on fresh shrimp and oysters; fish like red and vermillion snapper, black sea bass, triggerfish, and Wild Georgia Shrimp; and don’t forget the caviar, harvested fresh from sturgeon caught along the coast.

Four things for history lovers

1. Explore Georgia’s civil rights history and heritage

Make your first stop Atlanta’s Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. Visit the birthplace of Dr. King, the "Drum Major for Justice", and see Ebenezer Baptist Church where he delivered his first sermon in 1947. The nearby National Center for Civil and Human Rights encapsulates the ongoing struggle for rights through realistic, interactive exhibits that touch on the history and issues here and abroad. You can also discover more significant sites along Georgia’s Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Trail which links 28 places across the state that tell the stories of how civil rights leaders advanced social justice and shifted the course of history. 

The Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum in Savannah features exhibits like the lunch counter where local sit-in protests occurred and a map to nearly 100 sites in the city related to the cause.

2. Discover Georgia's music history in Athens, Augusta and Macon

While you’re road tripping around Georgia, turn up the music and listen to some hits by artists who hail from the Peach State. Love rap and hip-hop? Try OutKast, Migos, Childish Gambino and TLC. Love Rhythm and Blues? James Brown, Little Richard and Ray Charles should do the trick. How about Rock? Have R.E.M., The Allman Brothers Band, Widespread Panic, and a psychedelic legend such as Colonel Bruce Hampton queued up. But you should dive deeper and head to music meccas including Athens, Augusta, and Macon. In Athens, celebrate acts such as Pylon, The B-52s, and R.E.M. with a stop at The 40 Watt Club. Augusta’s Museum of History has an exhibit dedicated to hometown hero James Brown that’s almost as big as his personality. And in Macon, The Big House Museum pays tribute to The Allman Brothers Band and Rock Candy Tours will show you where music history was made across the city.

3. Learn about Georgia's coastal heritage

Georgia's coast has plenty of history and culture to discover, from Revolutionary War battlefields in Savannah to the Gullah-Geechee culture that grew from enslaved West Africans on Sapelo Island.

Start on Sapelo Island to immerse yourself in Gullah-Geechee culture at the town of Hog Hammock and begin to trace its influences from the plantations to today’s Southern cuisine. In nearby Savannah, Georgia’s first act of rebellion in the Revolutionary War took place, and at the Savannah History Museum, they tell the story of the Battle of the Rice Boats and the state’s plunge into war.

During the Gilded Age, wealthy industrialists flocked to Jekyll Island, then an exclusive hunting club and now the celebrated Jekyll Island Club Resort. Here, the wealthiest of the wealthy (past guests include J.P. Morgan, the Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, and Carnegie families) came to escape the winter weather further north in the USA. 

4. Immerse yourself in Georgia's presidential history

Georgia has held a special place in the hearts of several U.S. presidents including 28th President Woodrow Wilson, 32nd President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and 39th President Jimmy Carter. 

Wilson’s time in Augusta during the Civil War influenced his presidency greatly, a story more fully told on a tour of his historic home.

Head to Warm Springs and you will soon understand why Roosevelt loved to spend his winters here, bathing in the town's mineral hot spring. Also worth a visit is The Little White House Historic Site, where he died in office in 1945. The nearby FDR Museum offers further insight into his presidency, as does the F.D. Roosevelt State Park and the Roosevelt Pools where he used to swim. 

Head over to Plains, where former president, humanitarian and famed peanut farmer Jimmy Carter was born. In fact, he still lives in town and is regularly seen at the local church. Learn more about Jimmy Carter's life by visiting his high school, his childhood home and the former train depot where he had his campaign quarters.

Four things for nature lovers

1. Cloudland Canyon

Cloudland Canyon State Park, in northwest Georgia, offers some spectacular sightseeing and hiking opportunities. On the western flank of Lookout Mountain, Cloudland overlooks a valley where deep canyons, waterfalls, wild caves, and cascading creeks are surrounded by dense woods. Go mountain biking on more than 48 km of singletrack; hike the 100+ kilometres of trail in, through, and around the canyon, or do a little fishing. Hike the West Rim Loop (8 km) for sweeping views, or descend Sitton’s Gulch, a 10.5 km trail that leads to the canyon floor where Cherokee and Hemlock Falls wait. You don’t need to do it all in one day, there’s plenty of lodging – campsites, yurts, and cottages – available. Treetop Hideaways, for example, offers beautifully furnished rustic rooms up in the trees on the side of Lookout Mountain, while the nearby Chanticleer Inn Bed and Breakfast located on Lookout Mountain offers cosy cottages with views of the Chattanooga Valley.

 Wherever you decide to stay, keep an eye out for the park's resident bears. While spotting one is exciting, make sure you also know how to stay safe around these animals. 

2. The Okefenokee Swamp

The Okefenokee Swamp, the largest blackwater swamp in North America, gives you the chance to paddle, camp, hike and bike in an otherworldly place. Blackwater swamps are created by tannins and peat tinting the water, which makes for amazing photography and a nature outing like no other. Enter via one of the three main entrances to enjoy a tapestry of landscapes. The main entrance, Suwannee Canal Recreation Area offers open prairies, the Stephen C. Foster State Park to the west is a certified Dark Sky Park and is great for stargazing by night and exploring the forest cypress swamp by day, while the Okefenokee Swamp Park entrance in the north is where you can find boat tours, rent a kayak and stop for a spot of fishing. 

Join a motorised boat tour and familiarise yourself with this 1,094 sq km swamp before you rent a kayak and paddle off to explore. You’ll see blue heron, hawks, owls, white-tailed deer, otters, and maybe even black bears and bobcats, and you’ll certainly see more than a few alligators – more than 20,000 call the Okefenokee home. Turn the adventure quotient up a notch with an overnight paddle and camp on one of the raised platforms in the swamp, or keep things tame with a scenic drive along Swamp Island Drive, where you’ll get plenty of views and the chance to do a little hiking. 

3. Providence Canyon—Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon”

One of Georgia’s Seven Natural Wonders, Providence Canyon in southern Georgia earned the nickname “Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon” and it’s a must-see for intrepid adventurers. Enormous washouts caused by bad farming habits in the 1800s created gullies up to 46 metres deep, their sides a riot of colour. The orange, pink, red and purple-tinged soil make great subjects for photography and plein air projects, and the Plumleaf Azalea, a rare plant that blooms in mid-summer, adds another layer of colour.

Backcountry trails give backpackers a place to spend the night and more than 16 km of trails allow day visitors to experience the canyon. Explore the 16 canyons (and all 43 shades of soil) as you hike, and remember, the deepest canyons will stay a little wet, which turns Georgia’s famed red clay into an excellent shoe dye. 

4. Golden Isles

Sea turtles return to Georgia’s shores to lay their clutches of eggs each summer, and on Jekyll Island you stand the best chance of seeing turtle tracks leading from the high-tide line to nests among the dunes, or for seeing a nest 'boil' as a hundred turtle hatchlings dig free and race for the surf. Five species of sea turtle nest here, but the most frequent visitor is the Loggerhead turtle, an endangered species that clocks in around 90 cm long and 135 kgs. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island lets you get a close look at these creatures, but they also provide medical facilities and rehabilitation to injured turtles.

As well as sea turtles, you will find a whole host of other wildlife on Jekyll Island including alligators and snakes which can be seen at 4-H Tidelands Nature Center. Head out on the water with Jekyll Island Boat Tours on a 90-minute dolphin tour for a chance to be tailed by a friendly pod. A guide on board will teach you about this intelligent creature and you can also enjoy views of the waterways and marshes. Bird lovers should try a guided kayaking tour to spot egrets and herons in the marshes. Be sure to visit some of the sites along the Colonial Coast Birding Trail to see some of the 300 species of birds as well as 18th and 19th Century historic places well-worth exploring. 

On nearby Little St. Simons Island, some 45 sq km of wilderness awaits exploration. Head out with a local guide on a sustainable tour to explore by bike, hike or kayak to learn about the impressive conservation of the Island and to spot the wildlife. See pilot whales, alligators and dolphins in the water. Seek out many species of frogs, rabbits, deer and racoons on land. And look up to see a sky filled with myriad birds from ruby throated hummingbirds and osprey to bald eagles and peregrine falcons.

Where to eat in Georgia

1. Harvest on Main (Blue Ridge, Ga)

Chef Danny Mellman focuses on seasonal ingredients from his own cook’s farm and local suppliers to create a menu that’s distinctly southern but influenced by his time cooking in England, France and Italy. Dishes such as mountain trout, duck cassoulet, foraged mushroom ravioli, and cornbread smothered with shrimp keep the reservation books full.

2. The Grey (Savannah)

Situated in a restored 1938 Art Deco Greyhound Bus Terminal, The Grey is the lovechild of John Morisano and Chef Mashuma Bailey who puts her own spin on Port City southern food to create flavourful, comforting dishes. The menu depends on the seasonality with the vegetables, meat and seafood all locally sourced and fresh.

3. Canoe (Atlanta)

From the dining room of Canoe you can see the manicured gardens and waters of the Chattahoochee River, but that doesn’t distract from what’s on the plate: elegant dishes that delight the eye as much as the palate. The best of New American cuisine, Canoe takes influences from all over and makes dishes entirely their own.

Where to stay in Georgia

1. Treetop Hideaways
(North Georgia Mountains)

Located on the side of Lookout Mountain in north-western Georgia, Treetop Hideaways is a boutique treehouse hotel that provides a nostalgic experience resting comfortably in the treetops. Nearby attractions include Rock City and Cloudland Canyon State Park and the siting of the hotel allows visitors to unwind amidst nature.

2. Hotel Clermont
(Atlanta)

Home to the best view of the Atlanta skyline, Hotel Clermont shows a hip, painstaking attention to detail everywhere you look. Built in 1924 and completely remodelled in 2018, the suites and rooms are posh without being overwhelming or out of style. Walkable to the BeltLine and Fox Theatre, it’s the place to stay.

3. The Lodge on Little St. Simons (Golden Isles)

Only 32 guests at a time are allowed at The Lodge on Little St. Simons, meaning you’ll have almost all 4,451 hectares to yourself. It's rustic, cosy, and charming, and with 11 km of beach, a maritime forest, and tidal creeks to explore, there’s plenty to discover.

See it all on a road trip 

Combine Georgia's diverse travel highlights on one epic road trip. With Bon Voyage, you can embark on a 13-night fly-drive of Georgia that takes you to the scenic back-roads lined with peach trees, magnificent antebellum homes, the Atlantic sea islands, the mountains and more.

Book now

Feeling inspired? 

For more Georgia travel information and inspiration, head over to the official Georgia website. 

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Main image: Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island (@ekardiac)