Georgia Travel Guide

Georgia is a US state in the South.

Cities

• Albany

• Atlanta

• Augusta

• Columbus

• Macon

• Savannah

• Valdosta

Hotel - Flight - Car Rental

• Georgia Discount Hotels Directory

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• Click here for rental cars.

Atlanta City Guide

See

Downtown Atlanta

Downtown Atlanta is the old central area of Atlanta, which still contains much of the commercial activity of the city. All the places to see here are within 10 minutes walk of each other, and within a similar walking distance of any of the MARTA stations at Five Points, Peachtree Center or Omni-Dome-World-Congress Center.

Centennial Olympic Park CNN Center, Marietta Street (adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park), telephone (404) 827-2300. The world headquarters of CNN shares the CNN center with a large tourist oriented shopping mall and food court. Here you can eat food from around the world whilst watching CNN's multi-channel output to the world on large screens. In addition studio tours are available, which include demonstrations of the technology used and visits to viewing galleries overlooking the newsrooms and newsreaders of CNN, CNN Headline News and CNN En Espanol. Tours run 9am-5pm every day. Admission to the center is free; tours cost $10 (adult); $8 (senior); $7 (child). http://www.cnn.com/StudioTour/ Underground Atlanta Coca-Cola World, 55 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (adjacent to Underground Atlanta), telephone (770) 578-4325 extension 1465. Pay good money to receive the word from the marketing department of the world's largest soft drinks company. Open M-Sa 9am-5pm; Su 11am-5pm. $7 (adult); $5 (senior); $4 (child). The King Center,449 Aubum Avenue, NE Atlanta, GA 30312, telephone (404)526-8900. The memorial of Martin Luther King Jr. Which was established in 1968. The place shows Martin Luther King Jr.s nonviolent Social Change works and also it holds Dr.Kings birth home. It is one of the place you should visit in downtown Atlanta. http://thekingcenter.com/tkc/index.asp

Midtown Atlanta

Midtown Atlanta is the area due north of Downtown. It also has significant commercial activity, but it is also a major restaurant and arts quarter, with significant 'urban living' apartment coverage. All the places listed are within 15 minutes walk of each other, and within a similar walking distance of the MARTA stations at Midtown and Arts Center.

Arts Center, Home of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art, the Alliance Theatre, and the Atlanta College of Art. http://www.woodruff-arts.org/wac/index2.asp, Atlanta Botanic Gardens, 1345 Piedmont Avenue NE, telephone (404) 876-5859. Relatively small but interesting botanic gardens, with displays of local plants and the Fuqua Conservatory of tropical and desert plants. Accessible by car but parking is limited, at weekends park at Old Colony Square adjacent to the Arts Center and catch the shuttle bus provided. By transit, catch MARTA rail to Arts Center station then catch bus 36 (27 on Sunday) or walk via the Arts Center courtyard, 15th Street and Piedmont Avenue (15 min walk). Open Apr-Sep Tu–Su 9am–7pm; Oct–Mar Tu-Su 9am–5pm. $12 (adult); $9 (senior); $7 (student). http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/, Piedmont Park, Margaret Mitchell House, 990 Peachtree Street, telephone (404) 249-7015. A museum dedicated to Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone With The Wind and based in her original home. Open every day (except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Thanksgiving Day) 10am-5pm. $12 (adult); $9 (senior/student); $5 (child). http://www.gwtw.org/, Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. NE, telephone (404) 688-3353 for tour information or (404) 817-8700 for the box office. A fabulous and historic Moorish style cinema and theatre dating from the 1920s and now designated a National Historic Landmark. Tours available M,W&Th 10am; Sa 10am and 11am. $10 (adult); $5 (senior/student). http://www.foxtheatre.org/,

Suburban Atlanta

All these sights can be found somewhere in the suburban sprawl that is Atlanta. A car is probably the best way to visit them, but some are accessible by public transit as indicated in the listing.

Atlanta Zoo, Grant Park, telephone (404) 624-5822. This zoo specializes in primates and African animals but also has a (breeding?) pair of Giant Pandas and a children's zoo. Open every day 9:30am-4:30pm; Sa-Su during daylight saving time 9:30am-5:30pm; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. $16.50 (adults); $12.50 (seniors); $11.50 (children). http://www.zooatlanta.org/, Cyclorama Home of the world's largest painting, "The Battle of Atlanta" and home of the historic Civil War locomotive, "TEXAS" (hero of the "Great Train Race") Located next to Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park. Atlanta History Center, the Atlanta History Museum, the Swan House, (an opulent 1920's mansion), and the Tullie Smith House, 130 W. Paces Ferry Rd. NW. http://www.ngeorgia.com/attractions/atlanta_history_center.html, Fernbank Science Center and Museum of Natural History. Planetarium, dinosaurs, IMax theatre. Great for kids.http://www.fernbank.edu/.

Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain is some 15 miles east of downtown Atlanta. Stone Mountain village has some interesting craft style shops, but the main attraction is the mountain itself. Please don't be put off by the tacky nature of some of the 'attractions' in the surrounding park; the park itself is an attractively wooded area and the summit of the mountain is just about the only 'must do' in Atlanta. Stone Mountain is the largest exposed piece of granite in the world. It was created when shifts in the earth's crust created extreme heat and friction and melted a large amount of rock below the surface. This heated magma bubbled up towards earth's surface but did not make it all the way. Over time, the magma hardened into granite. Eventually, the land on top of the granite dome washed away through erosion and left what is now Stone Mountain. The top of the mountain is a surreal landscape some 800 feet above the surrounding land, and provides excellent views of the surrounding area and the skyline of downtown Atlanta. The summit can be reached by the attractive but steep walkup trail through woodland (which leaves from near the Confederate Hall and park entrance) or by the Skylift (see below). Please exercise some care when on the summit; the horizontal bare rock of the top curves imperceptibly until it becomes the vertical bare rock of the sides and it is important not to wander too far around that curve. Stone Mountain Park surrounds the mountain, and encompasses a series of attractions. The park promotes its One-Day-All-Attraction pass which permits access to/use of all the attractions for $19 (adult) or $16 (child), and tries to minimise the usage of individual attraction tickets; however these do exist and may be a cheaper option depending on what you want to see/do. The attractions include: Skylift, a Swiss built cable-car to the summit, passing over a carving of Confederate heroes on the sheer wall of the mountain, created by Gutzon Borglum, who also sculpted the Lincoln Memorial in Washington and the four Presidents on Mt. Rushmore. Operates from 10am-5pm (later in summer). Scenic Railroad, a railroad which circles the entire circumference of the mountain in a one way loop, giving views of the mountain en-route. There are two stations, the main depot and a stop near the Confederate Hall/Walk up trail/Park entrance. Passengers boarding at the main depot must have a ticket or pass; however passengers are allowed to use the train for free from the Confederate Hall stop back to the depot where all passengers must disembark. Operates from 10:50am-5pm (later in summer). Riverboat, a scenic cruise aboard a reproduction Mississippi riverboat on 363-acre Stone Mountain Lake. Operates from noon-5pm (later in summer). Antebellum Plantation & Farmyard is comprised of original buildings, built between 1790 and 1845, which represent an authentic, pre-Civil War Georgia plantation. Open from 10am-5pm (later in summer). Carillon. The 732-bell Carillon originates from 1964 World's Fair in New York City, and provides a daily concert. Confederate Hall, a museum that educates park guests and local students on the fascinating geology and ecology of Stone Mountain, together with the history of the war in Georgia. This museum is operated directly by the non-profit foundation which owns the mountain, rather than the franchisee responsible for everything else. Open M-F 9am-6pm; Sa 10am-6pm; Su noon-6pm. Free. Stone Mountain Park is best accessed by car, but there is a $7 per car parking charge in addition to the attraction charges. There is no admission charge for those entering the park on foot and the park can be reached by a combination of public transit and walking; catch the MARTA rail system to Avondale and transfer there to MARTA bus route 120; disembark at the intersection of Ponce De Leon Avenue E and J.B.Rivers Memorial Drive and the park entrance is some 15 minutes walk east down J.B.Rivers Memorial Drive past the fire station.

External links

• Georgia State Parks - Features campgrounds, policies, and reservations contact information.
• North Georgia State Parks - Detailed information on the parks in the mountains of north Georgia.
• Kolomoki Mounds State Historic Park - An archaeological site and recreational area in Blakely, Georgia. Facilities, activities, rates, special events, directions. Also a request for information on stolen Native American pottery.
• Appalachian National Scenic Trail - National Park Service information on this multi-state national trail extending from Georgia to Maine.
• Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association - Association of through-hikers and others who have shared experiences on the Appalachian Trail. Advice for prospective through-hikers and information about annual gatherings, books for sale, volunteer trail maintenance opportunities, plans for an AT museum, and related topics.
• Appalachian Trail - GA and NC Sections - Source with photos giving a feel for the Southern portion of the trail from the Springer Mtn. start in Georgia to the mountains of North Carolina.
• Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park - Official NPS site of its oldest and largest Civil War Park, commemorating the Battle of Chickamauga in September 1863 and the Battles for Chattanooga in November 1863.
• Friends of the Park - Not-for-profit organization promoting public support for the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Information about activities, accomplishments, events, membership, and merchandise for sale.
• Cumberland Island National Seashore - Official National Park Service site. Located in Saint Marys, GA.
• Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park - Official National Park Service site. Located in Kennesaw, GA.
• Atlanta Restaurants - Reviews written by consumers at Epinions.com.
• ChefMoz Dining Guide: Georgia - Detailed restaurant listings with reviews submitted by the public, and links to outside reviews. Search by name, cuisine, rating or location.
• Gentleman's Guide to Swine Dining in Georgia - Reviews of barbecue restaurants in Georgia, especially metro Atlanta.
• Georgia Dining Guide - Featuring basic reviews of many restaurants. Many reviews are submitted by our site visitors.
• Sushi-and-Sake.com - Guide to sushi restaurants in Georgia.

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