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As you move across North Georgia you reach Jasper, the marble center of Georgia. Marble quarried here was used in the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol in Washington DC. On to Ellijay, billed as "Georgia's Apple Capital, boasting the Annual October Apple Festival! At the Northern end of the Appalachian Highway is Blue Ridge. Ride the 26 mile Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, the only mainline railway service left in Georgia! To the east are Blairsville and Brasstown Bald Mountain, Georgia's highest at (4,780feet) and Hiawassee, home of the Georgia Mountain Fair and music festivals.

Farther east is Clayton, near spectacular Tallulah Gorge. The Grand Canyon aside, it's the deepest canyon in the United States. Elberton is the largest granite-producing area in the world. Continuing southwest, step into "Bavaria in Georgia" as you arrive in the unique town of Helen. Clarksville is the gateway to the famous trout fishing of North Georgia. Nearby is Cleveland, where their courthouse is a striking model of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Don't miss the birthplace of the famous "Cabbage Patch Kids" at Babyland General Hospital! Travel south to Gainesville where Lake Lanier, the largest lake in Georgia, is located. Turn north to Dahlonega, a Cherokee word meaning "precious yellow," the site of the country's first major gold rush where you can still pan for gold. Heading back west we encounter the Home of Bill Elliott, Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, one of the most popular NASCAR drivers. Rome's name is appropriate. Like its Italian counterpart, it is built on seven hills.

The south's most cosmopolitan city and gateway to the ' New South '! General Sherman may have burned Atlanta to the ground, but rising from the grave today he would find a different story! Its spirit bears witness to a phenomenal growth, its transportation system and the diversity of its residents! Atlanta is indeed ' The Phoenix ', a legendary bird rising resplendent from the ashes.

Atlanta has emerged as a banking center and is world headquarters for Fortune 500 companies such as CNN, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Holiday Inn Worldwide and United Parcel Service. Atlanta's character evolves from a diversity of peoples: transplanted 'Northerners' to Irish, German and Austrian immigrants and the Hungarian-born Rich Brothers, founders of Atlanta's principal department store!

The area's growth has energized Atlanta (also known as "Hotlanta"). The city hosted the 1996 Olympics and 2000 Super Bowl! 1996 Olympics ... in Atlanta, Georgia Its envelops a symphony, concert halls, art galleries, multi-faceted museums and restaurants offering international cuisine. All of these things are recognition that Atlanta has arrived as the home of the ' New South '! There are myriad of sights to see in the Atlanta area.

North of downtown, this area bursts with Atlanta's trendy restaurants, music clubs, art galleries and unique shops. It is also home to the Governor's mansion, the Atlanta History Center, Lenox Square Mall and upscale Phipps Plaza.

LaGrange is still one of the major textile areas in Georgia and the southeast. The southwest area of Georgia is comprised of rivers meandering aimlessly. The "Little Grand Canyon," Callaway Gardens and Andersonville. FDR sought physical solace from the pressures of his office in Warm Springs. This quiet, tranquil area of Georgia is where hectic schedules and demands are left behind. So relax and enjoy!

One of the most beautiful locations in the South is Callaway Gardens with 14,000 acres of gardens, woodlands and lakes. Over 700 colorful varieties of Azaleas dazzle your eyes. Callaway Gardens with 14,000 acres of gardens Throughout all four seasons, flowers from rhododendron to holly continuously bloom! Callaway Gardens, a resort located southwest of Atlanta in Pine Mountain, offers the golfer an unbelievable 'four' nationally recognized courses.

Just a few miles west, in Warm Springs, is "The Little White House." President Franklin Roosevelt traveled here to relax and bathe in its therapeutic hot waters, even while making decisions during the greatest war of all times! His first trip was in 1924 and he died here in 1945 while in office. Today the village is an eclectic variety of shops and offers a tour of "The Little White House," the FDR museum and the pools where he took therapy for his polio, the deadliest disease of that period.

Traveling south you arrive in Columbus. It is the largest city in Plantation Country, situated on the Cattachoochee River at the foot of a series of falls. It boasts a 30 block historic district with Victorian gardens, antebellum homes and gazebos reflecting the aura of by-gone days!

Andersonville, established in 1864, is the Civil War's most notorious prisoner-of-war camp where 13,000 Union soldiers died from starvation and illness. Prisoners from each state are remembered at Andersonville by a monument erected in their honor. The site is now home to an impressive National Prisoner of War Museum.

Cordele is the watermelon capital of the world. Probably more than any other president in recent years, Jimmy Carter is identified with his home town of Plains, Georgia. Nearby is Americus, home of Jimmy Carter's Habitat for Humanity. He became the 39th president and is known by some as 'a man of the people' and the most approachable president in recent history. West of Plains near Lumpkin, is Providence Canyon, referred to as "Georgia's Little Grand Canyon."

Next is Albany, the 'Pecan Capital of the World', thanks to more than 600,000 pecan trees. This area, in combination with Jimmy Carter, a former peanut farmer, brought international fame to the peanut and Georgia. This region produces half of the country's crop. Turning east you arrive in Tifton, home of 'Georgia Agrirama', to enjoy an outdoor living history museum depicting life in an 1890's town.

South of Tifton you pass through Valdosta, with its three historic districts. It is the gateway to Florida on I-75! Pebble Hill Plantation, rose gardens, historic homes and plantations Turning west you arrive in Thomasville. In 1887, Harper's Magazine named it "the best winter resort on three continents." Step back in time and tour some of the grand estates and homes that give the area its original aristocratic character.

If it's traces of the old South you crave, take in Georgia's Antebellum Trail! Three of these classics, Washington, Madison and Milledgeville are antebellum towns spared from burning by Sherman. The area also encompasses Athens, "The Classic City" home to the University of Georgia, and Augusta, well known for the world's most prestigious golf tournament, "The Masters"!

Athens lies amid the rolling red-clay foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains! In the late 1970's, Athens gained national attention as a 'music scene' where groups such as 'R.E.M.', 'Indigo Girls' and 'The B-52's' got their start. The city is quaint, but compact with a distinct flavor falling somewhere between a misty Southern enclave, a rollicking college town and a smoky, jazz-club studded alleyway! Places to Stay, Places to Eat, Places to See in the state of Georgia ... Come and Enjoy Full of Southern charm and grace, Augusta is the state's second oldest city, dating from 1736. It was settled by General James Oglethorpe, founder of the state of Georgia, at Savannah in 1733. Long before Florida became 'fashionable', Augusta was a major winter resort attracting the 'Yankee' wealthy! Many antebellum and Victorian homes can be enjoyed throughout the city.

Directly south of Athens is Madison - "The town that Sherman refused to burn." While burning Atlanta, he reached Madison's outskirts where he met an old friend, tho' he be a union sympathizer, Senator Joshua Hill. Old ties prevailed and Madison was spared. Today, visitors come to see the well preserved Victorian and antebellum architecture along oak-lined streets. Antique shops and gift boutiques are everywhere! Madison has earned recognition as Travel Magazine's "#1 Small Town in America". Covington, boasts a wealth of restored anti-bellum and Victorian-era manor homes. The TV series "In the Heat of the Night" was filmed here.

Continuing south is Eatonton, yet another town adorned with tree lined streets and historic homes. Joel Chandler Harris, creator of Br'er Rabbit and Uncle Remus tales, called this home. Alice Walker, author and Pulitzer Prize winner for "The Color Purple", also lived in Eatonton. Forsyth was named for Governor and US Secretary of War, John Forsyth. The first railroad line in Georgia carried passengers and freight for 26 miles to Macon. Nearby is the Rock Eagle Effigy Mound, constructed from quartz rock 5,000 years ago by Native Americans. It's huge wingspan is 120' by 60' long and is believed to have been used in religious ceremonies.

Washington, the first city chartered in honor of the country's first president is located between Athens and Augusta. Washington was not visited by General Sherman on his grand tour of Georgia, and as result still contains a wealth of antebellum architecture. In the closing days of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis came here to sign the papers dissolving the Confederacy. Bringing with him a half-million dollars that vanished, but thought still to be in the area.

Georgia's coastal isles traverse for over 100 miles along the Atlantic coast from Savannah to Cumberland Island near Florida. Savannah conjures misty images of mint juleps, handsome mansions, live oaks dripping with moss resembling Key West or New Orleans, not the pastoral farmland of interior Georgia! For the visitor, it's Old Savannah, a beautifully restored and mainland historic district!

You can spend days enjoying the local atmosphere. Don't miss the walking and driving tour of Historic Savannah where 800 of Old Savannah's 1,100 historic buildings have been restored, using original pinks, reds, blues and greens.

Darien, one of Georgia's' oldest cities and an undiscovered gem of coastal living. Brunswick, the gateway to the "Golden Isles" has a natural harbor that was used extensively in WW II to build "Liberty Cargo Ships." Today it is known as the "shrimp capital of the world" AND you'll want to try Brunswick stew in the town of its origin. From Brunswick you head directly to Sea Island the domain since 1928 of the Cloister Hotel known as a grand coastal resort for those seeking, "the good life!"

Fall arrives in October when temperatures moderate. Winter is brief and mild. Then its on to St. Simons Island, the largest most complete resort destination! From golf to fishing to horseback riding to tennis to touring historic sites to feasting on local seafood! Travel south to Jekyll Island which for many years was the home of the "rich and famous." Nowadays it is no longer the exclusive enclave it once was, but available to all those who enjoy the outdoors and its many activities, especially golf and tennis!

Waycross is the gateway to the Okefenokee Swamp Park, covering 730 square miles, just an hour's drive to the west. The swamp looms forbidding, yet its mysterious rivers and lakes, bristling with seen and unseen life is one of the loveliest places in America. Nothing duplicates it anywhere else on earth!