Georgia Travel Guide

Georgia, United States — Destinations

Atlanta

Back in 1837 Atlanta was little more than a hamlet existing to serve as a railway terminus; then came the Civil War that saw the town burned to the ground. Undaunted, 135 years later Atlanta bustles with more than three million people, and has been chosen by numerous leading international companies as the home of their corporate or regional headquarters. The lively, thriving city styles itself as the capital of the 'New South', and its dramatic skyline is littered with gleaming skyscrapers.

Atlanta attracts visitors both for holidays and business, with its plethora of entertainment, shopping and cultural attractions as well as innumerable top class convention and accommodation venues. The downtown Peachtree Center pedestrianized precinct covers 14 blocks of retail space, including three massive hotels, dozens of restaurants and imposing office towers. There are also plenty of museums, galleries and centers for performing arts, as well as the world's largest aquarium.

Atlanta has not lost its pioneering southern spirit or charm despite its modern guise, and the city's symbol of the phoenix serves as enduring reminder of its troubled past and bright future. The energy that was embodied in its famous sons, Martin Luther King, Jr and Ted Turner (founder of CNN) still crackles in the air and the genteel olde-world atmosphere still lingers in the residential neighborhoods. Above all, Atlanta radiates a warm welcome in the true tradition of Southern hospitality.

Savannah

Credited as being the first planned city in the United States, Georgia's sultry city of Savannah is positioned on a bluff above the Savannah River, a few miles upstream from the Atlantic Ocean state coastline. This Southern belle is full of charm, and her old-fashioned hospitality and small-town atmosphere invites visitors to stroll back in time, right to 1733 when the city was first founded by British General James Oglethorpe with the permission of native Yamacraw Indian chief Tomo-chi-chi.

With one of the country's largest preserved historical urban areas, one can't help but experience a sense of this city's colorful past, as you stroll past grandiose mansions and Spanish moss-covered oaks, sipping mint juleps. The city's legacy as a major player in the cotton industry is still evident in the Savannah Cotton Exchange, and the Pink House, dating back to 1789 and home to Georgia's first bank also bears testimony to the economic prosperity of the region. Apart from hundreds of architecturally significant buildings Savannah is also not lacking in restaurants, shops (particularly fine antique stores), Civil War forts, museums, galleries, quaint squares and lovely beaches, all earning it the nickname, 'the Hostess City of the South'.

Strategically positioned on the north of the Georgia coastline, Savannah serves as an excellent starting point for exploring the scenic barrier islands, resort towns and inlets found along the coast. Of course it is also imperative one try the region's world-famous shrimp that is caught and cooked in a variety of ways.

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Georgia: Georgia | Georgia Hotels | Georgia Attractions
Atlanta: Atlanta | Atlanta Hotels | Atlanta Attractions
Savannah: Savannah | Savannah Hotels | Savannah Attractions

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