Georgia

Full disclosure: when he was twelve, my Uncle Andy ran off and went to work for the Coca-Cola Company. This was a while ago. Since one of my favorite childhood memories involves my uncle stocking our fridge with Cokes,  downtown Atlanta’s World of Coca-Cola (popularly known as World of Coke) is my kind of place. […]

The little town of Blue Ridge in North Georgia is home to Mercier Orchards, a  family-owned apple orchard founded in 1943 and now in its fourth generation. One of Georgia’s top tourist attractions, Mercier Orchards celebrates fall with U-PICK events, tastings at the Farm Winery and delicacies from the bakery. Mercier grows strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and peaches, but this time of year the main attraction is the variety of crisp, sweet apples.

Georgia’s Callaway Resort and Gardens, 2500 acres of flowering woodland beauty located southwest of teeming Atlanta, is home to the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, one of North America’s largest tropical butterfly conservatories. This year the Center celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, and Callaway has declared 2018 the Year of the Butterfly, with special events scheduled all year. Monday through Friday the Center presents Butterflies 101, a slide show and discussion hosted by resident butterfly experts.

While summer might be the best time for tent camping, fall’s brisker weather makes it the perfect time for no-tent-necessary experiences. Ever tried staying in a treehouse? In a micro cabin on an alpaca farm? Fall’s the time.

Since 1934 thousands of golf aficionados from around the world descend upon Augusta, Georgia the first full week in April to attend one of the four major championships in professional golf. But after the sea of green jackets at the Augusta National Golf Club fades away, visitors to the city discover that there is more to Augusta than just the Masters tournament.

Often referred to as the “Technology City of the South”, Alpharetta, GA sits on the northern fringes of Atlanta’s sprawling suburbia and as a tech hub, boasts more than 900 technology companies in the greater Alpharetta area.

Referred to as “the bubble” by locals, this small city about 30 minutes south of Atlanta moves along at 15 miles per hour, seemingly entrenched in its own world and ensconced from the big city woes just beyond its borders. Cars give way to golf carts as the preferred mode of transportation and with more than 90 miles of golf cart paths and plenty of golf carts only parking, getting around is pretty easy at 15 miles per h

Georgia’s Callaway Gardens—a botanical paradise just an hour southwest of the Atlanta airport—is magical at any time of the year, but for more than twenty years the Gardens have been a holiday destination for the spectacular Fantasy in Lights sho

As the largest barrier island in the Golden Isles, St. Simons Island lies across from the immortalized Marshes of Glynn, made famous by Sidney Lanier’s poem of the same name. Punctuated by small islands known as hammocks, the pristine stretches of marshland create the appearance of a continuous stretch of land reaching out to the barrier islands. Eugenia Price, one of the South’s most popular authors of antebellum romantic fiction, often spoke of the “special light” on St. Simons. Turning a beautiful golden color in the fall, the expansive marsh grasses are especially dramatic when lit by the setting sun.

Another seaside gem just off the Georgia coast, is St. Simon’s Island. The largest island in Georgia’s Golden Isles-four barrier islands that also include Jekyll Island, Little Simons Island and Sea Island-, St. Simons was formed by the Appalachians and settled by English Colonists in the 1700’s. As a former rice and cotton plantation, it’s […]

At first, Brasstown Valley Resort seems to be a typical mountain getaway.  It’s located at the base of the Appalachians in the Chattahoochee Mountains of Northeast Georgia and has a small-town, woodsy kinda vibe. But as you start to meander up the tree-lined driveway towards the 503-acre resort, you’ll soon discover that this resort has […]

Top Five Colorful Reasons to Visit During the Season   The Colors of Fall in Dahlonega:   1.  Gold:  Pan for gold, visit a gold mine, or tour The Gold Museum. Known as the site of the first major U.S. gold rush, long before California, the historic downtown is now home to The Gold Museum. […]

No need to go to Wyoming or the Wild West when you can drive about two hours to the Seventy-Four Ranch in Jasper, Georgia and get in touch with your inner cowboy. Larry and Pam Butler are gracious and hospitable hosts and not only open their home to guests but let visitors experience what life […]

Nestled at the base of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, lies the town of Helen, a German-ish village with burgeoning vineyards against a Bavarian backdrop. This family-friendly destination is only two hours from Simpsonville and offers activities for everyone. From wine-tasting for the adults to seeing where Cabbage Patch dolls are born for the kids.

Fall is a great time of the year.  The air begins to cool down and turn crisp.  The leaves begin to change to vibrant shades of rust, orange and red.  But the very best things about this time of year are the fabulous fall festivals going on in our area.  From the quirky Woolly Worm […]