Nigel Doran

I'm a oft-time visitor to the US, who also used to live in central Fla. I and my partner have been to Georgia before, but only to Atlanta and Savannah. We've got chance of AirMiles free (well, we have to pay the taxes) flights to Atlanta and want to know where to go.
Thought of the islands (Jekyll) and Panhandle, but after that we draw a blank.

We like beaches, good hotels (both bed and breakfast and international standard hotels, but not those golf-style, low-rise sprawls), local history and good food and dining. We'll have a car and won't mind driving too far. We'll have to fly into and out of Atlanta and don't wish to spend more than 3 nights there at any part of the holiday. Crowds are a bit of a turn-off.

Will late June/early July be good temp. and sunshine-wise? Will it be cheaper than late July?

Thanks for your help in advance!

xyz

St. Augustine, Florida.

Melanie

Look up Cumberland Island. It's got history, it's secluded, nice b&b, beaches with wild horses about...no cars. While I've never been there, the people that I talk to that have, rave about it. One of the Kennedy's honeymooned there if I'm not mistaken. Also, I doubt that prices will be any different in June vs July, but it will be very hot (high 80s some days it could be in the 90s), and lots of sunshine.

SA

Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach. A much better place to stay than St. Aug. but only an hour away.

Jen

St. Augustine

Postal

If you like wilderness, wild horses, deer,other animals, hiking, seclusion, you can't beat Cumberland Island, the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Even if you don't stay there (there's only one place, where JFK Jr got married), take the boat from St. Marys, Ga. to spend a day. Incredibly wild and gorgeous, six people total along two miles of beach!

inchy

St. Augustine
Full of history, nice beach, etc. It's about a 7-8 hour drive from Atlanta (including stops).

Therese

Consider Charleston, South Carolina, and regardless of where you go, I'd plan for earlier in the summer rather than later, as it just gets hotter and hotter. No difference whatsoever price-wise, as the seasons are dictated by school openings and closings: pretty much everything between Memorial Day (end of May) and Labor Day (beginning of September) weekends is high season.

Charleston is not much farther from Atlanta than Savannah (if you look at the map you'll see why) and offers very nice hotels (including historic B&B's), excellent food, cool history, and interesting geography. It's also close to beach resorts, some commercial and some parks.

You could visit Beaufort, S.C. as part of your trip as well, including a trip to Hunting Island (a state park that's one of the islands on the causeway out to Fripp Island, one of those golf resort places). Not crowded, very cool ecology, and easier to get to than Cumberland. Lots of movies filmed in Beaufort, including The Big Chill and Prince of Tides.

Cumberland is very cool, but you'll want to do some planning ahead of time, as access is limited, both for overnight stays (either camping, which doesn't sound your cup of tea, or the the Greystone Inn) and day trips (via ferry).

Nigel Doran

Thanks for all the information. I have already visited Charleston, and enjoyed it, but would prefer to see somewhere new.

Please keep the suggestions coming.

Regards,

Nigel Doran

mar459

Search for Americus, Georgia on this forum. Americus is 10 miles from Plains, home of past president, Jimmy Carter. Also 10 miles from historic Andersonville Civil War Prison and Museum. You won't find big crowds anytime. Summers in south Georgia are very hot 90 - 105 degrees and very humid. Not the kind of weather you would want to spend a lot of time outside. Condiser March and April or late September and October. December - February can be really cold. We have lows of teens sometimes in the winter.

Greeves

Avoid Jekyll - lots of youth retreats there in the summer. How about Callaway Gardens? Stay in a cottage (do not stay in the inn!!!!!) in the Southern Pines area - nice restaurant, biking, outdoors stuff. You can also see Warm Springs/ Little White House nearby and other history type places. This is a quiet area usually. More of the "real Georgia" feel. This is about an 1.5 hour drive from the airport.

jw

You could head another direction and visit North Georgia. Nice mountains and some civil war sites to visit. Also, Chattanooga is just across the state line in Tennessee. Good aquarium there, plus Lookout Mtn. and other attractions.

valkyrie

We've been staying in Columbus, Ga. the past few months (ah yes, the army life) so we've taken advantage of the opportunity to be out n' about for short trips in the area.
Just this past weekend we headed for the hills of North Georgia and stayed in a lovely town called Dahlonega. Small, quaint, quiet. Historical, but still vibrant.
We enjoyed the Crimson Moon coffee house (great java, singer/songwriter on Friday night, lots of local art) the plethora of parks and natural waterfalls (Amicolola State Park), and the nearby Three Sisters Winery (terrific friendly owners, lovely scenery.) The air was cool, the people were genuinely nice and welcoming, and we had some decent meals. I stress that the town was small...if you were also interested in hiking or other exploration of nature, I would recommend checking it out.

Katrn

I would not go to south Georgia in July-it will be sweltering (upper 90's, humid, no breeze) and you will be miserable. The coast however, should be comfortable. It will still be hot, but there will be a breeze.

blueaguave

all of these posts have great advice. but there are pros and cons to all of them. You have nice places to visit but they are "golfy" and yes there are a lot of places where the youth retreats spill over into places you would rather not have them. Cumberland is a great choice. Also, you can hire boats to take you on tours on some of the surrounding barrier islands. Although Savannah and Charleston are good choices even if you have visited them before. as for price. there is no real difference in june and july rates. the weather can get down into the mid 80's in summer (that rare though) but the humidity is still high. I would shoot for june and get better breezes. Enjoy