We are looking for a getaway no more than 4 hours from Atlanta. We prefer mountains over ocean and prefer quiet as opposed to "city". Kids were not going to be included this time. Any suggestions are welcome.

Helen Georgia is an Alpine Village about 100 miles from Atlanta. It looks like you are in the Swiss Alps. It has become a little touristy with outlet stores etc. but there are wonderful hikes to waterfalls, tubing, horseback riding etc.

Ashville NC is about 4 hours from Atlanta and has a beautiful mountain setting as well as the interesting Biltmore House. Also near Knoxville TN is Blackberry Farm which is a very exclusive(expensive) Inn in a lovely country setting. About 2 1/2 hours away is Highlands NC which is a charming mountain town - also nearby is Cashiers which is also quite charming and in a pretty mountain setting.

I have found that Franklin, NC is absolutely beautiful, relaxing and interesting. The Hampton Inn is the best place to stay of the non B&B type.
There is a nice resturant ( Frog and something) and ruby mines! One hour from Great Smoky MNP and the overated casino in Cherokee. 2 1/2 hour drive from ATL.

Lorene,

All of the above suggestions are good. Helen is definately touristy but there are alot of neat things in that area. Unicoi State Park is only about 15 minutes from "downtown" Helen and is pretty. I'm sure there are cabins to be rented there. Dahlonega is not very far and not quite as touristy as Helen. It is an old mining town.

One thing I'm always surprised that people don't think of more often in this area is Callaway Gardens. It is no more than an hour and a half from Atlanta. It is beautiful. They have a wonderful bike trail through the whole area and nice villas to rent. Lots of little towns around there some interesting, some not so much. Roosevelt's Little White House is close by--this is where he died.

Something to consider.

For Mountains, Privacy, Nature, Outdoors, Trails (and horses if you want them) try www.akorn.net/~wilsonlaw/

Its about 2-1/2 hours away from Atlanta.

My husband and I just returned from Blue Ridge, Ga. It is about 2 hours north of Atlanta. Beautiful area with a lot to do. We stayed in a cabin at a place called The Last Resort. (www.lastresort.com) The cabin was great and included two decks, a fireplace, a full kitchen and best of all a hot tub. There is a lot to do in the area, including, rafting, horseback riding, hiking, etc. Good luck!

i am from ga. a small town called trenton, ga. i live in nashville, tn now but i grew up in trenton. it is a short 2 hour drive up I-75 to I-24 then to I-59. off of I-59 it is the 2nd exit and from there you follow signs to cloudland canyon state park. it is a beautiful park, especially this time of year. there are hiking trails, places for tents, camping trailers, or you can rent cabins. i used to go here once or twice a week when i would go home. there are two really pretty waterfalls, with gorgeous trails. i have met people from all over the globe while hiking or else just walking these trails. trenton itself has some nice, small town restaurants to eat at and a couple of grocery stores in case you want to just buy food. chattanooga is about 35 minutes away in case you want some sight seeing in the city as well. good luck and if you take up my suggestion, e-mail me and i will give you some more suggestions. good luck!!!

Try Deer Ridge Lodge, 10 miles from Gatlinburg, Tn.--The perfect get-a-way.Beauty, peace, quite but close to the action. Anything you want to do is near our favorite place--Deer Ridge.
They have a web sight.

We just got back from a very pleasent stay at the Highland Manor Inn in Townsend, Tenn. It is only 3 or 4 miles from the Smokey Mountain National Park on the southwest side. Cades Cove is very close. You did not say when you were going, but one drawback to Cades Cove is the traffic volume on a weekend.
If you are there during the week, the problem is less.

There is a wonderful little inn in Townsend, Tennesee called the Richmont Inn.
Very quiet and romantic, off the beaten path. I highly recommend it!