Help us! My roommate and I will be traveling from Louisville, KY down to Atlanta but have no plans other than to come back in a week. We don't know how long we'll be staying in Atlanta or what else to do. Are there any other fun and interesting locations to visit, either along the way or close to Georgia? We're not making any reservations so whatever it is has to be available (and cheap would be nice too). Is this an impossible mission? Please give me your input! Thanks.

Nashville's a neat place that looks like it's about on the halfway point, so that might be a good place to stay a couple of days.

Chattanooga's also a neat place (on a much smaller scale) so that may warrant a visit.

As for Atlanta, please post back and let me know what kind of things you are interested in and I'll try to help more.

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your quick reply. My friend and I are single and in our mid-20s and like to do the bar and club scene which we know is great in Atlanta. One of her best friends lives in Buckhead so apparently we will have some guide on where to go there. My question is, what else is there to do? I love art and good (but not necessarily expensive) restaurants, any recommendations? I'd love some good southern cooking while I'm there! I'm also a Gone with the Wind buff and am wondering about any GWTW/Civil War attractions that are not TOO touristy. And how far away is the Gulf of Mexico, and is there anything to do there? What about Savannah? Any help would be appreciated, we are pretty much flying blind here. Of course, it makes for a great adventure!

You could drive down via Nashville and return via Knoxville for variety and not much difference in distance. The battlefield above Chattanooga and in Kennesaw above Atlanta give Civil War history. People still stop in Chattanooga to see Rock City, ride the Incline Railroad, and visit the aquarium. I think there is an evening riverboat as well.

If you want any outdoor activities, you can go back via the Smokies and Knoxville.

OK. Sounds like you're set for places to party in Buckhead. For inexpensive but very good restaurants in the Buckhead, I recommend Anis (French, in an old house, great patio) and Ciao Bella (Italian, ditto, ditto). Both run by young families, French and Italian, respectively.

If you get sick of the Buckhead bar/club scene (it can get kind of touristy and redneck), come down my way to Midtown. There are a few restaurants/bars/hip clubs in the 3-block area around Cresent Street (one block west of Peachtree Street between 12th and 14th Street). For New Southern cooking (not really down home) start at South City Kitchen on Cresent (trendy and a bit more expensive but good food in a neat atmosphere). Then have a drink at the Martini Club next door. Then you have your choice of The Cresent Room, the Leopard Lounge or the Nomenclature Museum to club-hop. Dress to impress. There are also a couple of other bars/restaurants on that street.

Another great restaurant is on Peachtree at 11th Street - Pasta da Pulcinella. Great innovative pasta dishes at cheap prices in a very hip atmosphere. One of my favorites.

The High Museum of Art is also in Midtown (Peachtree at 16th Street). It's a neat building, but I have not been that impressed with the art inside, though such things don't interest me as much as others.

Margaret Mitchell's apartment building, "the dump" is located at Peachtree and 10th Street and has been restored as a museum (it was burned down twice during reconstruction by arsonists).

Some people will tell you that the Virginia Highlands area is another good alternative to Buckhead, but I find it a bit too much like Buckhead (lots of guys in dockers and baseball caps, very much a meat market). But there are some very good restaurants in the neighborhood including Surin - inexpensive Thai in a bustling atmosphere.

For a real adventure, drive just south of I-20 and traverse some sketchy neighborhoods until you get to the oasis of East Atlanta. This area had a single coffee shop a few years ago and has become the hottest growing commercial area of the city. The last 2 years have seen the opening of a few bars, numerous restaurants (all affordable), lots of funky shops and even a live music venue. It still has its edge even though the suburbanites are starting to discover it.

Go to Little 5 Points (not "5 Points") for Atlanta's bohemian village for lots of funky shops, tatoo parlors, second-hand shops, cheap food, skate punks, live music and low-brow bars.

The Gulf is at least 5 hours from Atlanta. Savannah is a great place, but it's 4 hours away (in the opposite direction of Louisville) so you'll just have to decide how much you really want to go.

If you want any more specifics on the above, just post back.