Trip to Georgia

Old Mar 17th, 2007, 04:55 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Trip to Georgia

My wifeand I am thinking of having a weeks vacation in Georgia,I would like to stay in hotel,not necessarily in a town,but with easy access to the airport as I would like to rent a car for a few days and see some of the state,do rental companies allow you to drive outside the state??
I have not driven in the States before(we are from the UK)but have driven on the "wrong" side of the road in Europe
What are the best things to do/see/eat etc.??
dabber is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 05:51 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Glad your trip went well in Dallas. Come to Georgia! We'd be thrilled to have you. Yes, you can drive your car outside of the state. In the US, you can drive a rental car to any state. Georgia is a large state - the largest east of the Mississippi River and has lots to offer. Mountains (not huge but like the Rockies, but older, well-worn versions of the Rockies. ). The Georgia coast offers beaches and marshes and Savannah and islands. In between is a lot of flat land (the Piedmont) that is mostly rural farmland.

You were interested in JFK sites. You may be interested in some Jimmy Carter stuff - his rural peanut-growing Plains life. The Carter Center and Museum in Atlanta. There's a recreation of a historic village near Plains called Westville. There's a baby Grand Canyon nearby too.

There are beautiful antebellum towns that look like they are straight out of Gone with the Wind. ira's hometown of Madison is one of the prettiest towns anywhere.

Savannah is just gorgeous and you could go out to Tybee Island if you want for some "toes in the sand time" or drive to Jekyll Island for a wonderful, quiet, nature island type of experience. For an absolutely amazing experience, take the ferry over to Cumberland Island for the day from St. Mary's - a completely natural coastal island complete with wild horses and miles and miles of gorgeous beaches.

If it's summer, head to the mountains to cool off. Nice and cool - it's a lot like your weather at home. Beautiful rhododendrons and trails and waterfalls and great things to do.

Don't plan on using a hotel at the airport as a base - the state is just too big for it. Driving on the "wrong" side of the road won't be a problem. If I can do it when I went to the UK, you can easily do it when you come here.

More ideas to come -
starrsville is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 05:58 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I don't know if your interest was just JFK, or US Presidents in general, but you may enjoy FDR's Little White House in Warm Springs. He spent a lot of time there because of the springs. He was there when he died
http://gastateparks.org/net/go/parks...D=49&s=0.0.1.5
starrsville is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 06:00 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Here's a good link to Georgia's state parks to give you an idea of the diversity of the state -
http://gastateparks.org/net/go/gasta...aspx?s=0.0.1.5
starrsville is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 06:04 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
http://www.plainsgeorgia.com/
starrsville is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 06:05 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
His boyhood home -
http://www.plainsgeorgia.com/FARM.HTM
starrsville is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 06:06 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
the historic town =
http://www.westville.org/
starrsville is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 06:09 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Providence Canyon SP -
http://gastateparks.org/info/providence/
starrsville is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 06:16 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Size of Georgia vs Ireland

69.700 vs. 70.280

You COULD use an airport hotel as a base, but it would be a lot of driving - AND you'd be dealing with Atlanta commuter traffic twice a day


starrsville is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 06:36 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 17,226
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
the above is in sq km

I just created a trip and had the directions emailed to me. If you want me to forward them, the email me at starrsvillega at yahoo and I'll send them.

First of all, I don't know what your interests are, but IF you are interested in other US Presidents and want to see the diversity of Georgia, here's where I'd drag you all over the state

Arrival at Hartsfield International Airport - night at airport hotels and see some Atlanta stuff if you want

Day 1 on road - To Warm Springs Ga
73 miles - about 1 hr 26 minutes (according to Google maps)
See FDR's Little White House
You could see Callaway Gardens if you want - lots to do - especially beautiful in the spring

To Plains - 70 miles - about 1 hour 45 minutes
See Jimmy Carter stuff - and Ga farmland

To Lumpkin - 27 miles and 52 minutes
If Westville and Providence Canyon interest you

Spend the night in the area - maybe Columbus GA

Head east -
via Macon would be 111 miles - 2 hrs 32 minutes

You could head NE towards the mountains or
SE towards the coast

NE - drive towards Madison via Social Circle - stop and eat at the Blue Willow in Social Circle -
about 2 hours from Macon - spend the night in Madison - or head back in to Atlanta - and see Atlanta sights

Head to the nice cool mountains for a day or two. I like the Clayton GA area - Black Rock Mountain State Park, Tallulah Gorge - rent a boat and spend the day on the crystal clear water of Lake Burton

back towards Atlanta - do Atlanta sights if you haven't already

maybe Stone Mountain Park - lots to do

Head to the coast - a 4-5 hour drive from Atlanta

See Savannah - gorgeous
toes in the sand time at Tybee, or

drive further and go see Jekyll Island or Cumberland Island

My entire route is 1252 miles with about 23 hours of driving

Of course, that's IF you want to see that sort of stuff. So much to see as you criss-cross the state. So much more to see. But, this "adventure" would give you a great look at the diversity of the state with lots of different things to do.

Okay. I'll stop now. Are you sorry you asked?
starrsville is offline  
Old Mar 17th, 2007, 07:00 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My Dad lives in Atlanta and it is a short 2 1/2 hour drive from our home. We love hopping over for weekend visits. There is SOOO much to do just in the city. Try and get off the beaten path of Atlanta and try some really cool restaurants and sights. The coke museum is neat. The botanical gardens are interesting. They have recently opened a great aquarium in the city. When are you planning on going? The last weekend in April the Inman Park neighborhood has a HUGE arts and crafts festival/parade/home tour. We always make time to visit this each year. Best of luck...
bebalm is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
DickieG
United States
13
Apr 21st, 2012 12:36 PM
kintzing
United States
7
Aug 2nd, 2011 01:43 AM
P_M
United States
6
Apr 29th, 2007 12:25 PM
sandy456
United States
6
Mar 16th, 2007 09:28 PM
Kelly1212
United States
8
Jan 11th, 2007 08:02 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -