Laying Rubber on the Georgia Asphalt

The state of Georgia cannot be defined by one of its cities or by a unifying history or even by a globalized present. Its regions are uniquely particular, separated by more than just miles.

Atlanta Metro and North

Atlanta is Georgia’s hub, and one of the few capitals which can boast that distinction. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site is a beautiful educational facility dedicated to educating the youth of today about the reality of MLK’s time as a civil rights activist. With movies, exhibits and King’s Nobel Peace Prize on display, the center is more a sanctuary dedicated to the energy and friction of the time than merely the resting site of a great man. Next door is the historic Ebenezer Baptist Churh, where King co-pastored.

The new Georgia Aquarium opened in November 2005, the gift to the city from Bernie Marcus, one of the cofounders of Home Depot. It holds more than eight million gallons of water, and houses more than 100,000 marine and freshwater animals which represent 500 different species around the world.

One of the great exhibits in the aquarium allows groups to touch stingrays, horseshoe crabs, hammerhead sharks and starfish. All stations feature an on-site expert to guide groups through the experience, and to provide information about the creatures that alleviates much of the fears people may have of interacting with them.

Moving up in latitude, groups will find more mountainous terrain in Northern Georgia, a great spot for enjoying some truly unspoilt landscape. The area is becoming increasingly well-known for its vineyards and wineries. The Nacoochee Village offers a unique setting for wine tasting at Habersham Winery, as well as flyfishing, touring Nora Mill, a working grist mill, antiquing and horseback riding. For a nominal fee that includes a wine tasting coupled with samples of cheeses, fruit and chocolates, you have a perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

The Kangaroo Conservation Center in Dawsonville offers the largest collection of kangaroos outside of Australia and can accommodate groups as large as ninety through its 87 acres. The center has a large variety of native Australian critters besides kangaroos, including kookaburras, wallabies and bettongs.

Historic Georgia and the Antebellum Trail

The Antebellum Trail runs from Athens south to Macon.

Athens is home to America’s first garden club in 1891. Groups can visit Founders Memorial Garden, which was created to commemorate the women who formed that club. Its two-and-a-half acres include a formal, picket-fenced boxwood garden, two courtyards, a retrace, a perennial garden, and an arboretum.

The Civil War Reenactment in Old Clinton, also called the “town that time forgot,” happens every year in May. The Old Clinton Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 to help preserve and restore what was once one of the fastest-growing centers of trade and culture in Georgia.

The Coast

Steeped in the past and described by some as “untouched,” one Savannah transplant warned, “if you don’t want to move to Savannah, don’t visit.” Savannah offers groups an endless sampling of history and beautiful architecture. Walking Magazine named the city one of the top ten walking cities in the United States and 40% of Savannah’s 2,500 buildings have some sort of historical or architectural significance.

The Telfair Museum, for instance, is the oldest museum in the Southeast, having opened its doors in 1886. In the first expansion in the Telfair’s 120-year history, the new Jepson Center for the Arts, a 64,000-sq. ft. facility, just opened in March.

Tybee Island is a twenty-minute drive from Historic Savannah, and offers many great opportunities for visiting groups. Spend a day enjoying the sea breezes and seeking ecoadventures. Take a dolphin tour, kayak tour or deep-sea fishing excursion. Groups can climb to the top of Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse or track wartime battles at two of Tybee’s forts.

Southwestern Georgia and the Southern Rivers

Outdoor opportunities abound in this region, offering agritourism opportunities and soft adventure for every level of interest and activity. Providence Canyon State Conservation Park has more than 1,000 acres of hiking, picnicking, camping and photography opportunities for every group.

Callaway Gardens is celebrating its 15th annual production of Fantasy In Lights, its holiday program, with more than eight million lights creating over a dozen holiday scenes. The Gardens’ Birds of Prey show, shown at least once daily, is a perennial favorite and now utilizes more than a dozen birds of prey.

Agrirama, located in Tifton, consists of four distinct areas: traditional farm community of the 1870s, progressive farmstead of the 1890s, industrial sites complex, and a rural town. More than 35 structures have been relocated to the 95-acre site and faithfully restored or preserved as they appeared at the turn of the century. Costumed interpreters are on location daily to explain and demonstrate the lifestyle and activities of the period.

No matter what corner of Georgia your group chooses to visit, there will always be an abundance of activities to experience. It is especially true that much of Georgia’s beauty lies in the crevices, in the folds of its history. That is not to say, though, that all that there is to the Peach State has already been discovered. Quite the contrary, the fun of visiting is taking those old favorites and digging a little deeper.

* Atlanta CVB: 800-285-2682, www.atlanta.net
* Athens CVB: 800-653-0603, www.visitathensga.com
* Antebellum Trail: www.antebellumtrail.org
* Old Clinton (c/o Jones County Chamber of
* Commerce): 478-986-1123, www.jonescounty.org
* Sapelo Island Visitors Interpretive Center:
* 912-437-3224
* Savannah CVB: 877-728-2662, www.savannah-visit.com
* Tybee Island: www.tybeeisland.com
* Agrirama: 800-767-1875, www.agrirama.com
* Callaway Gardens: 800-225-5292,
* www.callawaygardens.com
* Ebenezer Baptist Church: 404-688-7263,
* www.historicebenezer.org
* Founders Memorial Garden: 706-542-4776,
* www.uga.edu/gardenclub/Founder.html
* Georgia Aquarium: 404-581-4000,
* www.georgiaaquarium.org
* Kangaroo Conservation Center: 706-265-6100,
* www.kangaroocenter.com
* Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site:
* 404-331-5190, www.nps.gov/malu
* Nacoochee Village: 706-878-9463,
* www.nacoocheevillage.com
* Providence Canyon State Conservation Park:
* 800-864-7275, www.gastateparks.org/info/providence
* Telfair Museum: 912.790.8827, www.telfair.org

Courtesy of Leisure Group Travel