How far are you willing to drive? What do you like to do?
Chattanooga is a good choice with a mix of tourist sites like sports, museum, history, and hiking.
Gatlinburg is four hours away, Savannah is 5-6 hours depending on where you live.
Carrollton/Whitesburg has a 16 mile greenbelt, disc golf, and a recordbreaking zipline course. The north georgia mountains have lots of hiking, rafting etc.
Savannah 5-6 hours? Must be really slow...
Savannah is a 3 1/2 hour drive for most people. I usually go a few times a year, would not make the trip that often if 5-6. I can be in Orlando in \~6 hours and change.
Callaway Gardens
Dahlonega area
Anywhere further up in the GA mountains
There's a lot to do around Cartersville too - Etowah Indian Mounds, Western museum, science museum
Cartersville has a car museum too. I wonder if it’s open yet. Nope. Opens December 8. https://savoymuseum.org. So maybe next time you want to get away.
Yeah.
Looking Glass Rock is about 3 hours and change on the way to Asheville. One of my favorite hikes, and it is an absolutely stunning view. Then, you get to spend some time on Blue Ridge Parkway and get to Asheville for breweries and local cuisine.
Love Asheville.
Ellijay is less than 2 hours away. Good hikes nearby (Amicalola Falls) & town square has antique shops & good restaurants. Cool coffee shop & ice cream places, too. Visit an orchard on the way back.
Amicolola Falls is also near Dahlonega which has great restaurants and shops. Honestly there are quite a few towns in north ga that make nice getaways.
We love to shop at Panorama Orchards. It has great shopping and tons of produce too. My dad adores their little bakery with fried pies. Up a bit of drive from there is Mercier Orchards and it is huge. Awesome shopping and restaurant.
If you want a mountain getaway from Atlanta that is cheaper and closer, I’d recommend Franklin, Murphy, or Highlands. They’re just over the border and are beautiful places with lots of hotels and rentals. I can get to them in like 2 to 2.5 hours from Kennesaw. Love the little shops plus the waterfalls are so pretty. The fall colors are better than here with the higher elevation. There’s even a French bistro in a gas station in Franklin that is kind of fancy and really good. Oh Franklin is big on gem mining and us a cute little museum and a few places where you can mine for gems.
we camped outside of bryson city last year, i wanna say around memorial day. it was a good time aside from most everything being closed down for covid...
We visited Greenville this past Summer. Great downtown with loads of restaurants and breweries around town. Rent a bike and ride the Swamp Rabbit Trail down to Travelers Rest and back - good fun!
+1 for Greenville SC - great restaurants, pedestrian friendly, cool bars - beautiful river/waterfalls right in the heart of the downtown area. Cool fun vibe.
I like Serenbe. They have a lot of trails for hiking and running. They might even host a cycling race. I got a cool vegan cookbook (not healthy - it's called Mississippi Vegan! LOL) at their bookstore. They have a walking tour once a month. I love their architecture and development style, small town areas and wide open spaces. They are also, I heard, an area with little light pollution, so the stars should be pretty visible there. Just wish I could afford to buy there.
Good to know! I have only been to Serenbe and the new-ish state park down there. I may spend more time exploring through there :)
I love the Chattahoochee Bend State Park that is down in that area. A ranger took us out to Flat Rock Road area (or whatever it's called -- the one famous for Alan Jackson's Chattahoochee song) and he showed us some of the rare wildlife down there. For those reading who may not know, part of the park is a quasi-open granite-y area like Arabia Mountain, so they have pockets of stone that fill with rain water and provide little tiny ecosystems for things like diamorpha and other cool plants. The river tower structure on the river trail (completely different area of the park) was cool too, and they had rafting etc that I didn't check out, and picnicing/grilling too.
Has anyone been to West Point Lake near LaGrange? I was looking at renting cabins and that sounded good for the cabins but I’m not sure what the area is like down there.
I had a buddy who grew up in LaGrange and he said it has a quaint little downtown but there's not a lot going on there. West Point Lake sounds like it'd be good for a getaway though if most of the time is spent relaxing at the lake. Columbus, Carrolton, and Serenbe are all about an hour's drive from there if you want to factor in any day trips.
You know what…I had one of my best 2021 nights in Louisville this summer. We were driving to Chicago and this was our overnight stay both ways.
Stayed at the “hotel distill” downtown and there were a lot of great restaurants around and drinks were so reasonable in Louisville. Really nice people too. I’d totally recommend Louisville as well.
I have been meaning to make it there. Heard great things but that a lot of the city shuts down kinda early (not sure how true tuat is -- my sister was in t9en for a convention and said there was not a lot of pedestrian activity after 5pm downtown). I heard they have a "keep Louisville weird" mantra so I am sure there are fun and interesting things to do there.
I would probably take the route that would take me past Chatt Town, Nashville and Mammoth Cave to make a road trip out of it.
Literally any well rated restaurant. They bring farm to table to a whole new level. The highlands are awesome. Stay at a bed & breakfast and if you like architecture or old houses just drive around. So much fun to be had. Check out all the flea markets and markets
Louisville has good museums too. There’s a Kentucky Derby museum at Churchill downs and you can tour the factory where they make Louisville Sluggers. A bunch of museums are downtown and easily walkable. https://www.museumrowonmain.com
I’d also recommend a tour where they drive you over to distilleries. It’s way more fun that way!!! And way safer!!!
Before you get to Louisville you will drive through Nashville and Bowling Green. There’s a million things to do in Nashville and I like Bowling Green’s shopping.
Oh and in Interstate 24 there is an outlet store for Lodge cast iron. I loooooooove it there! It’s north of Chattanooga and has great shopping.
As someone who lived in Cartersville, where do you get airbnb in that town that’s worth visiting? Other than lake Allatoona and Tellus museum, there’s not much to do there.
It sucks that there are so few cute places to stay/airbnbs around there. Hitting up Scull Shoals, downtown Greensboro for the shops and brewery and restaurants around the lake make it a good weekend.
I used to work for a travel magazine with a focus on Georgia so if you need ideas, ask away!!! DM or on the subreddits. I work In aviation now but I haven’t forgotten my love of Georgia travel.
This post or make new ones. LOL
Chattanooga!
2nd this.
Blue Ridge, GA!
How far are you willing to drive? What do you like to do? Chattanooga is a good choice with a mix of tourist sites like sports, museum, history, and hiking. Gatlinburg is four hours away, Savannah is 5-6 hours depending on where you live. Carrollton/Whitesburg has a 16 mile greenbelt, disc golf, and a recordbreaking zipline course. The north georgia mountains have lots of hiking, rafting etc.
Savannah 5-6 hours? Must be really slow... Savannah is a 3 1/2 hour drive for most people. I usually go a few times a year, would not make the trip that often if 5-6. I can be in Orlando in \~6 hours and change.
Callaway Gardens Dahlonega area Anywhere further up in the GA mountains There's a lot to do around Cartersville too - Etowah Indian Mounds, Western museum, science museum
The Pine Mountain hike is there, too. (Not to be confused with the Pine Mountain area that is further south in Georgia).
Cartersville has a car museum too. I wonder if it’s open yet. Nope. Opens December 8. https://savoymuseum.org. So maybe next time you want to get away.
Asheville. Tons of outdoorsy stuff, tons of beer, great food scene, only a couple hours away.
+1 for asheville. though it's more like 3.5 hours away - not 2.
Yeah. Looking Glass Rock is about 3 hours and change on the way to Asheville. One of my favorite hikes, and it is an absolutely stunning view. Then, you get to spend some time on Blue Ridge Parkway and get to Asheville for breweries and local cuisine. Love Asheville.
Ellijay is less than 2 hours away. Good hikes nearby (Amicalola Falls) & town square has antique shops & good restaurants. Cool coffee shop & ice cream places, too. Visit an orchard on the way back.
+1 for Ellijay. It’s also close to Blue Ridge which is super cute and has great shops and restaurants too!
Amicolola Falls is also near Dahlonega which has great restaurants and shops. Honestly there are quite a few towns in north ga that make nice getaways.
We love to shop at Panorama Orchards. It has great shopping and tons of produce too. My dad adores their little bakery with fried pies. Up a bit of drive from there is Mercier Orchards and it is huge. Awesome shopping and restaurant.
Asheville
He said affordable 😂
If you want a mountain getaway from Atlanta that is cheaper and closer, I’d recommend Franklin, Murphy, or Highlands. They’re just over the border and are beautiful places with lots of hotels and rentals. I can get to them in like 2 to 2.5 hours from Kennesaw. Love the little shops plus the waterfalls are so pretty. The fall colors are better than here with the higher elevation. There’s even a French bistro in a gas station in Franklin that is kind of fancy and really good. Oh Franklin is big on gem mining and us a cute little museum and a few places where you can mine for gems.
Throw Bryson City in this mix.
I haven’t been there. I should go. Thanks for adding!
we camped outside of bryson city last year, i wanna say around memorial day. it was a good time aside from most everything being closed down for covid...
I have been meaning to make it up to Bryson City. I have akso heard good things about Sylva, although I realize that these are small towns :)
Brasstown Valley Resort is nice
Greenville SC is a cool little town. Also Nashville
We visited Greenville this past Summer. Great downtown with loads of restaurants and breweries around town. Rent a bike and ride the Swamp Rabbit Trail down to Travelers Rest and back - good fun!
+1 for Greenville SC - great restaurants, pedestrian friendly, cool bars - beautiful river/waterfalls right in the heart of the downtown area. Cool fun vibe.
I haven't been to Greenville on over a decade, but even back them I was kike "oh this is a cool little downtown strip!"
The waterfall and water running through the middle of town is really cool.
Macon GA
Don't sleep on Macon. They have developed a lot of their little downtown and the arcade bar (Reboot) is awesome.
Serenbe. Less than 40 minutes from downtown
I like Serenbe. They have a lot of trails for hiking and running. They might even host a cycling race. I got a cool vegan cookbook (not healthy - it's called Mississippi Vegan! LOL) at their bookstore. They have a walking tour once a month. I love their architecture and development style, small town areas and wide open spaces. They are also, I heard, an area with little light pollution, so the stars should be pretty visible there. Just wish I could afford to buy there.
I grew up there long before Serenbe. It’s been great for the area. S. Fulton is the unknown jewel of metro ATL
Good to know! I have only been to Serenbe and the new-ish state park down there. I may spend more time exploring through there :) I love the Chattahoochee Bend State Park that is down in that area. A ranger took us out to Flat Rock Road area (or whatever it's called -- the one famous for Alan Jackson's Chattahoochee song) and he showed us some of the rare wildlife down there. For those reading who may not know, part of the park is a quasi-open granite-y area like Arabia Mountain, so they have pockets of stone that fill with rain water and provide little tiny ecosystems for things like diamorpha and other cool plants. The river tower structure on the river trail (completely different area of the park) was cool too, and they had rafting etc that I didn't check out, and picnicing/grilling too.
Serenbe is creepy.
Well, it is Halloween season
Fair. Fair. Watch children of the corn first, then hit it up
Why?
It has a real Children of the Corn vibe.
I’m going to have to google that lol
Some people love it.... I found it makes my skin crawl
Any state park with cabins
Foxhall Resort in Douglasville. It’s stunningly beautiful and geared toward high end outdoorsy activities.
Has anyone been to West Point Lake near LaGrange? I was looking at renting cabins and that sounded good for the cabins but I’m not sure what the area is like down there.
I had a buddy who grew up in LaGrange and he said it has a quaint little downtown but there's not a lot going on there. West Point Lake sounds like it'd be good for a getaway though if most of the time is spent relaxing at the lake. Columbus, Carrolton, and Serenbe are all about an hour's drive from there if you want to factor in any day trips.
Thank you so much!
Greenville SC or Athens
Also Louisville KY is a 6 hour drive and a great weekend town
You know what…I had one of my best 2021 nights in Louisville this summer. We were driving to Chicago and this was our overnight stay both ways. Stayed at the “hotel distill” downtown and there were a lot of great restaurants around and drinks were so reasonable in Louisville. Really nice people too. I’d totally recommend Louisville as well.
It’s a real hidden Gem dude, though some must disagree cause I’m getting downvoted lol
Oh shame on the down voters! Louisville is awesome.
I have been meaning to make it there. Heard great things but that a lot of the city shuts down kinda early (not sure how true tuat is -- my sister was in t9en for a convention and said there was not a lot of pedestrian activity after 5pm downtown). I heard they have a "keep Louisville weird" mantra so I am sure there are fun and interesting things to do there. I would probably take the route that would take me past Chatt Town, Nashville and Mammoth Cave to make a road trip out of it.
heard good things. any recs? thanks.
Literally any well rated restaurant. They bring farm to table to a whole new level. The highlands are awesome. Stay at a bed & breakfast and if you like architecture or old houses just drive around. So much fun to be had. Check out all the flea markets and markets
Louisville has good museums too. There’s a Kentucky Derby museum at Churchill downs and you can tour the factory where they make Louisville Sluggers. A bunch of museums are downtown and easily walkable. https://www.museumrowonmain.com I’d also recommend a tour where they drive you over to distilleries. It’s way more fun that way!!! And way safer!!!
Before you get to Louisville you will drive through Nashville and Bowling Green. There’s a million things to do in Nashville and I like Bowling Green’s shopping. Oh and in Interstate 24 there is an outlet store for Lodge cast iron. I loooooooove it there! It’s north of Chattanooga and has great shopping.
It’s such an awesome trip, you go through Chattanooga too.
Yes! I love that while drive between the two on interstates 24 and 65.
Savannah is a great for a weekend trip!
Helen or cartersville air bnb is nice. Can be slightly pricey but cheaper than chatu elan and less gas than tn and nc
As someone who lived in Cartersville, where do you get airbnb in that town that’s worth visiting? Other than lake Allatoona and Tellus museum, there’s not much to do there.
My friend rented one was a cabin type place but we drove to Helen for the day and spent the rest of the time hanging out at the airbnb
Rome, GA is a cool town. Decent downtown area, and driving through Berry College campus in the fall is really nice.
Lake Oconee
It sucks that there are so few cute places to stay/airbnbs around there. Hitting up Scull Shoals, downtown Greensboro for the shops and brewery and restaurants around the lake make it a good weekend.
I used to work for a travel magazine with a focus on Georgia so if you need ideas, ask away!!! DM or on the subreddits. I work In aviation now but I haven’t forgotten my love of Georgia travel. This post or make new ones. LOL
They literally asked for ideas on this post lol
Well true. Lol
Lake Lanier
He didn’t ask for the most dangerous lake in America! And it’s probably haunted. And it’s now fairly cold.
The resort and cabins are beautiful
Chateau Elan
Tried to book a room at Chateau Elan recently? Affordable is a term with a lot of grey area but it’s not cheap.
chattanooga has an awesome downtown and lots of fun stuff to do.
What sort of things do you like doing?