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December 2007
Say goodbye to 2007’s stresses with a spa trip
Where’s your favorite Southeastern spa?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I don’t need a resolution (New Year’s or otherwise) to convince me that a spa getaway is an excellent idea. Given the opportunity, I will easily resolve to melt away stress with a relaxing massage, a cleansing facial or a simple manicure-pedicure.
It’s the opportunity that always escapes me. With three young children, a busy husband and my own hectic schedule, traveling to an exotic locale for a bit of a pamper is an indulgence indeed. Even without the travel part, I don’t see the inside of Atlanta’s great spas as much as I would like.
But a few weeks ago, William and I did the unimaginable. We found a friend who would watch our kids for the weekend, and we headed off to Hilton Head for my 36th birthday. It was our first trip without any children in tow in more than eight years, and a spa visit was at the top of my list. Golf was at the top of William’s list. So we played golf together in the morning and spent the afternoon side-by-side on massage tables. Sixty minutes of soft music, aromatic oils and muscle rubbing were just what I needed to forget about the moving vehicles and beautiful houses my left-handed slice nearly destroyed earlier in the day.
After the massage, William hit the pub down the street while I stayed on for a manicure and pedicure. I was the last one to leave the spa that day, and as I headed off to meet William, I resolved that it would not be another eight years before we took a trip without the kids. I also thought that the kids would probably enjoy some of the spa treatments themselves.
This week, Kelly Williams writes about seven spas in the Southeast worth looking into. Because we travel so frequently with the children, I am very interested in the Amelia Island and Charleston spas and the kid-friendly packages they offer. But I also want to try a couple of the mountain spas she mentions.
Have you been to any of the seven spas in Kelly Williams’ article? What were your experiences there? Do you have another favorite spa within driving distance of Atlanta? Tell us about it.
Permalink | Comments (88) | Post your comment | Categories: Southeast travel
Where to go when you really want to get out of town…over Christmas?
Are you getting away from it all next week?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ahh, the holidays — visions of sweets dancing in your head or images of your uncle annoyingly dancing for attention? Christmas is my favorite time to spend with my extended family, but the hustle of the season can leave even the most spirited person too bustled to be good company. And if “annoying” was anywhere in your answer to my question, this may be the year to get away from it all.
But where can you go at this late date to make your holiday merry and bright? Cheap airfares or an empty seat on a plane may be hard to come by - especially if you’re looking for a traditional destination filled with the promise of a white Christmas.
While snow is hardly guaranteed in Atlanta, the Southeast does offer quite a few options for a quick Christmas getaway. The mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee are about a three-hour drive from Atlanta. They offer several ski resorts and cool towns like Asheville, NC or Gatlinburg, TN where you can shop, sightsee or just settle in for a cup of hot chocolate. Check out www.visitnc.com or www.tnvacation.com to conjure up some winter fun over the holiday.
Of course, Georgia has mountains too, and you may find a handful of cabins still available for rent in towns like Blue Ridge, Hiawassee and Blairsville. Or head south about 70 miles to Pine Mountain, Ga. to check out Callaway Gardens’ “Fantasy in Lights” display, famous gardens and spa.
You could also take advantage of off-season rates at beaches throughout the Southeast. You’ll likely wear more sweaters than shorts, but a walk along an empty beach can help melt away stress or dysfunctional family memories faster than you can say Jingle Bells.
Have you taken a last-minute Christmas trip anywhere in the Southeast? Where did you go? Did you stay in a hotel, bed & breakfast or rental house? Tell us what you liked and disliked about your mini holiday vacation.
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment | Categories: Last-minute travel
Holiday travel tips: Keep your schedule & sanity
Nightmare journeys from Christmas past? Your holiday travel strategy?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those who need only travel “over the river and through the woods” to Grandma’s house this holiday season, count yourselves lucky. Christmas is 13 days away, and many Georgians are on a mad scramble to finish shopping and shipping in time for their winter journeys.
As a child, my longest Christmas trek was 10 minutes by car. As an adult living in Washington, DC, I quickly understood the horror stories of traveling at this time of year. Flying or driving home was stressful and exhausting. Even the train was draining. We would usually leave work late on the 23rd and drive through the night to miss most of the traffic. We may have been the only people stopping at South of the Border on I-95 at 2 a.m., but we also weren’t sleeping on the floor of (Reagan) National Airport with other delayed travelers.
By the time we moved back to Atlanta, our families had moved several hours away. For years, we spent Christmas morning at our house, then packed up the car and the kids and hurtled southward — over the causeway and through the marsh to St. Simons Island.
Traveling on Christmas Day isn’t really all that bad. The roads are virtually empty, and the airports are far less crowded. As long as you don’t mind eating airport food or Waffle House for your Christmas lunch, you’re good to go. Very few other places are open. (We recommend the Dublin, Ga. WH for those heading to the coast on the 25th.)
If Christmas Day travel isn’t your idea of a good time, here are some basic tips that might make your trip a little less taxing.
Try to avoid flying on the weekend before and after Christmas. That’s when flights are more likely to be packed and delays more frequent.
Fly early in the day before delays can snowball, and opt for non-stop flights if you can.
You can’t control the weather, so be ready for a snow or ice slow downs if you’re spending Christmas in someplace like Saskatoon - or catching a connecting flight in Buffalo.
Book flights into smaller, less-crowded airports. The extra time you spend driving to the airport could save hours in flight delays.
Leave plenty of time to find parking (which can be difficult to find during peak holiday travel) and get through check-in and security. You can’t afford to miss your flight. Public transport or a car service could cut down delays before you check in.
If you’re traveling by car, get an early start, pack plenty of snacks and consider alternate routes to your destination.
Let us know how you plan to deal with crazy holiday travel this year. Share your sage travel tips or scare us with nightmare journeys of Christmases past. Next week, we’ll check out last-minute getaways for those who don’t want to spend the holiday at home - or anyone else’s home for that matter.
Permalink | Comments (19) | Categories: Travel during a holiday
Introducing the traveling blogger
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Keith Still is an Atlanta native who frequently travels “anear” throughout the Southeast with her husband and three children. Road trips became her cure for common boredom (and other issues) years ago.
Living in Pennsylvannia from 1989 to 1991, she often found herself — in winter — behind the wheel and heading south. In 1991, she left the Keystone State for good and didn’t stop driving until she reached Athens and the University of Georgia. There she met her future husband and fellow traveling companion, William. The two began trekking all over the state for fun.
After graduating UGA in 1993, getting married and seeing the state of Tennessee on a Senate campaign, Keith moved to Washington, DC for three years. Just weeks after her eldest daughter was born, the family moved back to Georgia. Keith and William have since added two more daughters to their traveling troupe.
The Stills travel frequently, often to the Georgia coast to visit parents and grandparents. They also journey all over the Southeast just to get out and about. Beaches, mountains, big cities and rural destinations — no place is too large and no attraction too obscure to explore.
Keith is Still Traveling every week on the blog. Join her to talk about travel .
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