Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, but the term is also used to refer to celebrations at any time during Carnival. Fat Tuesday is Feb. 21 this year, and the traditional colors of purple, green and gold -- standing for justice, faith and power, respectively -- will be flaunted all season long at parades and balls around the Southeast, particularly in the Gulf Coast region, where Mardi Gras was first celebrated in the New World, and in one historic town along the Georgia coast.

Peak color season is on the way, a time when many Atlantans will hit the road to view the burnt hues of the autumn trees. If you're looking for a place beyond Georgia, consider one of these Southeastern destinations or events for your fall leaf looking this year.

Set on the rolling upper coastal plains of southeast Alabama near the Georgia border, the college town of Auburn is steeped in tradition, mostly centered around Auburn University's football program. Auburn football has been in the news a lot lately, from winning a national championship to the deliberate poisoning of its famed oak trees at Toomer's Corner that have blossomed in three different centuries, but whose fate is now tenuous.

Fentress County on the Cumberland Plateau in north-central Tennessee is bisected by U.S. 127. Before the interstate system, the highway was a major corridor through the region, then came I-75 to the east and I-40 to the south. In the mid-1980s, Fentress County Executive Mike Walker came up with an idea to get tourists to venture off the interstate and back through his county once again: host a giant yard sale for a few days along the 127 corridor.

By Blake Guthrie  Many families consider their pets to be full-fledged members of the clan, until vacation time, that is, when they usually get left behind with caregivers while the rest of the crew is off having fun. For those who want to include their beloved non-human family member in on the action, here are some places in the Southeast that are pet-welcoming.

By Blake Guthrie  For those in need of more than a front porch rocking chair experience, here are some outdoor adventure options around the northern part of the state to help get the adrenaline flowing, Spotlight on:  North Georgia Canopy Tours For the uninitiated: a canopy zip line tour involves strapping yourself into a harness with a pulley attached to it, buckling up your helmet and zipping around through high treetops on steel ropes.

Just before daybreak on April 12, 2011, mortar fire arced through the sky in Charleston Harbor as re-enactors fired a cannon shot to mark the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. It was in Charleston that the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861 by Confederate soldiers from Fort Johnson, the beginning of a 34-hour bombardment of Fort Sumter, where Union troops were holed up waiting for supplies and reinforcements.

Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon accident on April 20 of last year -- when the prognosis was bleak for the Gulf Coast due to the resulting oil spill -- Captain John Struchen of Pensacola Yacht Charters was sad at the prospect of losing his charter sailboat business and all the treasures of the coastline he called home.

Charleston's Spoleto Festival, USA, which opens May 27, is a 17-day extravaganza of opera, theater, classical music, dance and jazz.  With its focus on cutting edge works, it is a treasure for fans of the performing arts. Some tickets can be difficult at the last minute, especially for events in the smaller venues.

Southeastern Roundup: North Georgia's wine country By Blake Guthrie      In the early 1980s, an article about wineries in Georgia could have included all of them, as there were only a handful. Today there are nearly 50 farm and commercial wineries and vineyards in the state, the majority of them located in North Georgia.

From an underwater apartment to sharecropper shanties, wigwams and a historic train, the Southeast has some one-of-a-kind lodging options. They may not have all the luxuries of the top hotels in the region, but for adventurous travelers these accommodations might be worth checking in to.

With the Easter holiday approaching some travelers might be interested in attending a passion play. A dramatic representation of Jesus' suffering during his last days, passion plays have been performed since medieval times (the word passion comes from a Latin verb meaning "to suffer").

From long-running, highly regarded festivals to temporary exhibits in museums that may be off-the-radar to most Atlantans, Alabama has some notable arts events this year worthy of travelers' attention. From the state capital of Montgomery, to the largest city of Birmingham, to the high-tech city of Huntsville, all of these destinations are within a few hours of Atlanta on the interstate and any one would make for a nice arts-inspired road trip.

Road Trip: Paducah, Ky. Located halfway between St. Louis and Nashville at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers in western Kentucky, Paducah is a waterfront city steeped in history and buoyed in the present by a vibrant arts scene. In February the National Trust for Historic Preservation deemed Paducah one of the nation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" for 2011, a program begun in 2000 that recognizes cities and towns offering visitors an authentic historical and cultural experience.

Budget Getting there: Frequent sale rates to San Francisco (65 miles south of Napa Valley) or Oakland 45 miles south of Napa) start from $149. AirTran and Delta serve San Francisco with nonstop flights. Other carriers serve Oakland with connecting service.

Budget Getting there: During nationwide sale periods, USAirways offers one-way rates from $140 to San Luis Obispo (10 miles to Morro Bay; service via Phoenix). Stay: The Back Bay Inn, located in the nature preserve community of Baywood Park, offers romantic guest rooms with water views.

There’s no better way to beat the summer heat than by spending the day at a water park, with all the slides, pools, dives and drops you can stomach. The Southeast has a plethora of water parks to offer – from Water Country USA in Williamsburg, Va., which has options for everyone in the family, to the newly renovated Splash Kingdom in Shreveport, La.

Plan an animal-centric family vacation that includes a visit to one of the Southeast’s many outstanding zoos.

These retro theme parks are a blast from the past, and easy on the wallet as well.

From the piney woods of North Carolina to the coastal beauty of South Carolina and warm winters of Florida, the Southeast beckons golfers from across the globe each year. Before you pack up the clubs for your next golf getaway, check out the latest openings, specials and insider’s tips on where to find your best round.

If you’re looking to leave Earth a little better off for the next generation, it might be time to hit the road.

Skiers in North Carolina have an unusual treat this year: The Blue Ridge Mountains are dressed in winter white from an early snowstorm.

For those looking for fun in the snow, good skiing is withing driving distance of Atlanta.

Out west, the mountains may be higher and the resorts bigger, but the Southeast offers some worthwhile ski areas of its own. Best of all, you don’t have to endure a checkpoint at the airport to get to any of these places from Atlanta. Just hop in the car in the morning and you can catch the last few lifts up the mountain by the end of the day.

Here are some tips from travel experts for getting the most out of your skiing budget.