Georgia travel guide

Once a small Cherokee Indian village, Adairsville was named after Walter John S. Adair, a Scottish settler who fell in love and was married to a Cherokee Indian woman. This, of course, was before the forced removal of the Cherokee people in 1838.

Located in the Oothcalooga Valley in Bartow County, this northwestern Georgia destination was the first in the state to have their entire town listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today tourists flock to this quaint little town for antiquing and shopping at many of the unique boutiques in the town’s central business and retail district.

Tourism didn’t really come to Adairsville until 1991 when the 160-year-old Barnsley Gardens opened to the public.

Adairsville’s involvement in the Civil War stands out as a pivotal moment in the town’s history. What became known as the Great Locomotive Chase took place on April 12, 1862, when a group of Union spies stole a locomotive in Kennesaw and drove it north through Adairsville to Ringgold, where it was recovered. The incident was made into a feature file in 1956 by Walt Disney Studios. Every year come fall, the Great Locomotive Chase Festival, a three-day celebration, is held in remembrance of the event during the first weekend in October.

Tourists visiting Adairsville can still see the original depot that witnessed the pursuit of the steam locomotive General. The 1847 Railroad Depot is home to the Adairsville Welcome Center, which introduces visitors to the heritage of one of Georgia's most historic cities.

Why You Should Go

Adairsville provides the urban vacationer an opportunity to escape the heady rat race in a small town environment that still exhibits a great deal of 19th century charm.  Rich with history, Adairsville, Cartersville and the surrounding Bartow County area offer home style and gourmet dining, museums, golf and resort relaxation opportunities

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How to Get There

Adairsville's location – 65 miles north of Atlanta – makes for a convenient overnight getaway. Three motels at I-75 Exit 306 offer comfortable accommodations at reasonable prices. RV campers are welcome at the Harvest Moon RV Park and Leisure Time RV Park.

Links of Interest

Blairsville

History

Union County was named after the Union Party, who strongly supported President Andrew Jackson for his policy of Indian removal. On Dec. 26, 1835, the Georgia General Assembly designated Union’s county seat in an act that read, “lot No. 273 of the ninth district and first section of, originally Cherokee, now Union county, and at a place now known by the name of Blairsville.” Reportedly the town’s namesake is Francis P. Blair, a prominent and influential man and a strong supporter of – you guessed it – the Union Party. Adjacent towns and counties in the area have similar ties to the Union Party that help to support this connection.

Why You Should Go

There’s a multitude of reasons to explore Blairsville and Union County. Deep in the heart of the Chattahoochee National Forest and Blue Ridge Mountains you can have an experience like no other:  hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Lakes Winfield Scott and Nottely offer plenty of opportunities for water sport activities. Just a short distance south of Blairsville, tourists can explore eight spectacular waterfalls and examine petroglyphs left by ancient natives in the soapstone at the Trackrock Archeological Area.

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How to Get There

Take I-75 North to Canton Exit 268, and continue north on Ga. 5, which turns into U.S. 76 East. Turn right at U.S. 129 and you'll be in the heart of Blairsville. The drive is 116 miles and takes about two hours from Atlanta.

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Chickamauga Battlefield

History

The scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, Chickamauga was fought Sept. 18-20, 1863, along the Chickamauga Creek in North Georgia. The Union Army of the Cumberland fought to gain control of the Chattanooga region, the "Gateway to the Deep South," from the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The numerically superior Union forces had forced the Confederates to abandon Chattanooga. The arrival of Confederate reinforcements emboldened the Gen. Braxton Bragg to strike at the Federals before they could consolidate their army on Chattanooga. The Battle of Chickamauga resulted. Union Gen. William Rosecrans parried the thrust throughout the first two days of action, but on Sept. 20, having slept little in the week before the battle, issued ill-considered orders relative to a reported gap in his line and actually created a hole. The heaviest Confederate attack of the battle struck the Union line at that point. The right half of the Union line on the battlefield collapsed, and the Union army withdrew before dark on the 20th, allowing the Confederates to claim the victory. The Union forces withdrew to Chattanooga, and after reorganization and the receipt of reinforcements, in November attacked and drove Confederates off Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. The "Gateway to the Deep South" was firmly in Union hands. Thirty-four thousand of the 124,000 soldiers engaged at Chickamauga had been killed, wounded or captured.

Why you should go

Five thousand acres of the Chickamauga Battlefield have been preserved, and a museum with exhibits and audio-visual programs will help prepare you to tour the battlefield and see some of the 1,000 monuments, markers, tablets and cannon that mark the lines as the troops fought in the woods. The battle in September was the last major victory for the Confederacy. The spring after the battle at Chickamauga, Gen. William T. Sherman launched the campaign from Chattanooga that led him to Atlanta and his infamous "March to the Sea" through Georgia.

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How to get there

From Interstate 75: It's about 110 miles and takes 1 hour, 50 minutes from downtown Atlanta.

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Jekyll Island

History

The island was purchased from John Eugene duBignon in 1886 for $125,000 as a hunting resort by some of the wealthiest men in America, including J.P. Morgan, Joseph Pulitzer, Marshall Field, Everett Macy, William Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt. Jekyll Island was prized for its "splendid isolation." The club members commissioned a 60-room clubhouse, finished in 1887. The owners would usually spend a couple of winter months at Jekyll Island, arriving by yacht from New York. The Jekyll Wharf where they tied their yachts remains in use. Although Jekyll was a hunting resort, it was built by the richest men in the world. Between 1886 and 1928, the owners built "cottages" -- the largest is almost 8,000 square feet -- along the marsh side of the island where they would be protected from the ocean. Many of these beautiful houses have been restored or are currently a work in progress. The Jekyll Island Clubhouse is now a Victorian hotel. The first golf course was laid out in 1898.

During the Great Depression, the members became disenchanted with the island, which was sold to the State of Georgia in 1947. In 1978, the 240-acre club district was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1985, work began to restore the Clubhouse and surrounding grounds into a world-class hotel and resort named the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. It is once again a showcase and is available for everyone to enjoy. Today the 240-acre National Historic Landmark is often called "Millionaire's Village."

Why you should go

Outside of the Historic District, Jekyll Island is an easy-going, affordable destination set amid live oaks, Spanish moss, palmetto trees and beautiful beaches. Criss-crossing the Island are more than 20 miles of cycling and walking paths. A sizable portion of the Island is undeveloped.

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How to get there

The drive is about 322 miles and takes approximately 5 hours, 10 minutes. Flights are available to Brunswick Golden Isles Airport.

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The North Georgia Mountains

History

North Georgia Mountains refers not to a mountain range but a region where the Blue Ridge Mountains meet the Appalachian Mountains along the state’s northern border with North Carolina and Tennessee. Much of the region makes up the 750,000-acre Chattahoochee National Forest, home to more than 500 wildlife species, and a popular recreation area with 530 miles of trails.

The North Georgia Mountains are rich with local history and culture, spanning thousands of years that predate the arrival of Europeans. When explorers came to the area now known as Rabun County in 1760, the Cherokee population was so vast that many settlers referred to the area as the Cherokee Mountains. In 1828, thousands flocked to the area when Dahlonega became the site of the first major U.S. gold rush, which lasted nearly 20 years. The town of Helen was thrived as an exporter of timber, but it fell into economic decline in the ‘60s. That was when city planners and a local artist decided to retool the town as a Bavarian Village. Their efforts were successful and today Helen is a thriving tourist destination.

Located in Pickens County, Tate was originally called Marble Works because of its role in the manufacturing of building granite and marble. In 1880 it was renamed after Georgia Marble Co. president Samuel Tate.

Why You Should Go

The main reason folks in Atlanta flock to the North Georgia Mountains every weekend is to find respite in the majestic beauty and cool, quiet calm found in this heavily forested landscape of peaks and valleys. Recreational activities abound, whether you’re into swimming, hiking, fishing, camping, kayaking, horseback riding or spelunking. But luxury accommodations, fine dining and antiques shopping can be found, too.

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How to Get There

Depending on what part of the North Georgia Mountains, you’ll want to head north on I-575, I-985 or Ga. 400.  From Atlanta you can get just about anywhere in the region within two hours.

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Savannah

History

On Feb. 12, 1733, General James Oglethorpe and more than 100 passengers of the good ship "Anne" landed on a bluff high along the Savannah River. Oglethorpe named the 13th and final American colony "Georgia" after England's King George II. Savannah became its first city. The plan was to offer a new start for England's working poor and to strengthen the colonies by increasing trade.

The colony of Georgia also was chartered as a buffer zone for South Carolina, protecting it from the advance of the Spanish in Florida. Savannah is known as America's first planned city. Oglethorpe laid the city out in a series of grids that allowed for wide-open streets intertwined with shady public squares and parks that served as town meeting places and centers of business. Savannah had 24 original squares; 22 remain today. Savannah's Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It is one of the largest historic landmarks in the country.

Why you should go

The nation's largest Urban Historic Landmark District, the 22 green squares and 1,600-plus historically and architecturally significant structures are all within a 2.5 square mile area. Wear your walking shoes and stroll the Historic District. Guide services can personalize your walk to a specific interest. And there are all the places where "Forrest Gump" and "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" were filmed.

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How to get there

It's about 250 miles and takes about four hours from downtown Atlanta. Regular flights are available at to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

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St. Simon's Island

History

The first Europeans likely were French and Spanish explorers. Spanish missionaries were active in the area, with three missions on St. Simons, but by 1687 the Spanish had withdrawn all of their missions north of St. Augustine. The first permanent English settlement on St. Simons came in 1736, shortly after the founding of Savannah. James Oglethorpe had begun a colony in Georgia "for the settling of the poor persons of London in Savannah" and as a buffer against the Spanish. Oglethorpe founded the fortified town of Frederica on the north end of St. Simons Island. A road was built southward and a battery that was built was named Fort St. Simons. In 1742 a Spanish fleet with 3,000 men from St. Augustine attacked St. Simons from the south. Oglethorpe withdrew his men from the battery back to Frederica. The Spanish were led into an ambush. So many Spaniards were slain that the battle became known as the Battle of Bloody Marsh. Through Oglethorpe's strategic maneuvers, some trickery and the fortuitous appearance of three English ships, the Spanish withdrew, thinking they had been surrounded by a superior force. It was the end of the Spanish presence north of Florida. It meant that the territory of Georgia and northward would be English; the language, the customs, the traditions English, not Spanish.

Why you should go

It's a beautiful beach and golf resort with history, oak-lined lanes dripping with Spanish moss, with excellent restaurants and a world-class resort at nearby Sea Island. There is plenty to see and do, all amid typical barrier island scenery.

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How to get there

It takes a little more than five hours for the 315-mile drive. Flights are available to Brunswick Golden Isles airport.

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