Spring travel: 8 quick getaways by car or plane

Like many mid-sized Southern cities, Huntsville has been undergoing a renaissance of late in its downtown core and surrounding neighborhoods. A decade ago it was hard to find a decent hotel except for cookie-cutter chains out by the expressway near the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, the city’s longtime tourism draw. Now, there are a handful of standout hotels to choose from downtown. The recently opened “lifestyle boutique” 106 Jefferson ($257 and up, www.106jefferson.com) in the heart of the city is steps away from hip coffee shops, trendy restaurants and shops and historic sites. The AC Hotel Huntsville ($220 and up, www.marriott.com) overlooks Big Spring International Park, a sprawling greenspace downtown with a lake and canals and where major events like the Panopoly Arts Festival (April 26-28) take place. Other don’t-miss sites for visitors are the Lowe Mill arts facility, the food court at Stovehouse and Campus No. 805 for the brewing arts and more dining options. All three facilities are housed in repurposed buildings that were industrial sites and schools.

Huntsville/Madison County Visitor Center. 500 Church St. 800-843-0468, huntsville.org.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Indianapolis, Indiana

1-hour, 30-minute flight

A solar eclipse occurs on the afternoon of April 8 and the closest, easiest-to-reach city from Atlanta within the path of totality is Indianapolis. White River State Park next to downtown has plenty of open green space for viewing the eclipse through free solar glasses provided at the park’s visitor center. The park will also have live music and food trucks as part of its Lunacy! Solar Eclipse Festival. Stay across the street at the JW Marriott Indianapolis ($179 and up, www.marriott.com), a curved, blue glass monolith overlooking the park and downtown. Local bars and restaurants will be offering eclipse-themed cocktails including the renowned St. Elmo Steak House ($30 and up. stelmos.com), in business in the same location since 1902 and within walking distance of the state park. Many other viewing events are scheduled throughout the city, including at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where NASA will broadcast live and have experts on hand to answer questions.

White River State Park Visitor Center. 801 W. Washington St. 317-233-2434, visitindy.com.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

LaGrange

65-minute drive

For small-town charm and culture close to Atlanta that won’t bust the budget, head to LaGrange. This city of 30,000 has an enticing historic downtown with lots of locally owned shopping and dining options centered around Lafayette Square. Stay on the square at the modern Courtyard by Marriott LaGrange ($112 and up, marriott.com) and explore the city’s 29-mile pedestrian greenway, The Thread, which leads to fascinating nearby sites like Mulberry Street Cemetery, Hills and Dales Estate (hillsanddales.org) and the revitalized neighborhood of Hillside. For fine Italian dining, Tutto Pepe Dining Room ($16 and up, beacon.beer/tuttopepeatbeacon) opened in Hillside last month at Beacon Brewery. Also in Hillside, Pure Life House of Music (purelifelagrange.com) brings top-notch acoustic touring acts to town in a listening room environment similar to Eddie’s Attic minus the bar so BYOB. Closer to downtown and side-by-side along The Thread are Wild Leap (wildleap.com), LaGrange’s first craft brewery, and a new outpost of Nutwood Winery (nutwoodwinery.com). The LaGrange Cycling Classic, an intense high-speed criterium with professional cyclists, takes place on the streets of downtown on May 4.

Visit LaGrange Georgia Visitor Center. 206 Ridley Ave. 706-668-5555, visitlagrange.com.

Credit: Blake Guthrie

Credit: Blake Guthrie

Bluffton, South Carolina

55-minute flight and 40-minute drive

Many travelers dash past Bluffton on their way to Hilton Head Island Island a few miles away, but beyond the busy highway, there’s a section of Bluffton known as Old Town that’s worthy of a trip itself. An idyllic Lowcountry village with streets shaded by Spanish moss-laden oaks, Old Town is perched on a wooded bluff overlooking the tidal May River. The picturesque waterfront at the end of Calhoun Street contains a park, a town dock and the most-photographed structure in town, the handsome heart pine Church of the Cross built in 1857. While walking the pretty streets you can browse independently owned shops, art galleries and local markets. At the Burnt Church Distillery (burntchurchdistillery.com) sip hand-crafted spirits (including an impressive non-alcoholic line), shop for gifts, enjoy live music and take a history-focused tour of the facility. Bed down in the heart of the village at the small, elegant Old Town Bluffton Inn ($300 and up, blufftoninnsc.com). Next door is FARM ($18 and up, farmbluffton.com) serving locally sourced provisions at communal tables for making new friends.

The Heyward House Museum and Welcome Center. 70 Boundary St. 843-757-6293, historicblufftonsc.com.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Chattanooga, Tennessee

1-hour, 45-minute drive

Chattanooga is a familiar destination for Atlantans, but there are a lot of new things to do in the Scenic City. While Ruby Falls may seem as old as time itself, having flowed for eons in a cave underneath Lookout Mountain, the above-ground Treetop Hideaways at Ruby Falls ($350 and up, treetophideaways.com/rubyfalls) are contemporary deluxe treehouse accommodations. New downtown, the Hotel Clemons ($139 and up, hotelclemons.com) is close to major attractions such as the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo and the Creative Discovery Museum (cdmfun.org), one of the nation’s top children’s museums that recently opened the STEM Zone gallery and Treehouse Adventure, among other exhibits. Little Coyote ($12 and up, littlecoyote.com), a Southwestern-inspired eatery from James Beard-nominated chef Erik Niel, opened last November in the historic St. Elmo neighborhood at the base of Lookout Mountain.

Chattanooga Visitors Information Center. 1 W. Aquarium Way (on the pedestrian plaza). 800-322-3344, visitchattanooga.com.

Credit: Nick Breedlove

Credit: Nick Breedlove

Sylva, North Carolina

3-hour drive

Cradled by some of the highest peaks in western North Carolina, Sylva beckons hikers, nature lovers, foodies and craft beer aficionados. For hiking, head to Pinnacle Park where there’s a seven-mile round-trip trail to the summit with a wide open view of the surrounding mountains. A less challenging newer addition to the park is the Forest Therapy Trail. Inspired by the Japanese tradition of Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, the trail is designed to immerse visitors in nature on a short hike through the towering coniferous hardwood forest. Back in town, unwind at one of four craft breweries and have dinner at ILDA ($18 and up. ildainsylva.com), showcasing southern Italian cuisine with Appalachian influences. A few minutes outside of town, Outland Great Smoky Mountain Chalet and Suites ($139 and up, stayoutland.com) provides spa-like accommodations on a mountain ridge property with views as good as the ones at Pinnacle Park.

Jackson County Visitor Center. 773 W. Main St. 800-962-1911, discoverjacksonnc.com.

Credit: Blake Guthrie

Credit: Blake Guthrie

Helen, Georgia

1-hour, 30-minute drive

If Helen wasn’t already surreal enough with its Old World Alpine Bavarian facade, now there’s a castle outside of town that looks straight out of a fairytale. Uhuburg Castle ($299 and up. uhuburg.com) took 15 years to build and began welcoming day visitors last June and overnight guests in December. This full-scale Renaissance-style edifice has almost everything one would expect in a castle — towers, turrets, ramparts, gatehouses, gardens, giant murals, and marble statues — inside its cloistered walls. The only thing missing is a moat with a drawbridge at this welcoming hilltop locale where you’ll see some of the best mountain views in the area, especially from the top of the eight-story lookout tower. Visitors can take a tour or the property, visit the greenhouse and admire the many murals. For a meal of traditional German fare, Bodensee ($18 and up. bodenseerestaurant.com) is a longtime favorite with a new outdoor pavilion.

Helen Welcome Center. 726 Bruckenstrasse. 800-858-8027, helenga.org.

Credit: KURT LISCHKA

Credit: KURT LISCHKA

South Walton, Florida

55-minute flight and a 30-minute drive

Dotted with low-rise beach communities, Scenic Highway 30A winds for 20 miles through a part of the Florida Panhandle known as South Walton, a stretch of coast that, while protected in certain areas, has seen a lot of new development. 30A’s newest boutique hotel, Camp Creek Inn ($368 and up, campcreekinn.com), opened last summer across the highway from the beach behind the gates of the Watersound Club. Guests of the 75-room upscale inn have access to many of the private club’s amenities including golfing on the Tom Fazio-designed Camp Creek Golf Course. Non-golfers can enjoy waterpark-like pool complexes with twisting slides and a lazy river, pickleball/tennis courts, a wellness center and beach time at the Beach Club a short shuttle ride away. A wide range of dining options are available throughout Watersound but the club’s flagship restaurant is at the inn. ANR ($28 and up) serves elevated Southern/coastal fare from executive chef Joe Truex, who once helmed the kitchen at the much-missed Atlanta favorite Watershed.

Visit South Walton - Visitor Information Center. 25777 US-331 S., Santa Rosa Beach. 800-822-6877, visitsouthwalton.com.