Stay and Play in GA
Georgia has 9 distinct travel regions, each with its own flavor of fun
From the Blue Ridge to the barrier islands, Georgia’s official tourism regions group the state by landscape and history. Tap a region to see its parks, towns and things to do, or read the quick guide to each one below.
Metro AtlantaGeorgia's capital & culture hub
NE Georgia MountainsMountains, waterfalls & the Appalachian Trail
Coast & IslandsBeaches, barrier islands & historic ports
Historic High CountryCivil War battlefields & Lookout Mountain
Historic HeartlandMacon, farmland & Southern heritage
Presidential PathwaysPlains, Warm Springs & presidential history
Classic SouthAugusta, golf & the Savannah River
Plantation TraceThomasville, Valdosta & Lake Seminole
Magnolia MidlandsRivers, sweet onions & small towns
Georgia’s 9 Regions at a Glance
Metro Atlanta
North-central Georgia
Georgia’s capital and largest metro area is where most of the state’s interstates meet, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is one of the world’s busiest. Museums, pro sports, historic neighborhoods and a surprising amount of green space along the Chattahoochee River.
Don’t miss: Stone Mountain Park, the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Sweetwater Creek State Park
Towns: Atlanta, Marietta, Decatur, Roswell, Duluth
NE Georgia Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains, north Georgia
Georgia’s high country, with Brasstown Bald (4,784 feet), the state’s highest point, and Springer Mountain, the southern end of the Appalachian Trail. The Chattahoochee River begins here. Waterfalls, trout streams, mountain lakes, wineries and fall color draw Atlanta weekenders all year.
Don’t miss: Tallulah Gorge, Amicalola Falls, Vogel State Park, Dahlonega’s 1829 gold rush history
Towns: Blue Ridge, Helen, Dahlonega, Clayton, Blairsville
Coast & Islands
Atlantic coast, South Carolina to Florida
Roughly 100 miles of coastline, salt marsh and barrier islands, where Georgia began with Savannah’s founding in 1733. Beaches, historic squares, lighthouses, fresh seafood and some of the state’s busiest ports.
Don’t miss: Savannah’s Historic District, Jekyll and St. Simons islands, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Tybee Island
Towns: Savannah, Brunswick, St. Marys, Darien, Tybee Island
Historic High Country
Northwest Georgia
Ridges, valleys and Civil War history. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, the nation’s first national military park, preserves the 1863 battlefield, and Ringgold Gap and Rocky Face Ridge mark the 1864 Atlanta Campaign. Cherokee history lives on at New Echota, and Dalton is known as the carpet capital of the world.
Don’t miss: Cloudland Canyon, Lookout Mountain, the Ridge & Valley Scenic Byway, Etowah Indian Mounds
Towns: Rome, Dalton, Calhoun, Cartersville, LaFayette
Historic Heartland
Central Georgia
Antebellum towns, college towns and big lakes in the middle of the state. Milledgeville was Georgia’s capital from 1807 to 1868, Macon is home to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, and Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair are favorites for boating and fishing.
Don’t miss: Madison’s historic district, Ocmulgee Mounds, Athens and the University of Georgia
Towns: Macon, Athens, Madison, Milledgeville, Eatonton
Presidential Pathways
West-central Georgia
Presidential history and the Chattahoochee River. President Jimmy Carter’s hometown of Plains is a national historical park, and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Little White House stands in Warm Springs. Columbus has urban whitewater on the Chattahoochee.
Don’t miss: Callaway Gardens, Providence Canyon, Andersonville National Historic Site, F. D. Roosevelt State Park
Towns: Columbus, LaGrange, Americus, Plains, Pine Mountain
Classic South
East-central Georgia along the Savannah River
Augusta, home of the Masters, anchors this region on the Savannah River. Clarks Hill Lake and the Augusta Canal offer boating, paddling and fishing, and small towns such as Washington are known for their antebellum homes.
Don’t miss: The Augusta Canal, the Augusta Riverwalk, Clarks Hill Lake state parks
Towns: Augusta, Washington, Thomson, Lincolnton
Plantation Trace
Southwest Georgia
Farm country, quail-hunting plantations and warm weather. The Flint and Chattahoochee rivers meet at Lake Seminole and continue into Florida as the Apalachicola, making this a favorite region for anglers and boaters.
Don’t miss: Thomasville’s historic downtown and roses, Lake Seminole, Reed Bingham State Park
Towns: Thomasville, Valdosta, Albany, Bainbridge, Tifton, Moultrie
Magnolia Midlands
South-central Georgia
Small towns, farm stands and slow rivers such as the Altamaha and Ohoopee. Vidalia gives its name to Georgia’s famous sweet onions, and Statesboro is home to Georgia Southern University.
Don’t miss: General Coffee State Park, Vidalia onion country, George L. Smith State Park
Towns: Statesboro, Vidalia, Douglas, Jesup, Hazlehurst
Plan Your Trip
Ready to plan a North Georgia mountain trip? See our 3-Day North Georgia Mountains Itinerary or our shorter Atlanta to Blue Ridge weekend itinerary. See more fun things to do, region by region.
Public libraries by region: Coast & Islands, Magnolia Midlands, Plantation Trace, Historic High Country, Northeast Georgia Mountains, Metro Atlanta, Historic Heartland, Classic South and Presidential Pathways. More Georgia directories: list of all 537 cities and towns in Georgia and Georgia counties and county seats.
Region photos: Lookout Mountain battlefield by James Pressley, Ocmulgee Mounds by Ken Lund, South Georgia cotton field by Jeffrey Hatcher, and General Coffee State Park by Michael Rivera, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Atlanta skyline, Brasstown Bald, Little White House and Augusta skyline via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Tybee Island sunrise by Michael Sennello, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources we checked
Facts in this guide were checked against the agencies and operators that run these places:
- Explore Georgia travel regions
- USDA Forest Service, Brasstown Bald – Georgia’s highest point
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy – Springer Mountain southern terminus
- Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park
- Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park
- Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
- Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites – Little White House, New Echota, parks
- New Georgia Encyclopedia – state capitals and history
Spot something out of date? Email Contact@n-georgia.com and we’ll check it against the official source. Read how we research our guides.