Photo: Joey Kyber jtkyber1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Georgia runs from the Blue Ridge Mountains to barrier-island beaches, with a world-class city in the middle and a swamp the size of a small country at the bottom. These are the 40 best things to do in Georgia, grouped by region, each with a link to our full guide. Most of the state is within a day’s drive of Atlanta, so you can mix and match.
- Best for a first tripSavannah, Atlanta and the north Georgia mountains
- Best freeMLK National Historical Park, Ocmulgee Mounds, the National Infantry Museum
- Best outdoorsTallulah Gorge, Cloudland Canyon, the Okefenokee, Cumberland Island
- Best time to visitSpring (March to May) and fall (October and November)
- Atlanta
- North Georgia Mountains
- Northwest Georgia
- Middle Georgia
- West-Central Georgia
- The Georgia Coast
- South Georgia
- Common Questions
Atlanta and Metro Atlanta
1. Georgia Aquarium
The only whale sharks in a U.S. aquarium, in a walk-through tunnel exhibit downtown. Next door: the World of Coca-Cola and the Civil Rights museum.
2. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
Free. Ebenezer Baptist Church and the Auburn Avenue blocks where Dr. King was born and grew up.
3. Stone Mountain Park
A granite dome rising more than 800 feet east of Atlanta. Hike to the top in about 30 minutes or ride the cable car.
4. The Atlanta BeltLine and Ponce City Market
A walking trail on an old rail line that links parks, murals and food halls across the city.
5. Marietta Square and Kennesaw Mountain
A lively historic square and the Civil War battlefield just outside town, with a summit trail and skyline views.
6. Atlanta History Center and the Cyclorama
A restored 49-foot-tall painting of the 1864 Battle of Atlanta, plus history galleries and the Swan House.
North Georgia Mountains
7. Amicalola Falls
At 729 feet, the tallest waterfall in Georgia, with stairs to the top and an approach trail to the Appalachian Trail.
8. Tallulah Gorge
A gorge 2 miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep. Hike the rim overlooks, or get a free permit to hike to the floor.
9. Helen
A Bavarian-style alpine village on the Chattahoochee, rebuilt in its storybook look starting in 1969, with tubing, waterfalls and Oktoberfest.
10. Dahlonega
The site of America’s first major gold rush, with a courthouse square, gold mine tours and the heart of Georgia wine country.
11. Blue Ridge
The most resort-like mountain town, with a scenic railway, cabins in the hills and Lake Blue Ridge.
12. The Appalachian Trail and Blood Mountain
The trail starts at Springer Mountain in Georgia. Blood Mountain, its highest point in the state, is a classic day hike.
13. North Georgia wineries
More than a dozen vineyards around Dahlonega, Helen and the mountains, with tasting rooms and views.
14. Lake Lanier
Beaches, boating and parks on a big reservoir about an hour north of Atlanta.
Northwest Georgia
15. Cloudland Canyon
A deep gorge on the edge of Lookout Mountain, with waterfalls, rim trails and some of the best views in the state.
16. Chickamauga Battlefield
The nation’s first national military park, at the site of the largest battle fought in Georgia.
17. Cartersville
Tellus Science Museum, the Booth Western Art Museum and the Etowah Indian Mounds, all near Lake Allatoona.
18. Rome
A river town built on seven hills, with a walkable downtown and riverside trails.
Middle Georgia and the Classic South
19. Macon and Ocmulgee Mounds
Free Native American mounds more than a thousand years old, the Allman Brothers Band Museum and the Cherry Blossom Festival each March.
20. Athens
The University of Georgia, a live music scene, a free art museum and a free 300-acre botanical garden.
21. Augusta
Georgia’s second-oldest city, home of the Masters, with a canal boat tour and riverwalk.
22. Madison
One of the largest historic districts in Georgia, about an hour east of Atlanta.
23. Milledgeville
Georgia’s antebellum capital and Flannery O’Connor’s farm, Andalusia.
24. Museum of Aviation
A free aerospace museum at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, with aircraft indoors and out.
West-Central Georgia
25. Callaway Gardens
Azaleas, a butterfly conservatory and the Fantasy In Lights holiday show in Pine Mountain.
26. Roosevelt’s Little White House
The Warm Springs cottage where President Roosevelt spent his last days in April 1945.
27. Columbus whitewater and RiverWalk
Raft a 2.5-mile urban whitewater course downtown, then visit the free National Infantry Museum.
28. Providence Canyon
Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon,” with pink, orange and red canyon walls.
The Georgia Coast
29. Savannah
Live oaks, Spanish moss and the historic squares of Georgia’s oldest city.
30. Tybee Island
Savannah’s beach, with Georgia’s oldest and tallest lighthouse.
31. St. Simons and Jekyll islands
Lighthouses, bike paths, beaches and the historic Jekyll Island Club; see also our Jekyll Island guide.
32. Cumberland Island
Wild horses, mansion ruins and empty beaches, reached by ferry from St. Marys.
33. Darien and Sapelo Island
A shrimping town on the Altamaha delta and the ferry to Sapelo Island.
34. Georgia’s lighthouses
Tybee, Cockspur, St. Simons and Sapelo, including the 178 steps to the top of the Tybee Island Lighthouse.
South Georgia
35. The Okefenokee Swamp
Blackwater, cypress and alligators. Okefenokee State Park, renamed in 2026, is the west entrance and a dark-sky park.
36. Thomasville
Georgia’s Rose City, with a 300-year-old live oak and Victorian Christmas each December.
37. Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
The tiny town of Plains and the farm and school that shaped the 39th president.
38. Andersonville National Historic Site
The Civil War prison site, the National Prisoner of War Museum and a national cemetery.
39. Wild Adventures
A theme park, water park and zoo in one, in Valdosta near the Florida line.
40. Albany
Ray Charles’s hometown, with the Flint RiverQuarium and Chehaw Park and Zoo.
Planning by season? See spring, summer, fall and winter in Georgia. On a budget? Start with free things to do in Georgia. Prefer small towns? See the best small towns in Georgia, or browse all our travel guides.
Common Questions
What is the number one tourist attraction in Georgia?
Savannah’s historic district, Atlanta’s Georgia Aquarium and Stone Mountain Park are among the most visited places in the state.
What is Georgia best known for?
Peaches, Atlanta, Savannah’s squares, the north Georgia mountains and the Appalachian Trail’s southern end, Coca-Cola and the civil rights history of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
When is the best time to visit Georgia?
Spring and fall are the most comfortable. Spring brings azaleas and dogwoods, and October and early November bring fall color to the mountains. Summers are hot and humid, especially in the south and on the coast.
What are free things to do in Georgia?
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Ocmulgee Mounds, the National Infantry Museum, the Museum of Aviation, the Georgia Museum of Art and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia are all free.
Sources we checked
Facts on this page come from our detailed guides, which were checked against the agencies and attractions that run each place:
- Explore Georgia: statewide attractions
- Georgia State Parks: state parks
- National Park Service: Georgia: national parks and historic sites
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.