Shannon O'Brien Travel Itineraries

The best destinations

Photo of Georgia
Photo of Georgia

The Best of Georgia

#47 best destination in the world

Map view

Savannah Historic District

Photo of Savannah

Best time to visit: March-July

Cost: $

  • Large urban U.S. historic district that roughly corresponds to the pre-civil war city limits of Savannah
  • It is one of the largest urban, community-wide historic preservation districts in the United States
  • The Savannah Historic District attracts millions of visitors every year, who enjoy its eighteenth- and nineteenth-century architecture and green spaces

Sandpiper, Avian, and Big Ferry Trails Loop, Skidaway Island State Park

Photo of Skidaway Island State Park

Best time to visit: March-July

Cost: $

  • Skidaway Island State Park is a state park near Savannah
  • Trails wind through maritime forest and past salt marsh, leading to a boardwalk and observation tower
  • Visitors can watch for deer, fiddler crabs, raccoon, egrets and other wildlife

Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, Atlanta

Photo of Atlanta

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Atlanta museum that houses U.S. President Jimmy Carter's papers and other material relating to the Carter administration and the Carter family's life
  • The library also hosts special exhibits, such as Carter's Nobel Peace Prize and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office as it was during the Carter Administration, including a reproduction of the Resolute desk

Hansel & Gretel Candy Kitchen, Helen

Photo of Helen

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Manufacturing retailer of fine chocolates and other confections, established in 1973
  • The shop features hand-crafted gourmet chocolates and candies, including truffles, creams, and fudge, to name a few

East Palisades Trail and Bamboo Forest, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Photo of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Walk difficulty: Moderate

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) preserves a series of sites between Atlanta and Lake Sidney Lanier along the Chattahoochee River
  • The 48-mile (77 km) stretch of the river affords public recreation opportunities and access to historic sites

Beaver Dam and Cattail Loop, Phinizy Swamp Nature Park

Photo of Phinizy Swamp Nature Park

Walk difficulty: Moderate

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Phinizy Swamp Nature Park is a 1,100-acre (450 ha) nature park in Augusta
  • The park contains wetlands and woodlands and has a campus for water research and environmental education
  • It has many bald cypresses draped in Spanish moss and forests of loblolly trees
  • Wildlife commonly found in the park include a plethora of birds, frogs and toads; snakes, including water moccasin, pigmy rattlesnake, and copperhead; beavers and muskrat; turtles; and dragonflies

Bonaventure Cemetery

Photo of Bonaventure Cemetery

Best time to visit: March-July

Cost: $

  • Rural cemetery located on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River
  • The cemetery's prominence grew when it was featured in the 1994 novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, and in the subsequent movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, based on the book
  • Immediately inside the gates is the large and ornate tomb of William Gaston, a prominent Savannahian merchant

Dungeness, Cumberland Island

Photo of Cumberland Island

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $

  • Dungeness on Cumberland Island, is a ruined mansion that is part of a historic district that was the home of several families significant in American history
  • During the War of 1812 the island was occupied by the British, who used the house as a headquarters
  • In 1959 the Dungeness mansion was destroyed by fire, alleged to be arson
  • The ruins are today preserved by the National Park Service as part of Cumberland Island National Seashore

Consolidated Gold Mine, Dahlonega

Photo of Dahlonega

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Gold mine in Lumpkin County, which, like most of the area around Dahlonega, the placer mining on the land on which the mine is located probably started during the Georgia Gold Rush
  • By 1880, the placer deposits were exhausted and the land was down to hard rock
  • There is still gold to be mined there, but the cost of extracting the gold from the mine exceeds the value of the gold

Driftwood Beach Trail

Photo of Driftwood Beach

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $

  • Beach on Jekyll Island's north end that features numerous driftwood trees

Short Loop via Gold Branch Trail, Morgan Falls Overlook Park

Photo of Morgan Falls Overlook Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Park featuring walking trails, picnic areas and river views

Sea Camp Beach

Photo of Sea Camp Beach

Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov

Cost: $

  • Destination for tent camping amid dense woods and sand dunes, with access to nearby beaches

Six Flags Over Georgia

Photo of Six Flags Over Georgia

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Theme park located in Mableton, opened in 1967
  • It is the second park in the Six Flags chain following the original Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961
  • As with other Six Flags parks, it features themes from the Warner Bros. library, including characters from Looney Tunes and DC Comics

World of Coca-Cola

Photo of World of Coca-Cola

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Museum located in Atlanta, showcasing the history of The Coca-Cola Company, opened in 2007
  • The museum features exhibits about the secret formula of Coca-Cola, and allows visitors to taste 60 different flavors from around the world

Forsyth Park Loop

Photo of Forsyth Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-July

Cost: $

  • Large city park that occupies 30 acres (0.12 km2) in the historic district of Savannah
  • It contains walking paths, a Fragrant Garden for the blind, a large fountain, tennis courts, basketball courts, areas for soccer and Frisbee, and home field for Savannah Shamrocks Rugby Club

High Museum of Art

Photo of High Museum of Art

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern United States
  • The High has a comprehensive collection of more than 18,000 works of art, and is especially known for its 19th- and 20th-century American decorative arts, folk and self-taught art, modern and contemporary art, and photography
  • A cultural nexus of Atlanta since 1905, it hosts festivals, live performances, public conversations, independent art films, and educational programs year-round

Atlanta Botanical Garden and Storza Woods Loop Trail

Photo of Atlanta Botanical Garden

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Botanical Garden composed of a number of smaller themed gardens, each contains different landscapes to display a variety of plants Near - It contains formal gardens, such as the Japanese garden and the rose garden
  • Two woodland areas feature large trees and shade-loving flowers and undergrowth.
  • The Children's Garden features whimsical sculptures, fountains, and interpretive exhibits on botany, ecology, and nutrition

Sweet Auburn District Walking Tour, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park

Photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park includes several sites in Atlanta, related to the life and work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Within the park is his boyhood home, and Ebenezer Baptist Church — the church where King was baptized and both he and his father, Martin Luther King Sr., were pastors — as well as, the grave site of King, Jr., and his wife, civil rights activist Coretta Scott King

Centennial Olympic Park Walk

Photo of Centennial Olympic Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Public park located in downtown Atlanta, it was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) as part of the infrastructure improvements for the 1996 Summer Olympics
  • It plays host to millions of visitors a year and several events, including a summer popular music concert series (Wednesday WindDown), the annual SweetWater 420 Fest and an annual Independence Day concert and fireworks display

Piedmont Park Loop

Photo of Piedmont Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: March-May

Cost: $

  • Urban park in Atlanta that hosts several miles of paved paths suitable for walking, running, biking, and inline skating