Official State Travel Guide - 2025 Georgia Official State Travel Guide
Pick Your Perfect Spring
2024-11-06 11:13:19
SPRINGTIME IN GEORGIA IS AN ANNUAL REMINDER OF THE MANY AMAZING REASONS FOR VISITORS AND RESIDENTS ALIKE TO GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL NATURAL PLAYGROUND OF THE PEACH STATE.
There’s no shortage of blooming flora this time of year, which means Georgia’s garden wonderlands make for a blooming-great getaway. At the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens, a rainbow of daffodils, roses, snapdragons, and cherry blossoms kicks off the season, and heirloom roses, fruit crops, and native species give you a peek at the state’s agricultural history. There’s also plenty of opportunity for outdoor amazement in North Georgia at Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground, when the early March to mid-April Daffodil ColorFest blankets the landscape in a frothy, vibrant yellow. Take an unhurried stroll through Atlanta Botanical Garden’s gorgeously manicured paths and sculptural plant installations. Sit beside the pond to absorb the peaceful garden sounds and fresh aromas at Savannah Botanical Gardens, or participate in a Lunch & Learn at the intimate Columbus Botanical Garden. Not far away is the expansive scenery of Callaway Resort & Gardens in Pine Mountain, whose sprawling landscape – covered with thousands of gem-colored azaleas – offers tennis, golf, ziplining, the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, and the resort’s luxurious lodge and spa.
Georgia’s coastline isn’t the only area where you can find vast vistas of the state’s many beautiful bodies of water. Hike, picnic, or camp out along the maritime forest of the Intracoastal Waterway at Skidaway Island State Park in Savannah, or find a great place to spend a night outdoors with the scenic campgrounds, access to the vast Lake Allatoona, and miles of nature trails at Red Top Mountain State Park in Acworth. You can also find a serene place to lay out for a night or two after earning your sleep with an invigorating day of hiking and backpacking at Vogel State Park near Helen – the 13-mile Coosa Backcountry Trail is a top accomplishment – or F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain, where the 23-mile Pine Mountain Trail passes waterfalls, travels over creeks, and moves through a winding forest. If you’re less into roughing it outdoors and more into fanciful forest relaxation, go for a night of luxury at Timberline Glamping Co. near Georgia’s tallest waterfall in Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville. If someone accuses you of cheating because your heated or air-conditioned tent has electrical outlets, a coffee maker, and a minifridge, just invite them in for a visit. Together, you can trek a portion of the Appalachian Trail from the waterfall’s 8.5-mile approach trail to Springer Mountain.
It’d be quite a shame to spend time in this gorgeous agricultural state without taking advantage of every chance available to pick and enjoy your own veggies, fruit, and other produce – and berries are spring’s finest. Head to The Market at Rutland Farms in Tifton to pick them (and gobble up their strawberry ice cream), and do some bass fishing. During picking hours at Southern Belle Farm in McDonough, fill your own bucket with some of their sweet berries, ride the cow train, and meet the farm creatures in Belle’s Barnyard. Or, spend time at Fort Valley’s Lane Southern Orchards to pick more gorgeous strawberries (and even some peaches as early as mid-May!).
IDEAL DESTINATION
Springtime in Augusta is pure Georgia magic, with the return of sunnier skies and warming temperatures. There’s no better time to experience Georgia’s “Garden City” than when it’s shaded in newly sprouted leaves and bedazzled in blooms. Go bass fishing at Mistletoe State Park, home to Clarks Hill Lake – one of the largest lakes in the Southeast. Then, take a pedaling tour with Bike Bike Baby to see the downtown district’s public art, churches, cemeteries, and other important spots related to African-American culture, including – of course – the soulful areas of town that inspired Augusta’s own James Brown. For an evening of amazing entertainment, buy tickets to one of many concerts or festivals hosted at the Jessye Norman Amphitheater, which sits alongside the Savannah River. And, give your perfect spring evening a proper Augustan nightcap with an old fashioned and panoramic views of the city’s streetscape at legendary rooftop bars Edgar’s Above Broad or Six South Rooftop Bar at Partridge Inn.
DON’T-MISS EVENTS
Mid-to-late March is your chance to hear live music, eat delicious food, and see Macon’s beautiful Yoshino cherry tree blossoms during the International Cherry Blossom Festival.
Atlanta’s beloved Piedmont Park has been hosting the Dogwood Festival in April for more than 80 years, where local arts and crafts are sold, musicians share their songs, and festival delicacies like fried pickles, mushrooms, and okra are sampled.
The Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of America’s largest processions honoring “the apostle of Ireland,” where thousands of green-attired revelers celebrate the holiday while watching marching bands, bagpipe players, and floats.
SCAN CODE for more spring goodies.
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