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Jekyll Island, The Land of Kings – Spanish moss-laden live oaks lead the way to what was once the winter playground of America’s rich and powerful. In 1904, it was declared the “richest, the most exclusive, the most inaccessible club in the world.” Members who arrived by yacht or private train, represented one-sixth of the world’s wealth at that time. Their names are still recognized today; Morgan, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Astor and Pulitzer. And the grandeur of their winter playground, now resorted and open to the public, still inspires awe. Members built riverside cottages – enormous residences designed to house entire families and staff – on the grounds for themselves and guests. The Jekyll Island Club was established in 1886 as a huntingretreat for American’s wealthiest families After a 20 Million Dollar restoration that began in1985, the Jekyll Island Club is still considered one of the country’s most exclusive and charming resorts. St. Simons Island is one of the most charming and friendly places on earth! You will feel it the minute you arrive on the island. Beneath the draping moss and arms of the giant live oaks that line the roads and pathways, an island of residents, part-timers and visitors are happy to be spending their time in this special place and happy to share it with you. You will see such sites as the Marshes of Glynn, The Pier Village, Bloody Marsh Battle Site, Fort Frederica National Monument, Gascoigne Bluff, St. Simons Island Lighthouse Museum, Christ Church and the sites of the 13 original plantations.
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In 1955, seven public spirited women formed the Historic Savannah Foundation and led a daring drive to save buildings for restoration. In 1966, the city was designated a National Historic District by the Department of the Interior. 2.5 square miles, 200 acres - one of the largest Historic Districts in the nation!
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The Georgia Coast offers visitors an area where “nature lovers can wander deserted stretches of sand, where the only other inhabitants are the loggerhead turtles and the scampering shorebirds.”
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“There are vaster and wealthier cities, but for architectural simplicity, for indescribable charm of streets and buildings, of parks and squares, there is but one Savannah. Without rival, without equal, it stands UNIQUE.” Timothy Harley, a visiting minister described Savannah, late in the 19th Century.
On February 12, 1733 James Edward Oglethorpe and 114 colonists set foot on Yamacraw Bluff off the Savannah River, founding American’s 13th Colony. King George II granted a 21 year charter to Oglethorpe and 19 associates, designating the “Trustees for establishing the colony of Georgia in America”. The hopeful colonists sailed from England with their equipment carefully itemized “To every Man, A Watch-Coat, A Musket and Bayonet, A Hatch, a Hammer, a Hand-saw, a shod Shovel or Spade,….An Iron Pot, a pair of Pot Hooks, A frying pan and a public Grindstone for each ward or village.. ‘ From these humble beginnings, Savannah, Georgia’s First City, has grown to become one of the truly Great Cities of the South. Visit with us and see The Splendor of our Churches, The Magnificent Homes, and The Beautiful squares that make Savannah “The Hostess City of the South.”
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Skirted by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Georgia to the south, this area of South Carolina features abundant natural beauty, history and grace. This area also encompasses renowned Hilton Head Island. Here, one can enjoy the amenities of one of South Carolinas Premiere Resort Islands, including the incredible shopping of Hilton Head’s Mall at Shelter Cove, both TANGER OUTLET CENTERS, and numerous Championship Golf Courses.
Beaufort, South Carolina’s second oldest city founded in 1711, has been voted one of the top 10 Small Cities in American to visit. At Hunting Island, you’ll explore the lagoon where portions of Forest Gump were filmed. Then, march your way to the Parris Island Museum, where you’ll learn about the history of the Island and the Marine Corps.
Originally, the first school for freed slaves in the south, Penn Center on St. Helena’s Island, is where Martin Luther King Jr. planned his “I have a dream” speech.
Whether it’s history or entertainment, golf or shopping, the quaintness of Beaufort or the pristine beaches of Hilton Head Island, The LowCountry of South Carolina has something for everyone.
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Bordered by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, Charleston is the State’s oldest City. Founded in 1670, Charleston and the region are rich with many historic homes, plantations and gardens that interpret the culture of earlier inhabitants. History is literally found around every corner providing a focal point for a visit to this intriguing city.
Charleston is equally acclaimed for its contributions to the arts and humanities and is often viewed as a “Living Museum.” Conde Nast Travelers has named Charleston a “Top Ten” domestic destination for 9 consecutive years. Southern Living Magazine’s 2009 Readers Choice Awards voted Charleston “the best Southern City to visit” and King St as the #2 “Best Neighborhood for Shopping”
See the famous “Four Corners of Law”, The Military College of South Carolina, “The Citadel”, and St. Michael’s Episcopal, the oldest Church edifice in the State of South Carolina. Also, enjoy beautiful “Magnolia Plantation”. Charles Kuralt called Magnolia his “Complete PlantationExperience in Charleston”
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In July of 1864, General William T. Sherman’s forces burned 90% of the city’s buildings. From these charred ruins has emerged a new, vibrant, truly International city, right in our own backyard.
With the mounting of the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895, Atlanta advertised itself to the world as being in the business of civic celebration and self-promotion. By hosting the Centennial Olympic Games 101 years later, Atlanta automatically took on an international network of partners in its century-long tradition of presenting itself to all comers. As a metropolitan area, “Atlanta”, describes a region stretching from the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains to the beginnings of the old Cotton Belt that shaped so much of the South’s history. Metro Atlanta is comprised of numerous towns and communities with their own distinct identities, contributing to the image of the city as a quaint Southern Town, an Olympic host, and an urban dynamo all rolled into one. From powerhouse companies to serene In-Town neighborhoods, from inspirational memorials to lighthearted family fun, Atlanta has it all. Arts, Entertainment, History, Shopping, Sports, it’s all there in Atlanta. It began in 1837 with a stake hammered into the red dirt. The site was intended to be nothing more than the end of a rail line running into the Georgia wilderness. The engineer who chose the area thought it might be able to sustain one tavern, one blacksmith shop and one grocery store. Thinking little of it, he offhandedly tagged the spot Terminus. The start of something big……….. ATLANTA! |
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You’re invited to the Carpet Capital of the World to visit one of Dalton’s leading carpet mills for a walk-through of the actual working factory. Lunch in one of the historic homes in downtown Dalton. Tour of the Hamilton House Museum and learn how a teenager, who needed a wedding present for her brother, revived the colonial art of tufting and spawned the carpet industry, and also created “Peacock Alley” …. Route 41 through Dalton, where tufters hung their brightly colored bedspreads on clotheslines to attract sales. Dinner at the restored Old Depot in downtown Dalton, one of the remaining depots in Northern Georgia that dates back before the Civil War.
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Travel from Atlanta to Callaway Gardens, a horticultural haven. Tour will include the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, Mr. Cason’s Garden which serves as the Southern filming site for “The Victory Garden, the John A. Sibley horticultural center,and the Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel. Southern Luncheon will be enjoyed at the Bullock House in nearby Warm Springs. Enjoy the beauty and history of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Little White House, where the polio-stricken president moved after hearing of the healing potential of the warm springs in the resort community. Dinner tonight will be at Mary Mac’s Tea Room, an Atlanta tradition. Day 2, step back in time as you travel east from Atlanta for the day to visit the historic towns of Madison and Covington. Lunch at the famous Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle. In the afternoon, visit the Kangaroo Conservation Center – experience the largest collection of Kangaroos outside of Australia. Entertainment this evening is at one of the many cultural events in Atlanta. |
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“An old man strolls leisurely down a shady boulevard, softly whistling a hauntingly familiar tune. Sparkling streams of water cascade over time worn edges of an antique fountain and flow rhythmically in time. Choirs of crickets gather along the river to join the old man’s mystic melody in a charming, off-key cadence. A gentle breeze blows wistfully through this serene serenade. The tune…unrecognizable.The feeling…unmistakable. Walk with us through Macon. Hear the unforgettable song of the South. It will touch your very soul.”
Situated on the fast moving Ocmulgee River, Macon in Bibb County has been a home place for more than ten thousand years. Since its founding in 1823, Macon has emerged as the gateway and the largest city in the State’s heartland. Macon is not a metropolis, it is a gentle place of church steeples, twilight tours, flower planted medians, and acres of trees; pine, oak magnolia, dogwood and the 265,000 Yoshino Cherry Trees that veil Macon in the palest pink during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
Macon’s architectural wealth is a mix of Antebellum, Victorian and early-twentieth-century mansions and modest cottages within a relatively small area. More than two thousand acres of Macon’s downtown neighborhoods are listed in the National Historic Register. If architecture is Macon’s skin, music is its soul; a visit to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame will bear that fact out. From Lena Horne to Little Richard, the Allman Brothers to Alan Jackson, come, see and hear the stories of the Georgians who have made their mark on the Music World. Come to Macon with us, experience for yourself, the song and you will see why it stays in your soul long after you are gone.
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This is best done on the Weekend.
Travel south passing through what was once the land of cotton and is now numerous peach tree orchards. Stop at Massee Lane Gardens with the largest collection of Boehm porcelain in the world, also the Headquaters of the American Camelia Society. The Gardens are planted for year round beauty. Then, on to Andersonville National Historic Site-Civil War Prison for 45,000 Union soldiers-12,920 are buried there. It’s also the site of the National POW Museum. Board the Sam Short Railroad for a ride aboard a steam engine through the original cotton fields of south Georgia. Tour the town of Americus, which was a major cotton center in its early days. Tour Habitat for Humanity World Headquarters, a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry which has partnered with more than 60,000 families to build simple, decent, affordable housing in more than 50 other countries. The next day, you are in Plains GA for a tour with one of President Carters friends. See the boyhood home of President Carter, Depot Museum and the Plains High School which is now a museum for all the Carter memorabilia. If you are here on the weekend, attend church and listen to President Carter teach his Sunday School Class at Marantha Baptist Church. Before departing, stop at one of the pecan processing plants to learn about one of Georgia’s major crops. You may even get a free sample! |
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Meet your Step-On Guide at the 1867 Depot in Jonesborough. Receive your GWTW Premier Pass, your Pass to the “back lot” throughout the tour. Tour the Road to Tara Museum. Wind through the back roads of “Tara” country with your professional guide who imparts all the truths and tales of GWTW. Tour several plantation houses and meet with the local folks. Dinner at one of the plantations with entertainment. On to Atlanta to Cyclorama (a diorama depicting the Battle of Atlanta), The Margaret Mitchell Home, Stone Mountain including the Cruise on the Lake and the train ride around the famous mountain. Dinner tonight will be in the traditional southern style at the world famous Blue Willow Restaurant. The next morning tour historic Marietta and the depot with their collection of GWTW memorabilia. Wave good-by to the land of Tara!
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”Set at the very beginning of the Appalachian chain, the timeworn mountains of North Georgia watch over the state like loving grandparents-protecting its past and guarding its future.”
Visit Babyland General Hospital in their new digs at "Southfork of the East". A spectacular new facility where Cabbage Patch dolls are "born". View the birthing and maybe even name one of the latest "births". You'll have time to visit the fantastic gift shop and browse through a unique selection of treasures. |
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Atlanta is an international city, rich in culture, history and diversity. Numerous museums, attractions and entertainment options await our visitors. Far from the glitz and glimmer of downtown, lie Atlanta’s charming neighborhoods. The array of Atlanta Neighborhoods, just beyond the striking skyline and twinkling lights of the city, represent Atlanta’s Southern heritage and summon visitors to explore and experience their uniqueness. Each area has its own diverse culture, history and charm.
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Walking Tour of Grant Park
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