Things to Do in Georgia
Ten stops running from a preserved 18th-century city square layout to a swamp so remote it's still one of the darkest, quietest places in the eastern US.
Georgia runs a properly wide range for one state, coastal history in Savannah, a Bavarian-style village that shouldn't work but somehow does, and a swamp that's stayed largely untouched since long before the state existed. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
Savannah's Historic District
One of the best-preserved planned city layouts in the country, General Oglethorpe's original 1733 grid of public squares still largely intact, moss-draped oak trees shading most of the walkways between them. Forsyth Park, the largest and most photographed of the squares, anchors the southern end of downtown with a properly striking fountain and wide, shaded paths.
Horse-drawn carriage tours run regularly through downtown, a properly relaxed way to cover the historic district without much walking, a good option if travelling with anyone who'd rather not do the full loop on foot.
Best time March-May and October-November for milder weather
Address Savannah Historic District, Savannah, GA
Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta
One of the largest aquariums in the country, the Ocean Voyager exhibit holds whale sharks, properly rare in captivity anywhere, viewed through an underwater tunnel that runs directly beneath the main tank. Beluga whales, dolphins, and a dedicated sea otter exhibit round out a collection that consistently ranks among the best in the country.
Book timed entry ahead during peak season, this sells out on busy weekends and school holidays, check availability before finalising other plans around it.
Hours Daily, roughly 9am-6pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 225 Baker St NW, Atlanta, GA
Okefenokee Swamp
A vast blackwater swamp along the Georgia-Florida border, home to a properly significant alligator population alongside black bears, sandhill cranes, and carnivorous pitcher plants found nowhere else nearby. Guided boat tours run from several entrance points, a proper way to see the swamp's interior that a car or short walk simply can't reach.
The water here runs a deep, tea-coloured tint from tannins released by surrounding cypress trees, worth knowing ahead so it doesn't read as murky or unclean, it's naturally this colour throughout.
Best time Winter and spring, fewer insects and more visible wildlife
Address Okefenokee Swamp, GA/FL border
Helen, Georgia's Bavarian Village
A small mountain town that made a deliberate decision decades ago to rebuild its entire downtown in an Alpine, Bavarian style, half-timbered buildings and cobblestone streets that have almost nothing to do with the region's actual history, and yet somehow work as a properly charming, unusual detour. Oktoberfest runs here each autumn, one of the longer-running celebrations of its kind in the country.
The surrounding mountains offer proper hiking and tubing down the Chattahoochee River in summer, a good active counterpoint to the town's more novelty-driven appeal.
Best time September-October for Oktoberfest; summer for tubing
Address Helen, GA
Providence Canyon State Park
A properly striking canyon system, up to 150 feet deep in places, that didn't exist before poor 19th-century farming practices stripped away topsoil and let erosion carve out the current landscape within roughly a century, an unusually fast timeline for a canyon this size. Multiple layers of coloured soil are visible along the canyon walls, pinks, oranges, and purples running through the exposed rock.
A rim trail offers views without any real climbing, and a longer floor trail drops down into the canyon itself for anyone wanting a closer look at the formations.
Hours Daily, roughly 7am-6pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 8930 Canyon Rd, Lumpkin, GA
Jekyll Island & the Golden Isles
A barrier island off Georgia's coast, once a private winter retreat for some of the wealthiest families in the country, including the Rockefellers and Pulitzers, several of their original 'cottages,' properly grand mansions despite the modest name, still stand and run tours today. The wider island runs considerably more relaxed now, beaches, bike trails, and a driftwood beach that's become one of the more photographed spots on the whole Georgia coast.
Driftwood Beach specifically holds weathered, sun-bleached tree trunks scattered across the sand, a properly striking, slightly eerie stretch, time it for early morning light.
Best time March-May and September-November
Address Jekyll Island, GA
Stone Mountain Park
A massive granite dome carved with a Confederate memorial relief, considerably larger in scale than Mount Rushmore, though the wider park has shifted its focus over the years toward family attractions alongside the carving itself, a cable car to the summit, a ropes course, and a summer laser light show projected directly onto the mountain face.
The summit trail is a proper hike if you'd rather skip the cable car, roughly a mile each way and steep enough to feel it, the views over the surrounding countryside earn the effort.
Hours Daily, hours vary seasonally
Address 1000 Robert E Lee Blvd, Stone Mountain, GA
Georgia Peaches & Pecan Orchards
Georgia's nickname as the Peach State runs deep into the culture even though South Carolina technically produces a larger volume, the flavour and marketing history here still dominate, particularly around Fort Valley and the surrounding Peach County. Pecans do the state's actual heaviest lifting agriculturally, Georgia grows more pecans than anywhere else in the country by a wide margin.
Pick-your-own orchards run through the summer peach season, a good, easy family activity if you're passing through central Georgia between June and August specifically.
Best time June-August for peaches
Address Peach County, central GA
World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta
A museum built entirely around the company's history, founded right in Atlanta in 1886, the vault holding the supposed secret formula draws a proper crowd despite being, by design, mostly theatrical rather than actually revealing anything. The tasting room at the end lets visitors sample dozens of Coca-Cola products from around the world, several flavours simply unavailable anywhere in the US outside this room.
This works well for kids specifically, the tasting room in particular tends to be the highlight, pace the rest of the visit to arrive there with some appetite left.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am-5pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 121 Baker St NW, Atlanta, GA
Georgia's BBQ Trail
Georgia barbecue tends to lean toward a tomato-and-vinegar sauce style, distinct from Alabama's mayonnaise-based white sauce or the Carolinas' straight vinegar, pulled pork and Brunswick stew, a tomato-based stew with pulled meat, both run as staples across much of the state. Fresh Air Bar-B-Que near Jackson, operating since the 1920s, remains one of the most established, well-regarded spots for the traditional version.
Brunswick stew specifically earns seeking out even if it's not what you came for, several counties across Georgia and neighbouring states claim to have invented it, a properly long-running regional argument.
Address Fresh Air Bar-B-Que, 1164 Hwy 42 S, Jackson, GA
Best time to visit Georgia
March through May and September through November cover the most comfortable weather for this list, mild enough for the coastal and mountain stops without summer's serious heat and humidity.
The Okefenokee Swamp specifically suits winter and early spring better than the rest of the list, fewer insects and more visible wildlife during the cooler months.
Getting around Georgia
A car is essential, the distances between Savannah, Atlanta, and the mountains run into several hours each, this is a state best covered with your own transport rather than relying on anything else.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Georgia worth visiting beyond Atlanta?
- Yes, easily, Savannah's historic squares and the Okefenokee Swamp both offer a completely different picture of the state than its capital city alone suggests.
- How many days do you need in Georgia?
- Seven days gives a comfortable pace to cover Atlanta, Savannah, and either the mountains or the Golden Isles without excessive driving.
- Is Georgia expensive to visit?
- No, generally affordable, food and accommodation both run below the national average outside of downtown Atlanta specifically.
- What's the best Georgia trip for kids?
- The Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's ten decent slices of a state that runs a lot wider than its capital city alone.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
