Explore and Enjoy Georgia to the Fullest This Summer

Summers in Georgia bring an indescribable sense of freedom. Grab your sweetheart and visit one of the state’s impossibly picturesque, romantic small towns for a mini-moon, babymoon, or honeymoon. Take the kids on a family adventure amidst some of the most breathtaking scenery east of the Mississippi. Get your girl gang together and head to a coastal hidden gem. 

No matter your summer plans, you’re sure to find your bliss in Georgia. Just don’t forget to send us a postcard!

Oozing with Southern charm and quaint architecture, few cities in Georgia are more suited to a personal getaway than Macon. By the end of your stay, you’ll be humming songs recorded in the city’s most famous studio, daydreaming about the region’s tastiest slice of pie, and replaying your night at the symphony over and over again.

Room & Board

Nestled in Macon’s historic downtown district, Hotel Forty Five is an early 20th century bank-turned-boutique hotel and event space. Its name originates from the 45-degree angle on which it was built — the result of Cotton Avenue’s diagonal trajectory right through the city. With just 94 rooms and an updated urban design, you can get up close and personal with the history of Macon while enjoying modern amenities. Enjoy a big view of downtown after your short stroll back from The Grand Opera House, just two blocks away. 

To-Do List

Music lovers, rejoice! Catch touring musicians and Broadway shows, family films, and orchestras at the aforementioned 1,030-seat The Grand Opera House — just be sure to check out the upcoming events ahead of your trip. At the Capricorn Sound Studio and Museum, you can pay homage to the studio’s founding partner, Otis Redding Jr., and one of its biggest success stories, The Allman Brothers, by listening to their vinyls and viewing the recording rooms where hits like “Midnight Rider” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” were written. 

At the Tubman Museum, African American history, culture, and contemporary art are celebrated through varying exhibits and events. Float through the museum’s permanent collection or book a guided tour.

Those looking for some outdoor adventure can head across the Ocmulgee River to the 3,000-acre Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, where indigenous communities lived for 17,000 continuous years. Explore the flat-topped earthen mounds and trenches, as well as North America’s only reconstructed earth lodge (a dome-shaped dwelling typically made with available resources like clay, grass, or timber), complete with its original 1,000-year-old floor. 

Pro tip: Dropping by for a spring visit? Every March, the magical International Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates “love, beauty, and international friendship” with an epic display of Macon’s 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees scattered throughout the city.

Your Table is Ready

At Loom, Hotel Forty Five’s onsite restaurant, menu items like peach and prosciutto salad and gulf shrimp and grits honor traditional southern cooking, using local ingredients wherever possible. Seeking farm-to-table vibes? Head to Dovetail, the city’s first farm-to-table restaurant, serving  upscale cuisine and heavenly desserts like Cracked Pie — oatmeal cookie crust and a gooey pecan filling — served with salted caramel gelato and toffee. If you’re in the mood for soul food, H&H is the place to be. Whether you’re in for breakfast, lunch, or brunch, enjoy buttery biscuits, fried green tomatoes, barbecue brisket, and so much more. 

This 19,000-acre reservoir in central Georgia is endlessly romantic, making it the ideal destination to enjoy each other’s company. Get a heavenly couples’ massage, set sail on a romantic sunset boat ride, and indulge in delicious, resplendent waterside dining. When it comes to spending time with your special someone, Lake Oconee offers it all.

Room & Board

Located just over an hour outside Atlanta, The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee offers a serene escape. All year round, you can enjoy waterfront luxury via lakeside cottage accommodations, exquisite pools, a renowned spa, fine dining, and 24-hour concierge service.

To-Do List

As you might suspect, Lake Oconee offers plenty of chances to get out on the water. Both Young Harris Water Sports at Lake Oconee and Oconee Classic Boats have access points right at the hotel, so you and your honey can feel like kids again with jet skis, kayaks, stand up paddleboards, inner tubes, and more. End your day with a special captain-guided tour of the lake in a Hacker-Craft mahogany boat, complete with your own snacks, beverages, blankets, and even a bluetooth speaker, so you can play your favorite love songs. 

Once you’ve had your fill of the lake, mosey around Downtown Greensboro, where there are plenty of places to shop and sip, like Oconee Brewing Company, housed in a renovated cotton mill warehouse equipped with a tasting room for public tours. Shop local on your hunt for antiques, vintage clothing, home goods, and everything in between. You can also take a walking tour or check out cultural events at Festival Hall.

Your Table is Ready

The Ritz’s lakefront and poolside restaurant, Gaby's by the Lake, proudly boasts a laid back atmosphere complemented by upscale bistro dishes and chilled cocktails. Guests are encouraged to walk in anytime they please for low country fish tacos and lobster grilled cheese, or take the items to go and enjoy around the resort. Come dinnertime, head down to Linger Longer Steakhouse for tableside carvings, a raw bar, and prime cuts of meat. And finally, don’t skip town without having a slice of buttermilk pie at Greensboro’s The Yesterday Café — a butterfly, vanilla custard encased in a flaky crust that’s so decadent, you may not want to share.

Georgia’s Golden Isles — nestled between Savannah, GA, and Jacksonville, FL — are the most enchanting destination for a weekend with your crew. From St. Simons Island to Sea Island to Jekyll Island to Little St. Simons Island, plus the mainland city of Historic Brunswick, you’ll find beach adventure, museums, breweries, and so much more.

Room & Board

The largest of the barrier islands, your homebase is St. Simons Island, where shopping, dining, year-round events, and oceanfront resorts are bountiful. Book a stay at The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort to be treated like royalty Not only does the property offer one, two, or three-bedroom units to accommodate the entire crew, The property features three oceanfront pools, a charming custard and coffee shop for early morning and late afternoon cravings, tennis courts, and a championship golf course to keep boredom at bay. Stick together or go your separate ways and meet for a gourmet evening meal.

To-Do List

Make the most out of your girl time with day trips to different destinations, like Jekyll Island, where your group can bike around more than 22 miles of paths and trails thanks to Jekyll Island Mini Golf & Bike Barn. Learn about the island’s storied past at the Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum, then visit the aquatic cuties at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, the state’s only turtle rehabilitation hospital and educational facility. As the day settles down, head to Driftwood Beach to catch the golden southern sunset. 

On the mainland, Historic Brunswick is a guaranteed good time. This vibrant area is littered with restaurants, shops, and breweries, like Silver Bluff Brewing, a grown-up playground featuring a tap room and cornhole-friendly outdoor beer garden. Sample the year-round brews (including their own Mexican lager and a blonde ale) plus a variety of seasonal pints. Just across the street, Richland Rum Distilling Company—which began in 1999 and has since become one of biggest players in the industry — offers tours and tastings of their artisanal spirits. Bring a bottle of their Old South Georgia Rum back to the suite for late-night cocktails. 

Your Table is Ready

The beauty of staying on St. Simons Island — in addition to its visual splendor — is the variety of cuisine at your fingertips. The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort’s on-site restaurant, ECHO (also the island’s only oceanfront dining) never misses a beat, from the Georgia peach and blueberry breakfast parfait to the braised beef pot roast dinner. When you feel like switching things up, Halyards has a lively bar and extensive seafood menu perfect for immaculate summer vibes with your girlfriends. Of course, no trip to the Golden Isles is complete without some Southern Soul Barbeque, widely regarded as one of the best barbecue restaurants in the country.

A refuge from city life, Clayton offers fishing and white-water rafting, a twee downtown area, and dishes to satisfy everyone’s palate. 

Room & Board

The elegant, ivy-clad White Birch Inn is straight out of a fairytale, situated right on the square of historic downtown Clayton. Amenities include a small gym, screened porch, sundeck, private patio, breakfast room, and lounge for parents seeking a nightcap. It’s the perfect place to disconnect from everything but each other.

To-Do List

If you’re an adventurous clan, Shady Creek Expeditions is the place to go. In addition to selling gear, the outfitter on Clayton’s Main Street offers guided fly fishing, as well as waterfall and hiking tours in the Blue Ridge Mountains. On land, wander around downtown shops like Ghost Apothecary, Lulu & Tully Mercantile, and Isadora Popper to scoop up some handmade souvenirs. After a long day of hiking or frolicking (or both), the grown-ups of the group can drop into Moonrise Distillery for a tour and tasting of local small-batch distilled spirits, made with traditional Appalachian pot stills and mountain spring water.

Your Table is Ready

Expect every meal in Clayton, the farm-to-table capital of Georgia, to be extraordinarily fresh. Downtown’s Fortify proudly lists its local suppliers on its menu (inclusive of almond-crusted trout and fried green tomatoes, among other dishes), while its kid-friendly counterpart, Fortify Pi, uses the same quality ingredients to whip up shared plates, pizzas, and salads. Just north of Tallulah Falls, Lake Rabun Hotel & Restaurant prides itself on dishes that are “creative, innovative, and always seasonal,” using humanely raised meats and wild-caught local seafood. Should you feel inspired, keep heading up to Julep Farms Kitchen in Dillard, where greens and vegetables are grown on the property.