From the foothills of northern Georgia, it’s only an hour by freeway southwest to Atlanta, the cultural and commercial center of the New South, and a fascinating (and fun) place to explore. Unfortunately, Atlanta is surrounded by miles and miles of mega-freeway sprawl, so you’ll have to endure some of the country’s craziest driving to get there.
From Athens, Hwy-316 merges into I-85 for the quickest route there, but for a more interesting route follow old US-78 southeast, approaching Atlanta by way of Stone Mountain, 16 miles east of downtown. A Confederate Mt. Rushmore and historic KKK rallying point, Stone Mountain (daily; $8 per car; 770/498-5690 or 800/317-2006) consists of the 20-times-larger-than-life figures of Robert E. Lee, “Stonewall” Jackson, and Jefferson Davis carved into an 800-foot-high hump of granite. At the base are 3,200 acres of the tackier tourist traps going (riverboat cruises, a scenic railroad, a cable car “Skylift” to the summit—all of which charge separate fees of around $8 each), plus the velodrome from the 1996 Olympics and Atlanta’s best campground.
