Compared to the rest of GEORGIA , the largest of the Southern states, the bright lights of its capital Atlanta are a wild aberration. Apart from some beaches and towns on the highly indented coastline, this overwhelmingly rural state is composed of slow, easygoing settlements where the best, and sometimes the only, way to enjoy your time is to sip iced tea and have a chat on the porch.

Settlement in Georgia, the thirteenth British colony (named after King George II), started in 1733 at Savannah, intended as a haven of Christian principles for poor Britons, with both alcohol and slavery banned. However, under pressure from planters, slavery was introduced in 1752, and by the time of the Civil War almost half the population were black slaves. Little fighting took place on Georgian soil until Sherman's troops marched in from Tennessee, burned Atlanta to the ground and laid waste to all property on the way to the coast. The economy successfully re-established itself after the war, attracting substantial investment in the latter years of the nineteenth century.

Today, bustling Atlanta stands as the unofficial capital of the South. The city where Dr Martin Luther King Jr was born, preached and is buried bears little relation to Gone with the Wind stereotypes, and its forward-looking energy is upheld as a role model for other cities with large black populations - though it does still suffer high levels of urban poverty and violent crime.

Atlanta's main rival as a tourist destination is the Georgia coast , stretching south from beautiful old Savannah via the sea islands to the semitropical Okefenokee Swamp , inland near Florida. In the northeast , the Appalachian foothills are particularly fetching in fall, while Athens has a reputation for producing offbeat rock groups such as REM and the B-52's. Further south , the agricultural heartlands are rich in musical history, but only Macon and ancient Ocmulgee provide reasons to stop.  TOP

Central Georgia
The broad expanse of central Georgia , south of Atlanta, is famous more for its people than for places to see. Otis Redding, James Brown, Little Richard and the Allman Brothers were all born here or grew up in the area, while former president Jimmy Carter came from little Plains, roughly 120 miles due south of the capital.

Few of its small towns hold much of interest, though vegetable fanatics may enjoy tiny Juliette , twenty miles north of Macon, where the Whistle Stop Café dishes up the fried green tomatoes of book and movie fame (Mon-Sat 8am-2pm, Sun noon-7pm), and Vidalia further east, the self-proclaimed "Sweet Onion Capital of the World." The largest communities are the dull army center of Columbus and the likeable town of Macon.  TOP

North From Atlanta: The Mountains
Atlanta is a short drive from some spectacular Appalachian mountain scenery , at its best in October when the leaves turn gold and red. A drive through the mountains on the secondary roads takes you through endless hairpins and narrow passes; Hwy-348 ascends a particularly impressive pass at the White County line, crossed at the top by the Appalachian Trail . Of the various towns and villages, Dahlonega makes the best base; most of the rest - like Helen , 35 miles northeast, now a pseudo-Bavarian village - are either kitsch or downright dull. The region does, however, abound in delightful state parks , several of which offer both camping and hotel-style lodges.  TOP

Okefenokee Swamp
The dense semitropical OKEFENOKEE SWAMP stretches over thirty miles down to Florida from a point roughly thirty miles southwest of Brunswick. Tucked away among its astonishing profusion of luxuriant plants and trees are something like 20,000 alligators, over thirty species of snake, as well as bears and pumas. You can only get in at the Okefenokee Swamp Park , a private charity-owned concession at the northeast end, on Hwy-177, off US-23/1, not served by public transportation (June-Aug daily 9am-6.30pm; Sept-May daily 9am-5.30pm; $14-18; tel 912/283-0583). Admission includes an hour and a half boat tour through the swamp (slick yourself with bug repellent), a serpentarium, a good interpretive center on wildlife, an observation tower, reconstructed pioneer buildings - and a lot of placid alligators sunning themselves in oblivious bliss.

Unlovely WAYCROSS , ten miles north, holds bargain motels such as the Pinecrest , 1761 Memorial Drive (tel 912/283-3580; up to $35). The town's Okefenokee Heritage Center , 1460 N Augusta Ave (Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; $4), has occasional displays on the history of the swamp.  TOP

Sea Islands
Several of Georgia's SEA ISLANDS , like those of South Carolina, were divided among freed slaves after the Civil War. They remained poor, agricultural communities, however, and little now remains from those years for an outsider to see. Today they make handy alternatives to Florida as seashore breaks for tired inlanders.   TOP