Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [127]
Winchell’s Oyster House
Mobile classic since 1938 serving up tasty oysters numerous ways and plenty of other tremendous seafood. ’Bama truths line the walls. 251-432-4605; 605 Dauphin St; mains $7-23; 11am-10pm Sun-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat;
DRINK
Boo Radley’s
One of the better live music bars on Dauphin. Free crawfish on Wednesdays in crawfish season! 251-432-1996; 276 Dauphin St; 8pm-7am Thu-Sat; 8pm-7am Wed only Mar-Jul
Hurricane Brewing
Nobody raves about the food at this microbrewery, but the suds are solid. Long wooden picnic tables facilitate interesting encounters. 251-445-2544; 225 Dauphin St; mains $7-11; 11am-11pm Mon-Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat
SLEEP
Battle House
1908 hotel turned upscale Renaissance with a gorgeous domed glass lobby. 251-338-2000; www.rsabattlehouse.com; 26 N Royal St; r $119-249;
Malaga Inn
These two restored town houses open onto an interior garden. It’s worth the extra money for the 1862 rooms, which are larger and more authentic. 251-438-4701; www.malagainn.com; 359 Church St; r $94-129
USEFUL WEBSITES
www.mobile.org
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LINK YOUR TRIP www.lonelyplanet.com/trip-planner
TRIP
2 Antebellum South
4 Music City to Dixieland: A Musical Roots Run
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Day Trips in North & South Georgia
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Atlanta and Savannah provide enough amusement to hold your attention for weeks, but why not live a little and get out into the surrounding mountains, waterways and national parks that pepper the countryside outside these two Southern belles? Within an hour or two of both, there’s no shortage of distractions.
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LAKE LANIER
Georgia’s most visited lake is a 39,000-acre aquatic playground under the verdant gaze of the North Georgia Mountains. Atlantans flock here in the summer, content to get out on the water and bask in the sweltering Georgia heat. Diversions in the area include lakeside cottages, camping, boat rentals (from Harbor Landing), and two award-wining golf courses, Emerald Pointe and Pinelsle. In summer, the beach and water park open for business; from mid-November through December, the world’s largest animated holiday light extravaganza, the Magical Nights of Light, illuminates the lake. Drought threatened the lake in 2007, resulting in a 15ft drop in water levels, but that didn’t stop Atlantans from enjoying 692 miles of shoreline: they were just extra careful where they dove! North of downtown Atlanta, take I-85 (northbound) to I-985 (northbound) to exit 8 (Friendship Rd). Follow the signs to Lake Lanier.
HELEN
Popping up out of the Blue Ridge Mountains like Bavaria’s Schloss Neuschwanstein, two hours north of Atlanta, is a charming little piece of Germany – no passport required. Helen is modeled after an Alpine village, right down to the bier, brats and lederhosen. Narrow cobblestone alleys, old-world towers and balconies, German-spiced restaurants and bakeries and specialty shops are tucked along the Straßes and Platzes that line Chattahoochee River through this mountain town. One of the country’s most popular Oktoberfests is here, as is a wealth of outdoor adventures, including Anna Ruby Falls, a 150ft double waterfall, and hiking, biking and fishing in the area. Tubing in the Chattahoochee is one of the most popular ways to kill an afternoon. From Atlanta, take I-85 (northbound) for 31 miles to I-985/Lanier Parkway/exit 113 (signs for Gainesville/I-985 North/Lanier Parkway) and follow Lanier Parkway 32 miles to Hwy 23 (northbound). Take a left on Duncan Bridge Rd/Hwy 384. Take a right on Hwy 75 into town.
TALLULAH GORGE STATE PARK
Two miles long and 1000ft deep, Tallulah Gorge (www.gastateparks.org/info/tallulah) is one of the most spectacular swaths of cut canyon this side of the Mississippi River and is considered the first tourist attraction in north Georgia, designated as such as far back as the 19th century. A 90-minute drive northeast of Atlanta puts you in one of Georgia’s prettiest parks, Tallulah Gorge State Park, home to rim trails to several outlooks