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Now a booming services-industry centre with a population of over 400,000 (and a metro population topping 4 million), Atlanta – known as ‘The City in a Forest’ – most dramatically expresses the transition from Old South to New. Along its residential streets, magnolia and dogwood trees surround handsome Georgian-style homes, yet only blocks away, some of the country’s most dazzling contemporary buildings are rising at record speed to add to Atlanta’s ever-growing skyline.
The Georgia State Capitol on Washington Street on Capitol Square also houses the Georgia Hall of Fame and the Hall of Flags. The Tomb of Martin Luther King is located at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The 14-storey CNN Center houses offices, a hotel, a sports arena and the headquarters of the CNN news agency. Underground Atlanta, a restored four-square block shopping and entertainment area, is located near the business centre of Atlanta and is home to the Zero Mile Post, which marks the city’s birthplace. Grant Park contains the Atlanta Zoo, the restored Confederate Fort Walker, and the Cyclorama, a world-famous 123m (406ft) circumference painting of the Battle of Atlanta. Piedmont Park has facilities for swimming and tennis.

24km (16 miles) east of downtown Atlanta is Stone Mountain, where gigantic representations of three Confederate heroes – Robert E Lee, Jefferson Davis and Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson – have been carved into a cliff-face; a climb takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour, while the cable car is an easier option of getting to the top. Within easy travelling distance of Atlanta are: Augusta, home of the Masters Golf Tournament every April; Dahlonega, an old mining town, where visitors can still pan for gold; and Madison, a historic town that was spared from ruin during Sherman’s March in 1864. The nearby Pine Mountain area is noted for its Callaway Gardens and for President Franklin D Roosevelt’s Little White House at Warm Springs. In the old capital of Georgia, Milledgeville, there is a trolley tour six days a week around the town’s historic district.

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On the Atlantic coast, 400km (240 miles) southeast of Atlanta, Savannah was the USA’s first planned city. It has become the greatest urban historic preservation site in the USA. Much of Savannah’s original beauty remains, and more than a thousand of its buildings are historically important, including the Regency-style Owens-Thomas House designed by William Jay, and Davenport House, one of the best examples of Georgian architecture in the New World. Fort Pulaski, one of Savannah’s five forts open to the public, is named after the Polish hero of the American Revolution. Tybee Island features sands, fishing piers and a marine science centre. The city is also home to the celebrated Savannah Jazz Festival in September.

The Golden Isles, south of the city, are known for their leisurely resorts, with beaches, fine golfing, tennis and fishing. Jekyll Island, an ideal destination for bird watchers, golfers and history enthusiasts, is located off the Atlantic coastline’s marshlands. It can be reached within an hour’s drive from either Savannah or Jacksonville, Florida. The resort island is known for its natural beauty and a deep sense of history. From 1886 to 1942, Jekyll was the winter sanctuary of some of the US’s wealthiest industrialists, such as William Rockefeller and Richard Crane. The beautifully restored Victorian Clubhouse and the historic district are perfect examples of this bygone era. St Simons is the largest of the Golden Isles, with vast woodlands and stretches of unspoilt marshes and coastline. Sea Island is home to The Cloister hotel and superb resort activities, including tennis, golf and a spa. Waycross is one of three gateways to the Okefenokee Swamp, one of the country’s most beautiful wilderness areas. The swamp is a refuge of exotic plant and animal life, including alligators.