Day-Trippin’ – City Edition
Decatur Metro | March 1, 2010 | 9:02 amHaving been on the road a bit the past few days, I’ve been thinking a bit more than usual beyond the confines of good ol’ Decatur. (Gasp!)
Many of us are frequently gushing with pride for our east Atlanta haven, but like any healthy relationship, every once in a while you really need to take a break.
However, in the past I’ve found many online lists of recommendations to be more than lacking, so I thought some of us might benefit from some helpful neighborly advice about where to hang your traveling hat when your looking to escape the metro for a few days by car for a day-trip or weekend getaway.
As suggested by the title, I thought we might divide up the discussion into two posts: urban and rural. Today, feel free to recommend your favorite city and town escapes and then next Monday we’ll focus on less-populated retreats.
So whatcha got?
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For city day trips I like Chattanooga and the Bluff View art district. It’s the size I wish Atlanta was. Plus it’s probably the prettiest sited inland city in the south. Lots of history too.
For day trips I like to go to Cartersville to hike the trails at Pine Mountain and then go to the Booth Western Art Museum. Food for vegetarians is not great in Cartersville, but there is a Starbucks. They also have the Tellus science museum, but I haven’t been there.
I like to go to Birmingham for a day, too. Better food can be had there, and the Birmingham Museum of Art has a good-enough permanent collection. Haven’t been to the civil rights museums there, but I’m interested.
For food: Athens.
Can you recommend some good restaurants in Athens, with details?
Tellus is worth the trip, especially if you have kids but even if you don’t. We always wind up at the Moe’s in Cartersville for vegetarian food – hey, it does what it needs to do (and I know not everyone likes Moe’s but *I* do).
This comment = seconding the endorsement of Cartersville.
Whenever we’re in Cartersville, we love stopping at the Appalachian Grill downtown. Great food and a unique woodsy/mission style interior.
Asheville is great! We go up there at least once or twice a year. Lots of neat restaurants and artsy shopping in the city, and a fair amount of night life if you don’t have kiddos with you. They have an exceptional music scene for a city their size. We usually try to time our trips to catch a concert at the Orange Peel or Thomas & Wolfe. Of course, there are tons of outdoors activities nearby – hiking, biking, rafting, mountain drives, etc. And you have to check out the Pisgah brewery in Black Mtn and try my new favorite beer – Pisgah Organic Pale Ale. I also recommend having dinner and a bottle of wine at the Sunset Terrace at Grove Park Inn. If you’re never been to it before, the Biltmore House is also worth checking out at least once. So much fun!
Definitely need some brunch or dinner at Tupelo Honey before hitting the brews at Pisgah!
Athens food – The Grit!
Yes, pretty good, but not great. Plus, rude/slow service. Any OTHER suggestions?
The best food and dining experience in Athens, by far, is at five and ten. I ain’t foodie enough to give you the details, I just know it’s damn good.
On the other hand, I can tell you all you ever want to know about the fried chicken and collards at Weaver D’s. Automatic!
I already love Weaver D’s, and I agree with your assessment. The cornbread is the “real stuff” and you won’t find better greens anywhere. Automatic!
Five & Ten is fantastic. Also good: Last Resort, Five Star Day, Farm 255, Mama’s Boy
Thanks for all these Athens restaurant suggestions, from all of you. I have eaten at all of these except Five Star and Five&Ten, so I’ll give those a try next. I like everything about Mama’s Boy except their biscuits, which are SWEET, just like those abominable biscuits at you-know-where in Atlanta. What is it with this sugar thing in biscuits, cornbread, and even hush puppies? Yuck…
Chateau Elan has really lovely romantic weekend packages for two– their spa day with hot stone massage leaves me so relaxed I can be poured back into our room. (Caveat: their wines are barely mediocre, so skip them at dinner…)
Day trip: a picnic & hike at Amicalola Falls State Park is a great way to get your nature fix, if that’s what you’re in the mood to do. (I’m not really a nature girl, so the spousal unit makes it up to me by swinging back by the outlet mall there on the way home!)
Brevard is a great destination in the summer, kind of a touristy, mountain version of Decatur with music, good food, crafts, hiking. HOWEVER, it is dead on Sundays. So take Friday off and have Friday and Saturday nights there and then leave Sunday.
Tallulah Gorge, Dahlonega and Georgia wine country. It’s mostly country, though downtown Dahlonega has signs of life. And some Georgia wineries — Frogtown, Three Sisters, and Wolf Mountain — make some pretty tasty stuff.
Chattanooga. Less than two hous away, with lots of fun, family-oriented activities (Tennessee Aquarium, the nature center, Creative Discovery Museum, Lookout Mountain, battlefields, Rock City, Ruby Falls, etc.). It’s very clean and friendly, and plenty of places to dine in the downtown area.
Our idea of a nice day trip is a bike ride to Serenbe for lunch.
Tom – I’ve heard others talk fondly about serenbe – what’s the appeal for you?
Savannah. It’s a longish ride so I’d say make it a four day weekend. Wear sturdy, comfortable shoes. You’ll walk a lot over cobblestones and crushed oyster shells.
Do you ride to Serenbe from Decatur? That sounds awesome. What kind of roads (Hwy, back roads, etc.) do you end up riding on?
Yes. We ride through Atlanta; cross the 17th Street Bridge; out Bolton towards Six Flags. Rest stop at George’s, where the Silk Sheets route begins, and on to Serenbe. Return is a more direct route, through Palmetto and in along the route that parallels the railroad through College Park, East Point, &tc. The return trip is not so scenic. The route out is very nice. Distance is around 84 miles.
Answer to George: It’s the ride rather than the destination, really. Serenbe reminds me of a military base with its formal, clapboard buildings. The Blue Eyed Daisy serves decent soups and sandwiches and seems to be the village gathering place.
Madison GA – just over an hour east on I-20, it’s a well-preserved antebellum small town with tons of great houses to gawk at. A stop at the Blue Willow Inn at neighboring Social Circle is a must.
That was going to be my vote also.
I also have a thing for Madison, but feel like we haven’t been exploring new locales as much as we used to, so thanks to everyone that provided recommendations for some new places for me.
Anyone else been to Barnsley Gardens? We traveled up there last year and while it was quite relaxing, the constructed town green was a bit Disney-esque. However, I really liked the common rooms in the individual buildings.