SPORTS & RECREATION / DAY TRIPS & GETAWAYS
Atlanta, Georgia
Experience big city entertainment and southern hospitality when you make a day trip to Atlanta. From culture to cuisine, sports and shopping, we have it covered. Atlanta, the cultural capital of the south, is your ticket to a spectacular arts adventure. It’s ancient news that mummies and dinosaurs roam the city, but have you seen the largest museum dedicated to the art of puppetry or visited the oldest continually running ballet in the country?
The best way to see Atlanta’s charm is on foot. Enjoy the city’s colorful Spring with a tour of neighborhoods or gallery-hopping downtown. Stroll through gardens or visit Piedmont Park, our 100-year-old answer to your outdoor activities.
Spring is here, and that means the Atlanta Braves are set for another rousing season. Catch Georgia Force arena football, see a motorsport race, or take in a round of golf.
From the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site to Southern cooking, from the Civil War to Civil Rights, from the nation’s best African-American colleges and universities to the National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta’s heritage is a year-round experience.
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
404-521-6600
www.atlanta.net
Charleston, South Carolina
Often recognized among America’s most beautifully preserved architectural and historic treasures, Charleston claims a 300-year history. Hundreds of colonial and antebellum structures grace the charming streets in the Historic District. Among the virtually endless attractions are the Charles Towne Landing, the site of the original 1670 settlement; the Charleston Museum, distinguished as the nation’s first museum; and Patriots Point, the world’s largest Naval and maritime museum. Tour boats travel to the man-made island fortress of Fort Sumter, where the Civil War began. Internationally famous plantations and gardens harmonize with lush sea islands and sun-kissed beaches, exceptional golf courses, charter fishing, wonderful shopping, and fine dining. For more information, contact:
Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau
www.charlestoncvb.com
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is a dynamic city that combines world-class amenities with warm Southern hospitality. Exciting restaurants, arts and cultural attractions, professional sports, excellent shopping and a variety of accommodations make your Charlotte visit an exciting experience. Add our tree-lined Center City streets, beautiful lakes, parks and nature preserves, and you’ll understand why Charlotte is the number one destination in the Carolinas, with 9.4 million visitors each year.
Charlotte welcomes you with an impressive skyline, museums, performing arts, professional sports, cultural events and exciting shopping. But each year, there’s always something new and different to explore and experience. Charlotte is a city chock-full of big-city entertainment – yet with the southern accent of warm hospitality.
Charlotte attractions cover a great deal of ground from NASCAR and theme parks to hands-on science museums. See for yourself why Charlotte is the #1 destination in the Carolinas.
Nation’s Restaurant News magazine recently named Charlotte one of the “Top 50 Cities That Sizzle.” Charlotte’s got the sizzle and we also have the steak-and the sushi, spaghetti and seafood. Dining out in Charlotte is guaranteed to be a delightful experience – a smorgasbord for the eyes and palate.
Charlotte Convention & Visitors Bureau
704-339-6040
www.charlottesgotalot.com
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Just a few hours drive from Charlotte in South Carolina, Hilton Head Island has been a leading vacation destination for decades. This sub-tropical setting offers pristine beaches washed by warm, gentle Atlantic waters for an atmosphere that is as relaxing as it is beautiful. In spite of the island’s close proximity to the mainland, visitors feel as if they have taken a cruise to another world apart from the traffic and crowds of many beach resort areas. Sport enthusiasts will enjoy some of the nation’s most highly acclaimed golf courses, beach volleyball, championship tennis, personal watercraft, kayaking, swimming, boating, sailing, parasailing, and biking along miles of serene island trails. Fine dining, shopping, and nightspots harmonize beautifully with the natural paradise to cater to every interest. Live entertainment creates a real “island” atmosphere when the sun’s crimson hues fade into a starry evening. For more information, contact:
Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau
800-523-3373
www.hiltonheadisland.org
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
If there’s one thing a Myrtle Beach area vacation guarantees, it’s FUN. A relaxing day on the beach, a challenging golf game, an all-day shopping spree – these and other activities are fine. But when the Grand Strand is your vacation destination, playtime is a priority. And the Myrtle Beach area has lots of playthings. From whooshing water slides and revved-up racecars to plunging roller coasters and amazing mini-golf courses. From an awesome aquarium and a lush Lowcountry sculpture garden to two sprawling entertainment/dining/shopping complexes. From sailboats, banana boats, and kayaks to scenic parasailing and riverboat rides. The fun never ends! The tough part is finding time for all the fun things you want to do.
Along the Grand Strand, more than 1,700 full-service restaurants are waiting to serve you. The choices are endless. Of course, we’re famous for fabulous, fresh seafood, and we serve it up every way under the sun. Try traditional Calabash- or Murrells Inlet-style seafood, with tender morsels battered oh-so-lightly and deep-fried to perfection. Or order yours grilled, broiled, or blackened and topped with a delicate sauce.
There’s something magical about the Myrtle Beach area at night. Maybe it’s the sultry ocean breezes, or moonlight reflecting off the ocean. Perhaps it’s the radiant neon lights, or pulsating music from a popular nightspot. Whatever the source, the magic is potent, and you’ll soon fall under the spell.
The Grand Strand is well stocked with nightclubs, discos, sports bars, beach clubs, and other hot spots. It’s tough to say where to start. The best advice is to match your mood. Feel like dancing? The area has a wealth of dance clubs, where you can shag, disco dance, swing, two-step, or do whatever moves you and your partner. If you like to sing, test your talent at one of many popular karaoke clubs. Sports fans will feel right at home in a local sports bar, sipping an ice-cold brew while the game of choice is played out on a big-screen TV. Like live music? It’s everywhere, in every style imaginable – pop, rock, country, blues, R&B, instrumental, and more.
One of the first things you’ll discover about the Myrtle Beach area – if you don’t already know this – is the wide range of retail establishments and outlet stores. You can browse to your heart’s content in quaint gift shops and galleries, bargain-shop in outlet stores, or check out the offerings of a nearby mall. And souvenir shoppers will have a field day tracking down that perfect gift for someone back home.
The Myrtle Beach area is home to two of the largest shopping/dining/entertainment complexes in the Southeast.
Myrtle Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
800-356-3016
www.visitmyrtlebeach.com
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is a festival city! With more than 200 city-wide festivals and events a year, Georgia’s First City has an exciting array of activities to entertain travelers of any age.
February and March bring the Black Heritage Festival, our world famous St. Patrick’s Day Celebration and the Savannah Music Festival. Early spring welcomes the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf and the Annual Tour of Homes and Gardens.
More than 45 cultural attractions draw visitors who are in search of history, art, architecture and tradition. Tours depart from various points of the city and can focus on the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Heritage, ghosts or the Civil War. River cruises and horse-drawn carriage tours add to the mix.
The coast of Georgia is a watersportsman’s paradise! Recreational boating or watersports, fishing, kayaking and dolphin tours are available. When the sun goes down, our history sleeps and the nightlife comes alive with concerts, theater and dance!
Savannah hosts a cosmopolitan assortment of award-winning restaurants and lowcountry cuisine! Excite your taste buds with a bowl of creamy she crab-soup, a sweet pecan pie, a crispy platter of fried chicken, fresh collard greens, a hot bowl of grits or a delicate scored flounder tempered with an apricot glaze with baby carrots and wild rice. If down home favorites are not your forte and it’s international flare you seek, Savannah is filled with eclectic restaurants featuring themes like Italian, Asian, Southwestern, Caribbean, French, English, Irish, Greek and Moroccan. We have a restaurant to satisfy everyone’s pallet.
Savannah Convention & Visitors Bureau
http://visitsavannah.com
