Historic houses © Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism

Gracious columned mansions, pretty girls and handsome soldiers is the image the southern state of Georgia conjures up for most, thanks to the enduring fame of the classic movie Gone with the Wind, based on Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer prize-winning novel. As sure as having hot buttered grits for breakfast is the fact that Georgia did not really need a movie to put it on the map. The state took a heavy toll during the American Civil War, particularly the capital, Atlanta, which was largely laid waste. Georgian determination, however, has ensured that a phoenix arose from those ashes, and today Georgia's lively towns and the thriving cosmopolitan city of Atlanta are a force to be reckoned with.

The coastal region, from lovely historic Savannah southwards, is a treasure-trove for nature lovers, still largely unspoilt and undiscovered by mainstream tourism. It offers beaches, offshore barrier islands filled with indigenous flora and fauna, wetlands, walking and biking trails, and quaint shrimping villages to explore.

Whichever region of Georgia one chooses to visit, from the Atlanta metropole, northern mountains, plantations of the Deep South or the coast, there is one common denominator: everywhere visitors are received and hosted with traditional southern hospitality. This is the cherry on the top for the state that claims in one promotional slogan: 'You can do anything in Georgia'.