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Excursions

For a Half Day

Six Flags Over Georgia: This old-fashioned funfair (tel: (770) 948 9290) has eight rollercoasters, including an ageing wooden monster; plus a wooden carousel, a diving spectacular and a nightly firework display and laser show. It is located along the I-285, eight kilometres (five miles) west of the Six Flags exit off the I-20. Admission costs US$37; although a few special attractions require an extra fee.

Chattahoochee River recreation area:
Eighty kilometres (50 miles) of marked hiking trails, through gardens and forests, link nine waterside recreation areas in the north of the city. Canoes and rafts are available for hire; and picnicking facilities are based at Johnson Ferry, Powers Island and Paces Mill. Fishing is permitted with a Georgia licence and a trout stamp. The National Parks Service Visitor Contact Center, 1978 Island Ford Parkway (tel: (770) 399 8070; fax: (770) 392 7045) can provide information. The district is open during daylight and is free; maps are available at the Visitor Center.

For a Whole Day

Stone Mountain:
Stone Mountain, although outside city bounds, is Atlanta's chief natural wonder and tourist attraction. On this huge rounded granite outcrop, gigantic representations of three Confederate heroes - Robert E Lee, Jefferson Davis and 'Stonewall' Jackson - have been carved into a cliff-face. The Sky-lift, rising 270m (825ft) up the mountain, offers head-on views of the carvings and a magnificent panorama of the Appalachians from the top. The surrounding 1280-hectare (3200-acre) park has a 145-hectare (363-acre) lake devoted to swimming and fishing, and complete with a period riverboat. A steam locomotive winds an eight-kilometre (five-mile) course around the peak, giving access to nature trails through the woods and over the granite. The peak is fairly free from commercialisation; while the more developed parts of the park include shops and restaurants, tennis and golf courses, the Antebellum plantation, and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century buildings restored among formal gardens. In the nearby meadows, Civil War battles are re-enacted on some Sundays. A dramatic laser show lights up the mountain each night to musical accompaniment and culminates in the firing of a flame cannon and a firework fantasy. Stone Mountain (tel: (770) 498 5690 or (800) 317 2006; web site: www.stonemountainpark.org ) is located on I-78, 25km (16 miles) east of downtown Atlanta. The Mountain is open daily 0600-2400; most attractions are open daily 1000-1800 or later. The laser show starts at 2130. Admission costs US$16.00.

Dahlonega:
In summer, the dark, wooded Appalachians offer a refuge from the scorching heat reflected in the concrete and glass of downtown Atlanta. Dahlonega is a charming old mining town with traditional buildings, water wheels and a Gold Museum where visitors can pan for gold in streams on the slopes of the Appalachians. The Appalachian long-distance walking trail starts above the town. The only drawback is that visitors have to drive themselves along the (initially) straight and boring N-41 north from Atlanta. After about 65km (40 miles), Dahlonega is a well-signposted turning west off this main road (driving time - 1 hour 15 minutes).

Pine Mountains:
The gardens of Atlanta are marvels of design and planning, kept fresh by continual watering. However, keen gardeners who would like to see plants in a more natural setting should visit the 5600 hectares (14,000 acres) of Callaway Gardens (tel: (706) 663 4000 or (800) 441 3502; web site: www.callawaygardens.com ) in the Pine Mountains. The hilly woodlands and gardens include a mountain-bike trail, a butterfly centre and azaelea gardens. President Franklin D Roosevelt's Little White House at Warm Springs is also open. Callaway is about 1 hour 15 minutes' drive north from Atlanta, initially along the I-85, then following the signs.



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