Georgia is one of the Southeast’s most geographically diverse states, offering countless recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts, from Appalachian Mountain escapes to 100 miles of adventure along the Atlantic Ocean coast. The Department of Natural Resources manages more than one million acres of land available for public recreation at 63 state parks and historic sites, and over 90 wildlife management areas. Depending on the park you choose, a variety of activities are offered – for free or a fee – like fishing, hunting, swimming, motor boating, pedal boating, canoeing, kayaking, white water rafting, horseback riding, rock climbing and the friendly competition of miniature golf, tennis, volleyball and horseshoes. Many are equipped with children’s playgrounds, restrooms, showers, picnic tables and shelters for groups that include grills and even kitchens. Experience Georgia by starlight and enjoy crisp, cool mornings that warm up quickly this time of year when you camp at any number of sites that run the gamut from primitive to plush. Just you and a sleeping bag; walk-in tents and yurts; RV pull-throughs; cozy cabins and double-decker houseboats; ultra modern lodges, spas and resorts that come with a mountain view or a beach backdrop. If you’re a biker, sign up for the “Muddy Spokes Club” and ride easy-to-strenuous designated bicycle trails at 11 state parks throughout the state. Most parks have boat ramps and docks, and several will loan you fishing poles and tackle for free. Wherever you go, almost every Georgia park and historic site offers natural hiking trails and paved pathways. Follow miles and miles of twisting trails up ancient mountains; through forests and wetlands; past sparkling streams and breathtaking waterfalls; and down lush, valley pathways to view wildlife and wildflowers in abundance right now. Let’s start planning your getaway to this gorgeous state using the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia as starting points for your outdoor adventures. These geographically stunning formations are the most spectacular and unusual sites in the state and provide excellent day trips from major cities. Amicalola Falls – With a drop of 729 feet, Amicalola Falls are the highest cascading waterfalls east of the Mississippi. Located near Dawsonville (about an hour north of Atlanta), the falls offer incredible natural beauty, including spectacular views from an overlook at the top of the falls and a delightful reflecting pool at its base. A scenic, 8.5-mile trail leads from Amicalola Falls to Springer Mountain, the bottom end of the 2,135-mile Appalachian Trail. Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge is one of the most visited parks in Georgia with playgrounds, picnic areas, rental cottages, tents, trailer sites and a 56-room lodge overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. You’ll be close enough to visit 300 kangaroos at the Kangaroo Conservation Center; pan for gold in Dahlonega and tour the Alpine Village of Helen, a simply adorable touch of Bavaria with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers beside the Chattahoochee River. Okefenokee Swamp – Haunting. Mysterious. The Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is the largest swamp in North America, a peat-filled wetland encompassing nearly 700 eerily beautiful square miles in the southeast corner of Georgia. The wildlife paradise boasts an amazing variety of ecological features, from sandy ridges to wet, grassy savannahs and marshes, to narrow water channels and tiny islands floating in the tea-colored water. The swamp supports a vast range of flora and fauna: deer, bears, bobcats, otters, raccoons, opossums, turtles, alligators, birds, fish and frogs by the millions, mostly dwelling in and under Spanish moss-draped cypress trees. Located 18 miles northeast of Fargo on Highway 177, Stephen C. Foster State Park is the primary entrance to the Okefenokee, offering 66 tent, trailer and RV campsites, 9 cottages, 2 pioneer camps and 3 picnic sites. Spend the day exploring by canoe or motorboat, either on a guided tour or on your own. Providence Canyon – Often referred to as "Georgia's Little Grand Canyon," Providence Canyon is actually 16 canyons of pink, orange, red and purple hued layers of soft canyon soil located near Lumpkin in West Central Georgia. Laced with 150 varieties of flowers, the 1,103-acre network of gorges offers breathtaking views along three miles of trails, as well as from 65 scenic picnic areas and at pioneer and backcountry campsites. It’s not a purely natural feature; the massive gullies were caused by erosion due to poor farming in the 1800s. Nearby, camping and cottages are available at Florence Marina State Park on Lake Walter F. George, at Kolomoki Mounds State Historic Park in Blakely and at George T. Bagby State Park, Lodge and Golf Course in Fort Gaines. Radium Springs – Located on the southern outskirts of Albany, Radium Springs is the largest spring in the state, rushing from the earth at 70,000 sapphire-blue gallons per minute and maintaining a constant temperature of 68 degrees. The sparkling spring water contains trace sources of radium, which have many health benefits. In fact, some of the purest water in the world can be found in caves and caverns hundreds of feet below Albany. Plan your visit to the Georgia natural wonder to include camping at The Parks at Chehaw, where RV camping includes hook-ups with electricity and water at each site for just $15/day, or tent camping for $10/day. There’s a bath house, washers and dryers, picnic areas and other amenities, but the real “Wow Factor” is the Chehaw Wild Animal Park, originally laid out by noted naturalist Jim Fowler of TV’s Wild Kingdom. Stroll the boardwalks to see native and exotic animals like rhinos, cheetahs, zebras and bald eagles. At the Children’s Farm there are miniature horses, alpacas, pigs and goats. Wild trails, BMX bike tracks and a Play Park, too. Stone Mountain – Probably the best known of all of Georgia’s natural wonders, Stone Mountain is one of the largest single masses of exposed granite in the world, a rounded mass of light gray granite about 16 miles east of Atlanta. The largest stone mountain in North America is about two miles long and one mile wide, rising 650 feet above the Piedmont plateau. The lower slopes are wooded; there’s a lake at the bottom and a sky- lift carries visitors who don’t want to walk the steep trail up to the top, where a surreal landscape of bare rock provides views of the surrounding area, including Kennesaw Mountain and even the Appalachian Mountains on very clear days. On its north face is an enormous carving of three figures of the Confederate States of America: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. Stone Mountain Park covers 3,200 acres and is the site of many festivals and celebrations throughout the year, including the world’s largest laser and light fireworks show. For campers there’s the Stone Mountain Family Campground, but there are also riverfront resorts, B&Bs and familiar hotel and motel chains nearby. Tallulah Gorge – Located in northeast Georgia near the city of Tallulah Falls, Tallulah Gorge is a stunning wonder of water and rock, two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep. Hike or bike more than 20 miles of trails – including rim trails to seven major overlooks – and cross the suspension bridge that sways 80 feet above the rocky bottom for spectacular views of the river and tumbling waterfalls. Permits allow you to trek down to the gorge floor, go rock-climbing and rappelling or whitewater paddling on the Chattooga River the first two April weekends and first three November weekends. Tallulah Gorge State Park protects much of the gorge; the habitat of rare and endangered animals. Here you can camp at over 50 tent, trailer and RV sites, backcountry Adirondack shelters and pioneer campgrounds, and enjoy a 63-acre lake with a beach, tennis courts, picnic areas, fishing and hunting in season. Warm Springs – Warm Springs takes its name from the springs that flow at approximately 914 gallons per minute from the north slope of Pine Mountain. Located about an hour south of Atlanta, it was the Native Americans who first brought their wounded warriors to the healing springs estimated to range from 95 degrees to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. In the 1800s, the site was a resort area, attracting vacationers seeking the comfort of the warm, mineral waters, and in 1924, U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt, seeking treatment for his polio, gave Warm Springs national recognition, building his “Little White House” in Pine Mountain. Today, the springs are not open to the public, but they are used by the Roosevelt Institute for therapeutic purposes, and a touch pool still exists, allowing visitors to feel the warmth of these historic waters. You can visit FDR's residence and his favorite picnic spot at F.D. Roosevelt State Park, Georgia’s largest state park located near Callaway Gardens and the town of Warm Springs, and surrounded by scenic trails like the 23-mile Pine Mountain Trail that winds through a mix of hardwoods and fragrant pines. Whether you’re an experienced wanderer or venturing out for the first time, protect Georgia’s natural wonders by following Leave No Trace Principles: Plan Ahead and Prepare; Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces; Dispose of Waste Properly; Leave What You Find; Minimize Campfire Impacts; Respect Wildlife; Be Considerate of Other Visitors. Travel lightly on the land so that tourists to follow will find Georgia’s destinations as appealing as you did. Leave no footprints behind. Say goodbye to Old Man Winter during the Huntsville Botanical Garden’s Spring Festival of Flowers, Apr. 1-30, in Huntsville, Ala. This colorful, month-long salute to spring offers garden tours, horticultural classes, fashion shows, children’s workshops and a gigantic “Bunny Bonanza” Easter egg hunt. Over in Pikeville, Ky., more than 100,000 people help raise money for Shriners Children’s Hospitals and Burn Centers at the Hillbilly Days Festival, Apr. 17-19. It’s an old-fashioned “Festival With A Heart” that starts with a miles-long parade and continues with a carnival, bluegrass and gospel music, square dancing and clogging, handmade crafts and fill-you-up hillbilly foods! The Vidalia Onion Festival, Apr. 22-27, in Vidalia, Ga., is a big celebration with small-town appeal layered with five days with cook-offs, pageants, auto and cycle shows, a children’s parade, rodeo, live music, street dancing and a chomp ‘til you stomp onion eating contest. Vintners, winemakers and celebrity chefs highlight the Beaufort Wine & Food Weekend, Apr. 24-27, in the oceanside city of Beaufort, N.C., a world-class event featuring over 300 wines, art exhibits, concerts, bottle signings and auctions. At the Franklin Main Street Festival, Apr. 26-27, in Franklin, Tenn., get ready for 15 blocks of man-made fun, featuring the creative works of 200 artisans, 4 stages of music, 2 carnivals and delectable ethnic foods on the designated “Great American Main Street.” Arrgh! Return to the rollicking, swashbuckling days of pirates and buccaneers during the 12-day Contraband Days Pirate Festival in Lake Charles, La., Apr. 29-May 11. Over 100 events highlight this French-fringed extravaganza revolving around the legend of notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. Down in West Palm Beach, Fla., the Apr. 30-May 4 SunFest is the Sunshine State’s largest music, art and waterfront festival, filled with headliners in every music genre from rock to rap to hip-hop to blues. It’s a fabulous, beachfront event that draws nearly 200,000 revelers! View all of our Top 20 Events and explore our 12 states by video at www.EscapetotheSoutheast.com. Find out how to nominate your own events here.   Feature writer & copy editor: Lyn Fendley Foster, 281.635.3673. Share this eNewsletter with a friend. This eNewsletter is provided by the Southeast Tourism Society. We hope you will enjoy these periodic advertisements about the great deals, new attractions and exciting events taking place in the Southeast. Subscription Information: You are subscribed as %%EMAIL%%. If you no longer want to receive e-mail messages from us, please click here to unsubscribe. This is a post only email. Please do not reply to this message. For inquiries, send mail to: Online Customer Service, c/o Southeast Tourism Society, 3400 Peachtree Road, NE, Suite 725, Atlanta, GA 30326, USA.