Landscape locations near Atlanta

I am due to visit my sister in Atlanta, Georgia in the Autumn

(Fall). If I wanted to extend my visit to include some landscape

photography, can anyone suggest some nearby (in a car-trip)

locations I could visit over a couple of days.

 

Thanks in advance - by the way I'm from England and know little of

the geography of this part of the world!

look at the website:

 

www.brphoto.net

 

then email him with specific questions

 

most locations within 250 miles North of Atlanta area

The Appalachian mountain chain runs from north Georgia all the way to Maine. The parts in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina are all within easy reach of Atlanta. If nothing else, you could take a car to the Blue Ridge Parkway and cruise north for awhile. I would be impressed if you don't see something that makes you pull over and setup your camera rig.

 

The closest National Park is probably going to be Great Smokey Mountains NP on the NC / TN boarder.

 

Alternatively (if I recall correctly) there are some interesting swamps south of Atlanta down near the border with Florida.

 

Of course, if you like architecture, there is always Savanna east of Atlanta on the coast.

Georgia, around Atlanta, is generally a land of rolling hills, red clay soil, and slow flowing muddy rivers. It's a pleasant country, but visually not too exciting. The one unusual feature, Stone Mountain, has been turned into a tourist attraction. There are lots of opportunities for Urban Landscapes, and plenty for street photograpy, but unless you are John Blakemore, I fear that you won't find much fertile soil for classic landscape work.

Dahlonega is about two hours outside of Atlanta. The town itself isn't much but Amicalola Falls State Park is nearby. It has a large waterall which is kind of interesting but of greater interest than the fall itself is the stream that you walk along on your way up to the base of the falls. There might also be some interesting things in the park itself, I didn't explore. There are quite a few other wateralls in less developed areas nearby. I'm not too big on photographing waterfalls myself but I often find the areas around them interesting. I can't give you directions to the others but if you ask around Dahlonega the locals can tell you where they are. Anna Ruby falls outside of Helen (about 2-3 hours from Atlanta) is another well known waterfall that isn't so interesting itself (unless you like water falls) but has some good stuff on the way up. Helen itself is a hideous tourist trap, just keep your eyes looking straight ahead as you drive through town to Ruby Falls. You can get lots of information about Georgia parks, attractions, rivers, etc. if you stop in the Atlanta Welcome Center at 3393 Peachtree Rd. N.E. (at least that's where it was a few years ago).

Two hours northeast of Atlanta is Clayton, Georgia, where the mountains begin. Just south of Clayton is Tallulah Gorge, the East Coast's deepest. You have to get a day pass from the nearby ranger station to hike down - and while fascinating, not as fantastic as before Duke Power put the dam in, reducing the river to a creek. Just north of Clayton is Black Mountain State Park which has hiking trails and camping and a few nice overlooks. Another hour northeast is Highlands, North Carolina, and while touristy, it is located near numerous waterfalls and hiking trails. In that area look for the 4-5 mile (loop) hike up Whiteside Mtn (if you do the loop, you'll have views east as well as west) or the drive west on Hwy 64 through the Callusaja Gorge. About the third week of October (or so) can be breathtaking in these areas.