Are you a Civil War Buff? Why not Experience Historic Georgia?

If you’re thinking of taking a vacation in the Deep South, Georgia might not be at the top of your list. After all, Florida offers stunning beaches and sweltering weather, Louisiana boasts an eclectic cultural heritage and Tennessee is home to Nashville – the heart of Country music. But Georgia’s deep American roots, as well as its prestigious status as one of the Thirteen Colonies of the American Revolution, means that the state possesses a historical gravitas that’s hard to match.

Georgia’s civil war history, in particular, has left a remarkable legacy in the state and its main towns and cities. Having seceded from the Union in 1861, Georgia sent nearly 100,000 soldiers into battle during the American Civil War, but remained free from battle until late 1863. By the end of the civil war in 1865, a total of nearly 550 battles and skirmishes had taken place in the state, the most notorious of which is William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea in 1864. Having captured Atlanta, and burnt it to the ground, Sherman’s March to the Sea involved the destruction of a 60 mile stretch of land from Atlanta to Savannah – a defining moment in the history of Georgia that acts as the setting for Margaret Mitchell’s epic novel, ‘Gone with the Wind’.

Today, many of Georgia’s Civil War battlefields have been swallowed up in industrial development. But the budding historic tourist in Georgia will still find a variety of attractions in which to immerse themselves. For instance, the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in northern Georgia and part of eastern Tennessee, preserves the site of two major Civil War battles – the Battle of Chattanooga and the Battle of Chickamauga. Additionally, the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park encloses the site of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, in which over 4000 soldiers were killed.

The city of Savannah also offers the traveller on vacation in Georgia a range of historic sites and landmarks to visit. Many of the main hotels in Savannah are located near the world famous River Street, which is home to the city’s restored nineteenth century cotton warehouses and passageways, so people on vacation in the town will find its historic district easily locatable. Savannah also houses the Laurel Grove Cemetery, in which many Confederate soldiers and ex-slaves were buried.

What’s more, Savannah is also the site of many well-preserved antebellum Southern plantations, including Wormsloe Plantation, the Pink House Sorrel Weed House and Mercer House. And with historic Civil War forts, including Fort Jackson and Fort Pulaski in close proximity to Savannah, any visitor keen to experience a slice of Georgia’s rich Civil War heritage is sure to find Savannah an ideal destination for their next vacation.