Georgia and the Two Carolinas

Charlotte, the most populous city in North Carolina, blends the energy of a dynamic financial centre with the warmth typical of the American South. Its modern skyline, dominated by the skyscrapers of the Uptown district, reflects the city's role as one of the country's leading banking hubs, yet just a short distance away you'll find leafy neighbourhoods, tree-lined avenues and a welcoming atmosphere. Among its attractions are museums such as the Mint Museum and the Bechtler, the NASCAR Hall of Fame celebrating America's passion for motor racing, and lively districts like NoDa and South End, full of galleries, craft breweries and restaurants. The surroundings, with lakes and gentle hills, invite hiking and outdoor activities. Between culture, sport and Southern hospitality, Charlotte is a surprising and ever-growing urban destination.

Myrtle Beach is the most famous seaside resort in South Carolina, the heart of the 'Grand Strand', over 90 kilometres of Atlantic beaches dotted with resorts, amusement parks and golf courses. Its lively oceanfront Boardwalk, the SkyWheel observation wheel and its shows make it a vibrant, family-friendly destination. A golf capital of the Southeast, it boasts dozens of courses among dunes and lakes. Between golden beaches, entertainment, mini-golf and a timeless holiday mood, Myrtle Beach embodies the classic American seaside vacation on the Atlantic coast.

Leave Myrtle Beach and travel 30 minutes south along the coast, towards the southern end of the Grand Strand. You will arrive at the cozy and peaceful Pawley's Island. Famous for its cypress wood cottages and rich in expansive marshlands, rivers, and oceanfront parks, it is a perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts. Continue south along the pristine coastline and cross the Francis Marion National Forest until you reach Charleston. A jewel of the Deep South, Charleston enchants with its pastel-coloured houses, shady porches and cobbled streets where time seems to stand still. Along the famous Rainbow Row stand colourful façades overlooking the harbour, while the French Quarter and the area around Battery Park reveal historic mansions, blooming gardens and churches with soaring steeples. The city preserves the memory of its colonial past and the surrounding plantations, now open to visitors among centuries-old oaks draped in Spanish moss. Renowned for its warm hospitality and refined Lowcountry cuisine — from shrimp and grits to she-crab soup — Charleston also tempts with the nearby beaches of Sullivan's Island and Folly Beach. Romantic and elegant, it is the sweetest essence of the American South.

Savannah holds, in the heart of Georgia, one of the most enchanting historic centers in the American South, laid out around a sequence of twenty-two tree-lined squares shaded by centuries-old oaks draped in Spanish moss. Along the streets of the Historic District stand elegant antebellum mansions, churches and flowering gardens, while Forsyth Park with its nineteenth-century fountain offers a corner of romantic calm. River Street, along the Savannah River, preserves cotton warehouses transformed into restaurants, galleries and shops where you can savor Lowcountry cuisine based on shrimp and grits. From here Tybee Island, with its Atlantic beaches, is reached in no time. Savannah seduces with its decadent elegance, Southern hospitality and an atmosphere suspended in time.

Macon stretches across the heart of Georgia, a historic Southern city famous for its music and for its cherry-tree avenues that bloom by the thousands each spring. The centre preserves splendid antebellum mansions, while the musical legacy of Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers lives in its venues and museums. Ancient Native mounds dot the surroundings. Macon is the ideal destination for those seeking Southern architecture, musical roots and the authentic atmosphere of Georgia.

Atlanta rises among the wooded hills of Georgia, the dynamic capital of the New South and a symbol city of the civil rights movement. Here Martin Luther King Jr. lived and preached: his memorial, birthplace and the Ebenezer Baptist Church form an intense and moving trail. Downtown pulses around the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola, while the Midtown district hosts museums and the lush Piedmont Park. The BeltLine, a former railway turned green walkway, links lively neighbourhoods such as Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park, full of street art, breweries and markets. Southern cuisine reigns supreme, from fried chicken to soul food specialities. The economic and cultural heart of the Southeast, Atlanta welcomes visitors with energy, history and warmth.

At the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in western North Carolina, Asheville blends wild nature with a lively arts and food scene. Its most famous landmark is the Biltmore Estate, a sumptuous French Renaissance-style mansion built by the Vanderbilt family and surrounded by gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The Art Deco downtown, among the best preserved in the South, teems with galleries, craft shops and microbreweries that have made the city a beer capital. The nearby River Arts District houses artists' studios, while the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway leads to Appalachian peaks, waterfalls and forests. Asheville is the perfect destination for those seeking art, the outdoors and the relaxed atmosphere of the Southern mountains.