Have You Planned Your Summer Vacation?

Spring flowers are blooming, the days are getting warmer, and the kids are counting down to summer break--all signs that it’s time to start thinking about that summer vacation.

Where To Stay, Eat, and Play

We've Made It Easy For You

Too busy to read through a million blogs and guidebooks to plan a family trip? Don’t worry, we’ve already done it for you.

Simplify Your Life

Simply Awesome Trips offers family trip itineraries to destinations near and far. Everything you need to know: where to sleep, eat, and play! All organized into detailed day-by-day plans.

7 Destinations Your Family Will Love

To minimize the number of times you hear “Are we there yet?" from the back seat, here are seven destinations within 4 hours driving distance of Atlanta.

Each of these destinations offers something different- whether you're looking to escape the heat in a cool mountain town, visit a national park, or simply take a day trip to a fantastic museum. No lodging research needed or activities to plan out- it's all covered in detail, saving you time and effort that you would rather spend on your vacation, not planning it.

Brevard, NC

--3 hours and 8 min. from Atlanta

Brevard, NC is a charming mountain town filled with shops (including a great toy store), restaurants, antiques, and art galleries. It’s also home to Dupont State Forest, which offers plenty of hiking and mountain biking trails to explore.

The Hunger Games movie was filmed in Dupont and you can visit Triple Falls, the most recognizable mountain scenery in the movie. For all the details see our Weekend in Brevard.

Bryson City, NC

-- 3 hours from Atlanta

Bryson City is another fun outdoor town and possibly the most underrated. Its downtown encourages strolling with quaint shops and restaurants, and the Great Smoky Mountain train depot resides right in the heart of it.

Within a 20 minute driving radius of downtown, you have lakes to swim or canoe, rivers to raft, and hikes to waterfalls.  Throw in a brewery, a bookstore, an outdoors store, and good restaurants-all downtown. You just can’t beat it. Learn more about a family trip to Bryson City, NC.

Asheville, NC

3 hours and 30 minutes from Atlanta

Asheville makes for a terrific family weekend. It is an architecturally appealing, fun, artsy town with great restaurants and what seems like a craft brewery on every block. It’s also surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains for scenic hikes and has a river perfect for floating. Make downtown your base camp so you can easily walk to interesting shops, breweries, and restaurants. Learn more about A Weekend In Asheville With Kids.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

3 hours and 50 minutes from Atlanta

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park ("The Smokies") spans both Tennessee and North Carolina and is one of the most visited national parks in the country. Last year, the park saw approximately 11.3 million visitors. That being said, you can strategically visit this beautiful park and avoid many of these crowds. Visit a national park and enjoy all of the activities while the kids earn their Junior Ranger Badges.

You'll find a selection of the best easy family hikes and other fun activities found in the Townsend, TN side of the park. Lodging and dining recommendations, maps, and more--everything you need to know for a fantastic family vacation. See our Smokies Itinerary for all the details.

Greenville, SC

2 hours and 20 minutes from Atlanta

Calling all foodies and outdoor lovers! Greenville, SC has been on the trendy radar for some time, appearing in multiple travel magazines and blogs for its vibrant food scene and beautiful use of the riverfront downtown.

Take a hike or bike the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 20 mile paved bike trail running through downtown. Learn more about a weekend in Greenville, SC.

Chattanooga, TN

2 hours from Atlanta

Chattanooga has no shortage of things to do for kids AND adults. This is a unique city where you can climb in one of the largest climbing gyms in the country, walk across one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world, visit Civil War battlefields, admire a jellyfish exhibition, and squeeze through rock boulders alongside tiny gnomes statues--all in one weekend! Learn more about a fun weekend in Chattanooga with the kiddos.

Georgia’s Cloudland Canyon State Park

2 hours and 15 minutes from Atlanta

Georgia’s Cloudland Canyon State Park is one of our absolute favorites. If you haven’t visited this wonderful state park, now is the time to try it!

Perhaps A Day Trip?

Tellus Science Museum

1 hour from Atlanta

Have you ever noticed this large, neat looking museum along I-75 when passing through Cartersville, Georgia? If you've ever thought about stopping to check it out, you should. 

At the interactive and fun Tellus Science Museum, you can examine full-size replicas of the Wright Brothers' Flyer, Apollo 1 capsule, and Sputnik, admire large T. Rex replicas, mine for gems, dig for fossils, or watch a show at the planetarium, and more!

To learn all about this fabulous museum, view our blog post "Science And Fun? Yes Please. Both Can Be Found At The Tellus Science Museum In North Georgia."

More Destinations

A Bonus Destination!--Kiawah Island, SC

--5 hours and 20 min. from Atlanta

Is a beach vacation the ideal escape for your family? Kiawah Island is located about 45 minutes south of Charleston, SC. It is a developed island but has so much natural beauty and wildlife. No chain hotels or hi-rise buildings here!

You will see alligators and even possibly a bobcat on the dunes.  It has a wide, 10-mile long beach and 30 miles of paved bike trails.  It also has a pool, playground, disc golf, and a nature center that offers many programs such as kayak tours. You can be as lazy as you’d like or as active. Learn more.

Hop On A Plane Destinations

Feel like adventuring out west to Yellowstone National Park or Zion National Park? Perhaps a bucket list trip to Paris or Athens? We've got it covered. You'll find more destinations on our website.

As Seen In