Looking for a weekend escape or just a change of scenery from Atlanta? The Atlanta curated the best day trips within 2 hours drive — cities to explore, lakes for water recreation, state parks for hiking, and unique destinations worth the gas.
Gulf Coast beach with Victorian Strand, Pleasure Pier, Moody Gardens, Bishop's Palace. Day trip favorite.
Tour real Apollo mission control, see the Saturn V rocket, Astronaut Training Facility. Iconic Georgia + space history.
21,000-acre lake with marinas, lakefront dining, boat rentals, Sam Atlanta National Forest access.
Blue Bell Creameries tour (Brenham), Round Top antiques fairs, Georgia wildflower season is spectacular.
World's tallest stone column commemorates Georgia Independence battle. Battleship Georgia adjacent. Quick + meaningful trip.
Georgia A&M campus, Bonfire Memorial, Northgate. Football Saturdays unique.
5,000 acres with hiking, alligator sightings, George Observatory (Saturday-night telescope viewing), camping.
Atlanta is a year-round base for day trips. October-April are the most pleasant for outdoor destinations. Avoid summer heat for outdoor activities; use those months for indoor museums and air-conditioned destinations.
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Clayton County police are investigating after one person was shot and killed on Monday evening.Officers responded to Darwin Drive for reports of a person down.[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]When they arrived, they found a male who had been shot. He was pronounced dead o...
WILKES COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) - A postal worker was shot and killed in North Carolina, according to state investigators.Brandi Byrd Reynolds was shot on June 26 in Wilkes County, a representative from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation wrote in a social media post.Reynolds, a...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — If you’ve been hoping to join the fun at FIFA Fan Festival Atlanta, you’ll have to cough up some cash.The free general admission tickets for the remaining dates of the festival have sold out. To guarantee entry, you’ll have to buy a GA+ pass or a VIP package. >...
A young Marine and his wife are among three people who died when their car hit a tree over the weekend.According to Georgia State Patrol, a gray Mustang was driving on I-20 in Greene County early Saturday morning when another car hit the back of it.Troopers say this sent the Mustang off of I-20 a...
Arkansas' ban on using SNAP benefits for some sugary items will go forward this week, despite federal judge's ruling against five other states' similar programs, governor says.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — North Georgia is in the grip of dangerous heat this week with multiple First Alert Weather Days for heat index values soaring to 100-105 degrees each afternoon.A heat advisory has been extended for noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday as well for most of north Georgia and me...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The mere fact that World Cup matches are being played in Atlanta is historic. The city and state were left out of the 1994 edition, but Atlanta could not be denied in 2026. Atlanta Stadium has hosted five matches, with three to go. The stadium has garnered rave...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Corporate homeownership is more of a problem in metro Atlanta than anywhere else in the country, and housing advocates are frustrated that a potential solution is being held hostage. Last week, President Donald Trump signaled he would not sign the bipartisan 21...
Henry County police blocked off a neighborhood for a person barricaded into a home earlier Monday.Officers blocked off East Atlanta Road, just north of Thurman Road, for the investigation. A Henry County Police spokesman told Channel 2 Action News that officers initially responded to a domestic c...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Families with loved ones buried at a historic cemetery in Gwinnett County claim a new privacy fence built next to the property is disturbing graves.The cemetery on Dogwood Road sits next to Lifepointe United Pentecostal Church. The pastor said in January he had...
It’s the countdown to America’s 250th birthday.The Atlanta Rotary Club is looking back and looking forward.Dr. Todd Groce is an expert on the American South and American presidency, as well as president of the Georgia Historical Society.He talked about how far this nation has come over the past 2...
Atlanta police are searching for a woman who assaulted a victim inside a property on Forsyth Street SW.
At the same time that thousands of people packed Atlanta’s stadium and fan fest, data show thousands of hotel rooms stayed empty.“When FIFA first came out and said, you know, this is going to be eight Super Bowls, we host Super Bowls. And, you know, I think we pretty much realized that it wasn’t ...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A prolonged heat wave is bringing dangerous conditions across Georgia ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend, with heat index values often topping 105 degrees and prompting renewed warnings from doctors about heat illness and drowning risk.With runners preparing f...
A Douglas County woman says a routine oil change left her car undriveable and her engine sitting in the backseat of her car.She called Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray after seeing his report on a similar problem from another customer at the same store.Jihan Johnston-McGlotten said her...
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can continue counting mail-in ballots after Election Day, rejecting a challenge brought by the Republican National Committee.In a 5-4 decision, the court found that the party’s dispute over a Mississippi state statute does not hold...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A driver was killed in a shootout with Coweta County deputies on I-85 Monday afternoon, according to the sheriff’s office.Around 1:20 p.m., deputies pulled over a man on I-85 South near mile marker 34, in the Grantville area, for a traffic violation, according ...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Former NBA player Malik Beasley has been indicted in the government’s sprawling investigation of illicit gambling on basketball games, accused of tailoring his 2024 performance with the Milwaukee Bucks to reward bettors and chip away at his own financial proble...
It was an emotional reunion months in the making for a woman who says it is a miracle that she is alive.First responders saved Mary “Jeanne” Menna after she was struck by lightning outside St. Joseph Catholic Church in Cobb County. She met with them at that same church Monday, 54 days after it ha...
As 90 degree temperatures grip metro Atlanta, HVAC companies say they’re seeing a sharp increase in service calls from homeowners whose air conditioning systems are struggling to keep up.Technicians told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln their workload has doubled since the summer he...
Parents are worried their children might be victims of a potential child predator.FBI agents found a series of videos they believe were taken inside of public restrooms at locations in Gwinnett, Jackson, and Oconee counties between February 2024 and March 2026.Agents say they need help putting vi...
Editor’s note: The video above is from a previous report.ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Gov. Brian Kemp signed a new executive order Sunday suspending Towns County Sheriff Kenneth Henderson for another 60 days on new allegations of misconduct in office.Henderson was suspended last year follo...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Gov. Brian Kemp signed a new executive order Sunday suspending Towns County Sheriff Kenneth Henderson for another 60 days on new allegations of misconduct in office.Henderson was suspended last year following the first investigation of the elected sheriff, whic...
Coweta County Sheriff’s Office reports that the suspect is dead in an officer-involved shooting on Interstate 85 Monday afternoon.Channel 2’s Tom Jones, who was near the shooting scene in Coweta County, said traffic in the area was severely snarled.The deadly shooting shut down I-85 southbound fo...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The body of a missing 6-year-old boy was recovered in a pond in Clayton County late Monday morning, according to the Clayton County Police Department. Ramon “R.J.” Jett was last seen Sunday along the 8000 block of Webb Road in Riverdale.Police said dive crews f...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Atlanta Stadium will host England and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday as the World Cup moves into the knockout stage.English fans who have made the trip to Atlanta are not projecting the confidence one might expect from supporters of a tournam...
Metro Atlanta drivers lost 87 hours to traffic in 2025, according to a report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, marking the worst year since the annual study began.The annual study tracks congestion across American cities going back years, but the source of Atlanta’s gridlock goes back...
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The Supreme Court handed President Trump a split decision Monday on his effort to exert full authority over the executive branch, protecting a Federal Reserve governor from removal while expanding presidential power over other independent federal regulatory agencies.In a 5-...
A man has been arrested after police said he took out a gun during a dispute over a dog that got loose.“It escalated into something that could’ve cost somebody else’s life,” Samuel Escalante told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell.Escalante’s family recorded a video of a man holdin...
A Gwinnett County community is rushing to help thousands of families overseas after two earthquakes killed more than 1,400 people in Venezuela last week.Pallets loaded with donations are already on their way out of the county, bound for Miami and then Venezuela, where families lost their homes an...
CALDWELL COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV/Gray News) — A 12-year-old boy from Charlotte, North Carolina, was found in a creek after being reported missing, authorities said. On Saturday, June 27, about 4 p.m., a boy was reported missing along Wilson Creek in Caldwell County. Authorities said the child could no...
The World Cup has afforded us a timely lesson that applies to much more than sports. On the world stage, winning and losing have everything to do with how you keep score. Bear Bryant once said that a tie in football was like kissing your sister. His sport listened, and over time instituted a v...
A College Park City Council meeting held in Savannah on Sunday to select a new destination marketing organization is drawing criticism from residents, the mayor, and the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association over transparency and whether the city followed state law. Residents said they believe t...
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The state auditor released a new report on teachers using AI in the classroom. According to the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts, nearly 60% of the more than 13,000 teachers surveyed said they use AI to help improve instructional materials and creating...
ATLANTA, Ga. (ATL Live) - As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, faith leaders are reflecting on the lasting impact of the Black Church in shaping the nation’s history. Tuesday June 30th, leaders from historically Black Protestant churches will gather at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist...
Clayton County police have recovered the body of a missing 6-year-old.Ramon “RJ” Jett disappeared around 11 a.m. Sunday and was last seen at an apartment on Webb Road. On Monday, police confirmed they found the 6-year-old’s body in a pond nearby.Neighbors in the Sutter Lake Apartments are feeling...
Whether baseball players are chasing down fly balls or stepping into the batter’s box, there’s been no timeout from the extreme heat, just nine innings of finding ways to stay cool.Perfect Game is a facility that’s home to several all-turf baseball fields.Many growing up played on dirt and grass....
Federal agents have confiscated 76 drones in restricted airspace around downtown Atlanta since the FIFA World Cup began.
As we’re about to turn 250 years old, let’s ask ourselves: Can a divided nation celebrate a united birthday? The United States will turn 250 years old on Saturday, reinforcing its place as the world’s longest-living republic with a constitution. It’s a time to pause and reflect on where we’...
The Georgia Senate is back to full capacity after Adrienne White Carden was sworn in to represent the 7th District in Gwinnett County, the state Senate announced Monday. The Democrat won the special election to succeed Nabilah Parkes, also a Democrat, on June 16. Parkes resigned during the leg...
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