Road Trip to Spring

These charming Georgia towns, brimming with flowers, offer great shopping and fun too.

When the forsythia and cherry trees give way to a soft underpinning of emerald leaves, take time out for a spring drive. Delicate clouds of white dogwoods and soft purple redbuds emerge above mounds of pastel azaleas. Clusters of regally hued wisteria dangle across fences and over shrubs. At ground level, winter's pansies riot in kaleidoscopic clumps of bright yellows, magentas, purples, and white. Our cultivated South brims with exciting colors.

Join me on a jaunt through Georgia's middle section, a land filled with lovely small towns adorned in springtime finery. This route could be traversed in one day if you wish, but take a couple to fully enjoy it.

Macon-A Place to Begin

This bustling town sits on the Ocmulgee River sandwiched between 1-75 and 1-16. Get off these zooming roads to discover the vibrant downtown. There's a worthy riverside park at Exit 2 offl-l 6, ideal for a stroll down the river walk. Check out a bronze statue of the late singer Otis Redding who called Macon home. Next, motor to the visitors center, located in the old depot, for an area map to find the best flowering spots.

Hungry? Head to Post Office Alley downtown for a country lunch at Len Berg's, which has been dishing up hearty meats, tasty veggies, and yummy homemade pies since 1908.

When the day is too pretty to stay inside, grab a bag of hot dogs at Nu-Way Weiners or deli sandwiches and salads at Sid's Sandwich Shop (don't skip the frozen yogurt) for a picnic. My favorite park, in front of the Mercer University School of Law, provides a lovely town view.

Ingleside, another pretty neighborhood, charms with dogwood-lined streets, cottages, and Victorian houses polka-dotted with pink azaleas. You'll want to stop and shop along Ingleside Avenue, especially at The Society Gardener, which features yard art and plants for your own Eden.

You may spy cherry trees still blooming along the way. Macon's largest annual event, the International Cherry Blossom Festival, typically runs during the peak season (March 18-27 this year).

Macon provides lots of lodging options, but I keep returning to the 1842 Inn for an elegant bed-and-breakfast downtown (1-800-336-1842; rooms from $139). When I want a reliable chain motel, I stay at La Quinta Inn & Suites on River Place Drive just off 1-75 north of town (1-800-531-5900; rooms from $69).

Make Your Way to Milledgeville

When you're ready to hit the road again, take U.S. 129 north out of town. Stop in Gray for a barbecue pork sandwich at Old Clinton Barbecue House ([478] 986-3225). Once sated, stay on U.S. 129 for a few more miles, and then turn east onto State 22 through a procession of lavender redbud trees interspersed with dogwood blossoms the shade of vanilla ice cream, for about 20 miles to Milledgeville. When you get there, you'll want to follow U.S. 441 south to the historic district.

A former state capital, Milledgeville was laid out in squares similar to Savannah. It's a very pretty walking town with handsome Georgia College & State University. Park your car at the Welcome Center (200 West Hancock Street-across from the college), and pick up a brochure about the historic walking tour. You can also take a guided trolley tour at 10 a.m. Monday-Friday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

One of my favorite spots to enjoy the season in this town is Lockerly Arboretum (1534 Irwinton Road [U.S. 441], [478] 452-2112 or www.lockerly arboretum.org; closed on Sundays). Its 50 acres of rolling Piedmont features unusual trees and shrubs from other climates.

Meander Over to Monticello

En route along State 212 to Monticello, I've never seen so many shades of green before. Georgians ought to have 100 words to describe all the greens lining the country roads, the lakesides, and the national forest along the way.

Monticello itself centers upon a town square that's a beehive of activity, where seven two-lane roads lined with beautiful historic homes converge. Stop by The Plant Parlor for a refreshing ice-cream cone. Then drop in at Meme's House, at 248 West Green Street, for antiques and home accessories. On the square, seek out The Olive Tree Gallery for more antiques and collectibles.

Marvelous Madison

If you make no other stops on this drive, take time for Madison. It looks like a storybook village with antebellum homes that stand amid Victorian cottages, creating the prettiest spring town in Georgia.

To get there, drive about 25 miles north from Monticello, via State 83. The two-lane criss-crosses bucolic farmland, rolling hills dotted with cattle, and large stands of trees flocked in wisteria blossoms that make a spectacular show.

Park your car along Main Street, and wander through the downtown shops. Settle in for a cup of coffee at Barista's Café & Coffeehouse. At Attic Treasures, you'll find everything from vintage costume and fine jewelry to dinosaur bones and a wonderful assortment of books. Close by, Saffold House Antiques features elegant Southern antiques. Don't miss Dog Ear Books, located in the building that houses Madison Markets.