GEORGIA — New survey highlights Georgia road trip routes offering family-friendly adventures without long-distance travel costs.
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The Great American road trip has long been a summer rite of passage. But with gas prices lingering higher than expected, families are reconsidering just how far they can go. RV Windshield Replacement, a national network of RV auto glass experts, surveyed 3,002 experienced road-tripping families to find the best short summer road trips across the state. The aim was to spotlight trips that offer the spirit of a classic week-long getaway, without the same fuel costs, mileage, or time commitment – a practical middle ground for families who do not want to cancel their summer plans altogether, but can no longer justify their usual long-distance vacation.
The top 3 most recommended road trip routes in Georgia were:
#1. Savannah to Dahlonega via Macon
Spanish moss, shaded squares and slow riverside evenings give Savannah a memorable start, with plenty of free sights on foot, before the route moves inland toward Macon’s music history and older Southern neighborhoods. The roads become greener and hillier heading north into Dahlonega, where gold-rush history, breathtaking parks and mountain scenery create a completely different atmosphere from the coast. By the final stretch, the trip feels less like a city break and more like a mountain getaway built around slower drives, cooler summer air and very manageable costs for the whole family.
#2. Atlanta to Jekyll Island via Waycross
The route out of Atlanta quickly trades highways and skyline views for long stretches of pine forest and quieter South Georgia roads, where the driving itself becomes the entertainment. Around Waycross, the scenery settles into swamp country and moss-covered wilderness near the Okefenokee before the coast appears around Jekyll Island, where beaches, bike paths and historic cottages create an easygoing, affordable finale. The mix of city energy, nature and shoreline scenery keeps the road trip feeling varied without requiring families to travel especially far or spend especially heavily.
#3. Columbus to Blue Ridge via Rome
Riverfront trails and warm-weather evenings shape the early part of the drive around Columbus before the scenery gradually shifts toward rolling hills and smaller North Georgia towns near Rome, all of it easy on the schedule and the budget. Further north, Blue Ridge brings cooler mountain air, tubing spots and cabin-country scenery that feels made for long summer weekends with the family. The changing landscape makes the route feel much bigger than the actual mileage and cost, especially once the roads begin winding through the mountains.
The survey also revealed some interesting observations about Georgians’ road trip plans this summer.
Almost 2 in 3 Georgia families say they are rethinking their summer road trip plans because of high gas prices. And for many, that rethink starts with the route itself:
- 68% say they are more likely to take a shorter, in-state road trip this summer because of gas prices.
- 47% say high gas prices would make them more likely to invite another family or relatives along to share costs.
- 86% believe the classic long-distance American road trip is becoming less affordable for ordinary families.
When asked what feels most expensive about a road trip right now, one answer dominated: gas. Not hotels, not food, not theme park tickets, just the simple act of keeping the car moving.
Families said the biggest road trip costs are:
- Gas: 67%
- Hotels: 17%
- Food: 8%
- Attractions: 6%
- Car maintenance: 3%
That does not mean families are only worried about fuel. Once the trip budget starts feeling tight, the cuts can come from every corner of the vacation. The first casualties are often the nice-to-haves: souvenirs, extra stops, restaurant meals, and overnight stays.
When asked what their family would cut first from a road trip budget, respondents said:
- Souvenirs: 25%
- The trip itself: 19%
- Restaurant meals: 16%
- Overnight hotel stays: 16%
- Theme parks or attractions: 14%
- Extra sightseeing stops: 10%
The mood heading into summer is mixed. Some families are still pressing ahead as planned, but many are adjusting expectations. For some, it means packing sandwiches instead of stopping for meals. For others, it means swapping a multi-state drive for a shorter route closer to home.
Asked which phrase best describes their family’s road trip plans this summer, respondents answered:
- Same trip, tighter budget: 26%
- Staying in-state this year: 18%
- Full-speed ahead: 17%
- Shorter drive, same spirit: 16%
- Road trip cancelled: 16%
- Road trip downgraded: 10%
The survey also found that Georgia families have a fairly clear breaking point. On average, gas prices would need to rise by about $1.11 per gallon before they would cancel a planned road trip. Given that gas prices in the state are currently at around $3.9 per gallon, that means prices would need to reach $5 in Georgia before many families would scrap their summer road trip plans altogether.
“Road trips have always been one of the most flexible ways for families to travel, but this summer that flexibility is being tested,” says a spokesperson for RV Windshield Replacement. “What we’re seeing is not that families have lost their appetite for adventure, but that they are becoming much more strategic about it. Shorter routes, shared costs, fewer overnight stops- these are the new realities for families trying to keep the summer road trip alive without letting fuel prices take the wheel.”
