Selecting a travel destination can be a lot like choosing a date on a website. Do you go for the overwhelming flash of New York City, the sophistication of Paris or the glamour of LA? There are also those who opt for places with less obvious treasures that reveal themselves more gradually.

In 1825, the Marquis de La Fayette visited the region that is now Troup County and declared that it reminded him of his home near Paris. In 1826 when the county was officially formed from Creek Indian land the town of LaGrange was named after the Marquis' French estate.

On January 18, 1861 Georgia, the last of the 13 original colonies, became the 5th of 11 states to secede from the Union and, on July 15, 1870, the final Confederate state to return. During the intervening years, the state was a staging ground for a number of important Civil War battles and...

Auvergne was the region from which many Bourbons ruled and as such its cities are filled with architecturally unique buildings, ornate chateaus and charming farmhouses. The first Bourbon king was Henry IV in 1589 and the French line continued until the end of Louis-Philippe I's reign ended in 1848.

A four hour drive from Paris in the heart of France lies the breathtaking region of Auvergne. The area contains the largest group of volcanoes, approximately eighty, in Europe and they are protected in the Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne.