Getaways

>>Leave the Gulf waves behind for the shimmering shores of Georgia’s Lake Oconee, midway between Atlanta and Augusta (www.visitlakeoconee.com). The popular vacation and retirement spot is home to a rustic Ritz-Carlton, plenty of golf courses, tranquil vistas and historic towns.

SEE: Relax on 19,000-acre Lake Oconee, about 75 miles east of Atlanta. It’s a haven for CEOs and sports celebrities lured by the lifestyle and luxury residences. The Reynolds Plantation residential development boasts 99 holes of golf, open to guests at the plantation and The Ritz-Carlton Lodge. Later this spring is The Masters Golf Tournament, about an hour’s drive east in Augusta. Explore the quaint little town of Madison, which boasts antebellum and Victorian historic homes, performances at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center and annual food and home events (www.madisoncountyga.org). In nearby Eatonton, the Uncle Remus Museum commemorates author Joel Chandler Harris, and visitors can see the home and church where The Color Purple author Alice Walker was raised.

STAY: Splurge at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation (www.ritzcarltonlodge.com), a AAA five-diamond resort steeped in rustic luxury, with wood-beam ceilings, antler chandeliers and guest rooms just steps from the lake. It has played host to fundraisers for former President George W. Bush and other politicians, and for Christmas 2008, NASCAR driver Richard Petty drove Santa to the lodge. It’s a more casual setting than other Ritz resorts, as guests gather at the fire pit for nightly s’mores and settle into comfy armchairs around stone fireplaces in the lodge. Other wintertime treats include chocolate-themed spa services this month. Accommodations also can be found at bed and breakfasts, such as Madison’s Farmhouse Inn and the downtown Madison’s area’s James Madison Inn.