I count my lucky stars every day that I get to live in state that allows me to easily travel to a beautiful coastline, a panoramic mountain scene, or rich lake system all in under about 5 hours. Georgia is rich with so many beautiful places that on any given weekend, you might be pressed to figure out just where to go. Luckily, there is the Georgia Conservancy that makes that choice very easy for you. A local non profit protecting Georgia's land and water, the Georgia Conservancy plays host to an array of awesome weekend volunteer and leisure trips. Trips range from the barrier islands like Sapelo and Ossabaw, to river paddles on the Flint and Altamaha, all the way up to North Georgia in the Cohuttas and the Len Foote Hike Inn... just to name a few. You can't go wrong with any trip. Conservancy employees serve as wonderful hosts and guides, and you can't beat meeting all the cool fellow trip attendees.

This past December, I headed down to Cumberland Island with the Georgia Conservancy and had a blast! You can't beat camping under live oak trees, waking up to a killer sunrise morning after morning, or biking amongst the Island's historical landmarks. Although this is my second time on the Island, there is so much to see and do. It's near impossible to see it all in one weekend.

Above are the ruins of Dungeness, which burnt down in 1959. The grounds of Dungeness are rich with history and lovely to tour. Also, you'll find a couple of orange trees around the property, which is a nice little bonus.

Make sure to check out the Georgia Conservancy's great list of 2015 trips and sign up today!