Tour companies offer package tours that include the Carolinas and Georgia. Most tours include airport transfers, admission to attractions, meals, and accommodations. Be sure to ask whether your tour is included under the USOTA consumer-protection guarantee (in case of bankruptcy or insolvency).

Adventure Depot, 200 Yellow Mountain Rd., in Cullowhee, North Carolina (tel. 800/903-4401; www.adventuredepot.net), offers the state's most diversified cross section of activities, including white-water kayaking, canoe tours, llama trekking, horseback riding, rappelling, biking tours, and fly-fishing, among other adventures. Most packages are 2 days and 2 nights with 1 more day of optional adventures; longer packages are also available. The town of Cullowhee is in the Blue Ridge Mountains 4 miles off Route 64 and 8 miles from the town of Cashiers.

Barrier Island Kayaks (tel. 252/393-6457; www.barrierislandkayaks.com) offers instruction and guided day trips to the barrier islands of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Day-trip prices range from $35 to $80. Daily equipment rental for outdoors enthusiasts is an additional charge.

Nearly Perfect Tours (tel. 704/481-9415) is a western North Carolina mountain-tour company specializing in custom tours of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The company will design a tour to fit your interest -- whether it's history, music, mountain culture, architecture, or old general stores. It also offers a North Carolina wineries tour in the Charlotte area. Full-day tours are $125 per person, and tours have five or fewer participants.

The region's leading tour operator, Mid Atlantic Tour & Receptive Services (tel. 800/769-5912; www.midatlantictours.com), features all-inclusive customized individual group tours. Tours usually begin at 3 days and 2 nights. Destinations include the Outer Banks, Old Salem, and the western mountains.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.