The best time to drive through the Atlanta region is about 3:00am on Sunday morning! The entire area is so densely populated and everything is either modernized, commercialized or not worth the effort. The best thing to do is to avoid Atlanta completely if you can. Well, I guess it isn't all that bad, there is lots to do in Atlanta if you have the time. But I would really suggest taking Bill's advice regarding the "Recent Unpleasantness" or save your time for the coastal region and stop off in some of the small towns near the coast--the ones that are well away from the larger towns.