One region, seven communities, hundreds of adventures

Somewhere just off scenic GA 400, an adventure awaits.

Somewhere just off scenic GA 400, an adventure awaits. From North Fulton County in metro Atlanta to Lumpkin County in the North Georgia Mountains, the Hospitality Highway leads you to one adventure after another: the shopping decadence in Buckhead, home of Lenox Square and Phipps Mall; outdoor excursions on more than 20 miles of Chattahoochee River shoreline in Sandy Springs; a 640-plus acre historic district in Roswell encompassing โ€œThe Southern Trilogyโ€ โ€” three antebellum house-museums that tell the authentic story of the American South; and the only American Girl Boutique and Bistro in the southeast located in Alpharetta. Farther up the highway is one of Mother Natureโ€™s favorite playgrounds in Cumming/Forsyth, the highest falls east of the Mississippi at Amicalola Falls in Dawsonville, and the heart of Georgia wine country in Dahlonega. Visit www.hospitalityhighway.com to chart your course to adventure.

Moonshine, merlot, and Mother Nature in cultural mecca

The seven-community region is a paean to Mother Nature, from the metro areasโ€™ parks and urban canopies to the lakes and rivers flowing in and along the towns to the forests and waterfalls of North Georgia. Go tubing, rafting, canoeing, and kayaking in Sandy Springs. Check out the Atlanta skyline from the Indian Seats in Sawnee Mountain Preserve in Cumming-Forsyth. See 300 kangaroos โ€” more than any place outside of Australia โ€” in Dawsonville, where you can also learn the history of moonshine and souped-up cars. And tour an authentic gold mine and pan for gold in Dahlonega.

The Hospitality Highway region is a cultural mecca of contemporary and folk artists, working studios, and art galleries (68 in Buckhead alone); historic theatres, including Dahlonegaโ€™s Holly and the Cumming Playhouse; and eclectic shopping/arts districts like Roswellโ€™s, with its period storefronts where you can browse for antiques, gifts and artwork; performing arts venues like the family-friendly Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, the outdoor home to the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra that also plays host to big name acts like the Eagles, Dave Matthews Band, and Kenny Chesney.

A region full of one-of-a-kind good times

As unique as the communities that make up the Hospitality Highway region are, the attractions youโ€™ll discover in them are: Buckheadโ€™s extraordinary Atlanta History Center comprising museum, plantation house, restaurants, gardens and trails, and more; Sandy Springsโ€™ Young Chefs Academy, the countryโ€™s first national franchise offering culinary classes and events geared to kids; Roswellโ€™s Ghostly Sightings that include haunted Grand Greek revival mansions and humble mill worker’s apartments; a cooking class at Publix Apronโ€™s Cooking School in Alpharetta โ€” the only one in Georgia; Cumming/Forsyth Countyโ€™s perch on the southern edge of Lake Lanier; Dawsonvilleโ€™s 250 folk artists all creating under one roof; and Dahlonegaโ€™s seven wineries and tasting rooms. Only-in-this-region attractions are par for the course along the Hospitality Highway.

From barbecue and bonbons to beddie-byes

Foodies will love the full spectrum of restaurant/culinary experiences to be had in the Hospitality Highway region, which offers everything from specialty chocolate shops and tearooms to barbecue hotspots, classic steakhouses, and linen-draped fine dining, and in settings ranging from waterside to fireside to mountainside. There are eateries devoted to the gastronomic pleasures of Thai, Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, Irish, Mexican, Brazilian, and other exotic cuisines and those dedicated to serving up traditional, down-home Southern-style dishes. In all, more than 1,000 restaurants are found in the seven communities located at each turn of the Hospitality Highway; it is an internationally-spiced landscape where you can eat your way around the world without ever leaving the region.

When the sun goes down, pull the covers up in your choice of guestrooms. The Hospitality Highway region has more than 100 lodging choices, in all price ranges and categories, from sophisticated luxury hotels and name-brand hotels – everything from affordable favorites to those with upscale flair โ€” to country inns and mountain cabins to family-friendly campgrounds and a green-minded hike-in haven. Lodgings are well-situated, too: in-town, near parks, in historic districts, and in the mountains. Each community at each turn along the way has the place (and a pillow) for you.

Stretching from Atlanta metro to the mountains, the Hospitality Highway region brings a world of adventure at each turn along the way. No matter what your idea of adventure is, you will find it here: world-class shopping and dining, the pleasures of the Great Outdoors right in the city, wineries, history, mystery, and more. Click on www.hospitalityhighway.com and choose your adventure.

The communities of the Hospitality Highway:

Alpharetta, www.AwesomeAlpharetta.com
Buckhead, www.buckheadis.com
Cumming-Forsyth, www.cummingforsythchamber.org
Dahlonega, www.dahlonega.org
Dawsonville-Dawson County, www.dawson.org
Roswell, www.visitroswellga.com
Sandy Springs, www.visitsandysprings.org

The Hospitality Highway encompasses the full length of scenic Georgia 400, linking together the communities of Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Cumming/Forsyth, Dawsonville, and Dahlonega, from North Fulton County in metro Atlanta to Lumpkin County in the North Georgia Mountains. Defined by lush, natural beauty, historic landmarks, and heritage sites, upscale shopping and eclectic gallery hopping, ambitious performing arts, restaurant scenes both piquant and deliciously memorable, and only-found-here attractions, the region unfolds from the heart of Georgia wine country to the cosmopolitan charms of the city. At each turn in the road there are recreational and sightseeing opportunities, both indoor and out, and an accommodations array that includes picturesque mountain cabins to inviting bed and breakfasts to hotels ranging from familiar and quality favorites to thoroughly upscale havens. Each distinctive community offers an exceptional experience; together, they provide a superlative opportunity to explore the many and varied facets of the Hospitality Highway region. For more information, visit www.hospitalityhighway.com.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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