FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Take a Walk on the Wild Side of Georgia along the Hospitality Highway
The communities along Georgia Highway 400 connect visitors and nature through a profusion of parks, trails, and outdoor recreation
January 2008 – North Georgia’s year ’round temperate climate, incredible numbers and species of bird and wildlife, unspoiled and dramatic scenery, and endless miles of green space are among the elements that attract outdoor and nature enthusiasts from across the entire Southeast to the Georgia 400 corridor that has recently been designated as the state’s official Hospitality Highway. From Sandy Springs and Roswell, through Alpharetta and Cumming/Forsyth County, and then to Dawsonville/Dawson County and Dahlonega, each mile of the highway brings a wealth of opportunities for visitors to explore the natural side of Georgia with a series of national forests, state parks, gardens, waterfalls, mountain peaks, beautiful valleys, nature centers, and sequences of lakes and rivers, all of which combine and contribute to make the area the finest in the state for getting out of the recliner and into the outdoors. For a complete list of the Hospitality Highway’s “fresh air” attractions, visit www.HospitalityHighway.com.
Discover Tranquil Preserves and Parks All Along Highway 400
One of the little known facts of the Hospitality Highway is that hidden away among these six communities – most only within a mile or two in proximity to the busy Georgia 400 and just minutes from the crowded cityscape of Atlanta – are tranquil, anti-stress-and-anxiety preserves and parks with acres and acres of green space ideal for hiking, biking, and running. Leafy trees, rolling hills, and bubbling streams all succeed in muffling noisy traffic and other uninviting sounds, all the while transforming places like the awesome scenery of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area located in both Sandy Springs and Roswell, Big Creek Greenway in Alpharetta, Amicalola State Park in Dawsonville, Sawnee Mountain Preserve in Cumming/Forsyth County, the Chattahoochee National Forest in Dahlonega/Lumpkin County, and Big Trees Forest Preserve in Sandy Springs into tension-relieving sanctuaries of serenity and calm where visitors can leave their cares far behind. And for the more intrepid nature seeker, portions of the Appalachian Trail wind through Dawson and Lumpkin Counties.
Watchable Wildlife
Whether visitors are degreed ornithologists or amateur birdwatchers, expert biologists or plain ol’ wildlife watchers, professional naturalists or simple fans of flora and fauna, sightings of plant, bird, and animal species like bald eagles, whitetail deer, colorful rhododendron and wild hydrangeas, or even the brown thrasher, Georgia’s state bird, are always thrilling along the Hospitality Highway. With plenty of places to pitch a tent, park a recreational vehicle, sleep under the stars, or rent one of the thousands of hotel and inn rooms or cottages and homes, the true outdoors enthusiasts will find the ideal home base from which to begin their nature-watching journey.
Outdoor Recreation in Spectacular Natural Settings
The communities along the Hospitality Highway are the ultimate destinations for outdoor recreation in truly spectacular natural settings, including golfing, canoeing, white water rafting, swimming, fishing, hunting, horseback riding . . . well, the list could go on for quite a while. Want a sampling? Then cast a reel for trout at DeSoto Falls or Dockery Lake in Dahlonega or urge a horse to “giddy-up” at Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area in Dawsonville. Maybe visitors may prefer catching trout at the Buford Trout Hatchery or the Rainbow Ranch – both off exit 14 – in Cumming-Forsyth County or learning to interact with the environment while enjoying off-highway recreational vehicles at Alpharetta’s Honda Environmental Learning Center. Kayaking and canoeing along the Chattahoochee River are popular both in Roswell and Sandy Springs, with easy access at several landings.
For more detailed information about experiencing the great outdoors along Georgia’s Hospitality Highway, call or visit each community’s website:
Georgia’s Hospitality Highway, a stretch of Georgia 400 that meanders from Fulton County to Lumpkin County and includes the communities of Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Cumming/Forsyth County, Dawsonville and Dahlonega, contains a fusion of restaurants, shopping, historic sites, outdoor activities, and much more, all amidst some of the most dazzling scenery and green space in all of the state. For more information, including links to additional websites and photography, visit www.hospitalityhighway.com .
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Media Contact: Dotty Etris, Executive Director
Historic Roswell CVB
1.770.640.3253; 1.800.776.7935
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