James May-June 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 12
Lanier Islands
hydroelectricity, flood control, and
most importantly a consistent water
source for Atlanta, just 60 miles south.
Over 13 million visitors come to
Lanier each year to engage in every
watersport imaginable: sailing, water
skiing, boating, fishing and more.
Stacey Dickson, president and CEO
of the Lake Lanier CVB, says “Lake
Lanier Olympic Park and the brandnew Boathouse facility are not only
12
JAMES M AY/JU N E 2 02 5
unique, they’re also iconic. The only
fully operational venue from the 1996
Olympic Games is used for the sports
it was designed. It’s a showpiece on
Lake Lanier. World class rowing and
canoe/kayak events happen here
along with exciting dragon boat races
and festivals. Visitors can enjoy their
own Olympic experience when renting a kayak and paddling along the
racecourse.”
The lake has 10 marinas and over
90 parks and campgrounds scattered across its sprawling 692 miles
of shoreline, and a resort in Lanier
Islands that is one of the most popular lakeside retreats in the Southeast.
The lake is so large that two separate
cities— Buford and Gainesville— sit on
separate ends and incorporate its waters as a core tenet of their own travel
and tourism initiatives.
“There are almost too many
events happening to narrow it down
to just a few. Summer holidays like
Independence Day and Labor Day are
huge at the lake with lots of live music, beach parties and fireworks,” says
Dickson. “Weekends on the beach at
Margaritaville at Lanier Islands are a
great time to find a variety of special
events, mini-festivals and of course
great music.”
The Hostess City of the South
It would be impossible to talk about
tourism in Georgia without mentioning
its oldest city, Savannah. Situated at
