James May-June 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 14
Tallulah Gorge
downtown including a free summer concert series, as well
as festivals that occur in the spring and fall.”
Furthermore, when exploring northwest Georgia,
travel to the Tennessee border and check out the firstclass McLemore Resort atop scenic Lookout Mountain. It
offers everything from golfing and hiking to outstanding
restaurant cuisine.
Across the state is Rabun County, another mountain
area with amazing natural wonders. Tallulah Gorge State
Park contains one of the most spectacular canyons east
of the Mississippi, with the Tallulah River winding its way
through the bottom of a 1,000-foot-deep gorge. Rabun has
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more than 120 waterfalls within its boundaries, twice
as many as any other Georgia county.
Clayton, the county seat, is another sterling example
of a mountain town revitalized by restaurants, breweries
and art galleries that have it punching well above its
weight. CJ Thompson, marketing manager for Forward
Rabun, tells James that many visitors arrive to enjoy nature, but also stay for the retail and dining in downtown
Clayton. “No matter what your interests are, you can
find something here you’ll love to do,” she says.
Back to the Big City
Nature is nice, but Georgia’s most important tourism destination remains its capital, which is one of
the most capable and appealing hosts for large events
of any city in the world. William Pate, president and
CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, says,
“Accessibility really sets Atlanta apart. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest and
most efficient, offers unmatched connectivity, placing
approximately 80 percent of the U.S. population within a
two-hour flight.”
Connectivity is key, but without the proper infrastructure Atlanta would just be a thoroughfare, like it was in
its early days as a railroad and distribution hub for larger
Southern cities. Fortunately, today the city has infrastructure in spades.
“Beyond its exceptional connectivity, Atlanta stands
out as a significant business epicenter, attracting a high
volume of transient business travelers due to its concentration of Fortune 500 and 1000 companies,” Pate says.
“The city also has excellent infrastructure for hosting
large-scale company events, exemplified by the Georgia
World Congress Center campus. Spanning over 200 acres,
it is designed for events of all sizes with over 4 million
square feet of space, including 1.5 million square feet of
flexible exhibit space.”
The Georgia World Congress Center is one of North
America’s largest convention, sports and entertainment
destinations, offering walkable access to more than
13,000 hotel rooms (a number growing by the day) and
hundreds of dining, retail and entertainment options.
It serves as an anchor for Atlanta’s thriving hospitality
industry. Consider that last year the city hosted some 700
events, filling hotels, restaurants and venues with visitors
from around the world. Visitor spending in 2023 came to
a record $18 billion from the 50 million visitors that came
through the metro area.
From waterfall hikes to the World Cup, cool island
breezes or sandy lake beaches, every region of Georgia
has something to offer to visitors. With so much natural
and man-made beauty, it’s easy to see why it’s a top five
state in the nation for tourism year after year.
Patrick Hickey is a staff writer and the James and James Magazine Online
office/circulation manager.
