Metro Travel Impact Counties: Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, and Henry

Economic Impact

Direct Travel Expenditures Taxes

What’s happening in Atlanta Metro • The PGA TOUR’s Champions Tour announced that the Greater Gwinnett Championship will be held at • LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta opened in TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga. April 15-21, 2013. The Phipps Plaza in March. This is the third LEGOLAND course will host the tournament through 2016. The Discovery Center in the United States. Described as Gwinnett Sports Commission, the host entity for stepping into the biggest box of LEGO bricks in the the tournament, will operate the 54-hole stroke play world, the $15 million, 30,000-square-foot interactive tournament with 81 Champions Tour professionals attraction features many of Atlanta’s landmark competing for the $1.8 million purse. buildings made out of LEGO bricks. • Atlanta hosted the first annual Travel South • Governor Deal officially designated the brand new International Showcase. More than 275 delegates Gone With the Wind Trail in May 2012. The trail offers from 17 countries on six continents attended the visitors access to the history and legacy behind the inaugural event in November. Southern travel Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. It also uncovers the suppliers conducted more than 3,000 business complex life of Margaret Mitchell. The trail travels appointments during the three-day conference. through three counties from Marietta through Atlanta to Jonesboro. • The Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal opened May 16, 2012 at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, cementing Atlanta as the global gateway to the U.S. The project, a $1.4 billion Buford Alpharetta Sugar Hill Acworth development, adds 12 international gates, creating Roswell Suwanee Kennesaw Duluth Dacula 75 Dunwoody Norcross 85 Marietta Sandy Lawrenceville a 40-gate international air-travel complex. The new Springs Doraville Powder Smyrna Lilburn Springs Chamblee Loganville 285 Tucker Austell 285 Stone Snellville terminal services nearly 80 destinations in more than Mableton Mountain Lithia Scottdale Springs Atlanta Decatur 20 Douglasville Lithonia 50 countries, and inbound travelers are connected to East Point 20 Hapeville College Park Conley Forest 675 Ellenwood Union City Park more than 150 U.S. cities. In total, the new terminal Fairburn Morrow Riverdale Stockbridge Palmetto Jonesboro Tyrone 85 75 creates 2,000 jobs. McDonough Fayetteville Peachtree City Newnan Hampton Locust Grove Sharpsburg

• Southern Living returned to Senoia, the site of the Grantville Moreland Senoia 2010 Southern Living Idea House, with its first-ever farm house restoration. With more than 30,000 visitors from June through December, this was Southern Living’s most successful Idea House ever.

ExploreGeorgia.org/AtlantaMetro Classic South Travel Impact

Counties: Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Glascock, Greene, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lincoln, McDuffie, Oglethorpe, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington and Wilkes Economic Impact

Direct Travel Expenditures Taxes

What’s happening in Classic South • In September 2012, Augusta hosted 3,400 athletes for the fourth edition of the ESi IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta, • Lady Antebellum is featured on the cover of ’s and will likely establish a record for the largest 2012 State Travel Guide. The featured photo was IRONMAN 70.3 race. The City of Augusta has a deep taken in Charles and Dave’s hometown of Columbia pride of their early American history and roots, in County at Evans Towne Center Park before their addition to its steep heritage in sport thanks to the hometown dedication show this past fall. prestigious annual Masters Golf tournament. • The Classic South Travel Region was awarded • More than 275 soccer players, coaches, and NCAA $10,000 in marketing funds by the Georgia officials, from New York, California, Canada, Florida Department of Economic Development for placing and parts in-between traveled to Columbia County third in the second Annual Georgia Smackdown to compete in the 2012 NCAA Division II Men’s and Contest at the 2012 Governor’s Tourism Conference. Women’s Soccer Championships. The Peach Belt • The Augusta Convention Center, formerly called the Conference and Columbia County, Georgia co-hosted Trade, Exhibit, and Event Center or TEE Center, is now the championships played at Blanchard Woods Park open. Part of the Downtown Augusta Redevelopment on 11/29 (semifinals) and 12/1(finals). Plan - the complex is more than 200,000 square feet with 40,000 square feet of exhibit-hall space. The building design also includes a ballroom, a kitchen, a loading dock and storage space.

Crawford • The Lincoln County Artisans Gallery opened in Lexington Tignall Washington Lincolnton Philomath Clarks Hill December 2012. Lincoln Artisans, an art and retail Lake Union Point Greensboro Crawfordville Appling Evans Martinez 20 Thomson space on Main Street, is an initiative of the Lincoln Lake Norwood Augusta Oconee Grovetown Warrenton Dearing Harlem 520 County Development Authority, with the goal of Jewell Lake Sparta Mitchell Sinclair Wrens Warthen fostering and promoting local and regional artists and Waynesboro Louisville Sandersville craftsmen. The “incubator program” is designed to Bartow Wadley accelerate the growth and success of a new business Wrightsville Midville Millen Swainsboro Twin City through support and services such as physical space, 16 capital, coaching, and so forth.

ExploreGeorgia.org/ClassicSouth Georgia Coast Travel Impact Counties: Brantley, Bryan, Camden, Charleton, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, McIntosh, Pierce and Ware

Economic Impact

Direct Travel Expenditures Taxes

What’s happening in the Georgia Coast • The Savannah Stopover has proven itself as one of the South’s up-and-coming music festivals with • The Coastal Heritage Society opened Savannah’s a phenomenal lineup, exciting new attractions first children’s museum in June 2012. Savannah’s and venues. Stopover capitalizes on the logistical children’s museum’s Exploration Station is a 1-acre, good fortune of Savannah, Georgia’s proximity two-level, outdoor exhibit area featuring themes such to interstates 95 and 10 by presenting traveling as math, music, literacy, culture, science and art that musicians with a welcoming place to play en route to will engage children’s imaginations and provide a Austin’s annual SXSW Music Festival. A collaborative whimsical space to learn through play. effort of MusicFile Productions and countless • Georgia Buffalo, Inc. is a family owned and operated volunteers, partners, vendors, and media sponsors, bison ranch located on the beautiful southeast coast the Savannah Stopover showcases more than 100 of Georgia, in the town of Townsend. In addition to bands in multiple venues across Savannah’s walkable their ranch tours, chuck wagon meals and beautiful Historic District. The 2013 event is March 7 – 9. wedding venues, Georgia Buffalo provides their customers with a healthy selection of high quality, all- natural and hormone free bison. • With deluxe accommodations, delicious southern cooking and a bird habitat to rival any in the nation, Dorchester Shooting Preserve is a destination for Springfield Guyton Rincon outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. Expanding in 2012 to Port Black Wentworth Pembroke 16 Creek Garden City Pooler feature additional lodging opportunities, Dorchester Ellabelle Thunderbolt Savannah Tybee Richmond Hill Island Flemington has become a welcome member of the Coastal Hinesville 95 Midway Sunbury Riceboro Georgia tourism family. Shellman Townsend Bluff Eulonia Blackbeard Island Meridian Patterson Sapelo Darien Island Blackshear Little St. Waycross Waynesville Simons Island Brunswick Nahunta Sea Island Hoboken St. Simons Island 95 Jekyll Island Homerville Kings Bay Woodbine Cumberland Folkston Island Kingsland St. Marys Fargo

St. George

ExploreGeorgia.org/TheGeorgiaCoast Historic High Country Travel Impact Counties: Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker and Whitfield Economic Impact

Direct Travel Expenditures Taxes

What’s happening in Historic High Country • Lake Point in Emerson held its formal groundbreaking for the $1 billion, 1,200-acre sports complex that is • Gibbs Gardens in Ballground opened to showcase expected to eventually bring 26,000 jobs for both more than 220 acres of 16 world-class gardens as the on-site complex and surrounding hotels and highlighted on the cover of Southern Living Magazine restaurants when it opens in 2014. and detailed in the feature story inside. • Historic Banning Mills near Carrollton joined the ranks of world record holders, not once but twice, and verified by Guinness World Records, with their tallest artificial climbing wall at 139ft, and largest and longest zip line canopy tour (course) in the world touting almost 9 miles of zip lines and bridges. • Cartecay Vineyards opened in Ellijay featuring their signature chimney patio where visitors relax with wine and friends to the sounds of live music and adding to the attractions along “Apple Alley.” • West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail installed the first interpretive signs in Carrollton as a result of GDEcD’s Tourism Product Development grant funds, setting Lookout Rossville Mountain Cohutta McCaysville Wildwood Ft. Oglethorpe Mineral Trenton Ringgold Crandall Bluff Morganton the standard for continuing trail development from Chickamauga Tunnel Hill Blue Ridge Lake 59 Blue Ridge Rock Spring Chatsworth Rising Cherry Log Fawn Dalton Ellijay LaGrange to Dalton. LaFayette 75 Carters East Ellijay Sugar Resaca Lake Valley Trion Oakman Talking Cloudland Rock Big Canoe Calhoun Jasper Summerville Fairmount Tate Adairsville • Lake Winnepesaukah in Rossville announced the Waleska Nelson White Ball Rome Kingston 575 Ground Cassville Cartersville Canton expansion of a new water park “SoakYa” scheduled Lake AllatoonaWoodstock Cave Spring Rockmart to open Memorial Day weekend 2013, adding jobs Cedartown Dallas

Buchanan Hiram and bringing more visitors to this 3rd largest family- Villa Tallapoosa BremenRica Waco owned amusement park in the nation. 20 Carrollton

Whitesburg

ExploreGeorgia.org/HistoricHighCountry Historic Heartland Travel Impact Counties: Baldwin, Bibb, Butts, Clarke, Crawford, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Oconee, Peach, Putnam, Rockdale, Twiggs, Walton and Wilkinson Economic Impact

Direct Travel Expenditures Taxes

What’s happening in Historic Heartland • Perry, Georgia welcomed more than 445,000 attendees to the 23rd Georgia National Fair in 2012. • In 2012, the Athens Classic Center moved forward It was the second best year in the history of the fair. on a $24 million facility expansion that will increase Perry also acted as host of the traveling Smithsonian capacity to 6,000 individuals, add 55,000 square exhibit called “New Harmonies: Celebrating American feet of exhibit space and create a 10,000-square-foot Roots Music” from September 8 through - October atrium. Expansion will enable Athens to bid for larger 20. The exhibit attracted more than 6,000 people conference circuits to create a greater economic from 78 Georgia cities and 23 states. impact for the local community. The expansion is scheduled for completion in February 2013. • Covington and Newton County unveiled the brand new “Covington Walk of Stars” featuring 40 pavers showcasing the names of films and stars that have shot on location in Newton County. Covington’s rich film and entertainment history brings tourists from around the world to the community. • The Museum of Arts & Sciences Mark Smith Planetarium in Macon completed a renovation making its leading edge digital system the first installation in Athens Georgia and only the third in the Americas. Watkinsville Loganville Winterville Monroe Bishop Social • Home to more than 400,000 visitors per year, the Conyers Circle Oxford Madison Covington Rutledge 20 Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins received the Mansfield Buckhead Lake Oconee U.S. Air Force Heritage Award for its exhibit on the Jackson Eatonton Flovilla Monticello Lake High Indian Springs Sinclair Falls Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black flying unit in World Milner Round Milledgeville Juliette Oak 75 Forsyth Haddock Barnesville Gray War II, featuring a BT-13 aircraft, a mural of the airfield Smarr Clinton Bolingbroke Gordon Culloden 475 Macon in Alabama where they trained and video interviews Musella Lizella Knoxville Roberta Byron 16 with WWII pilots. The Museum also completed the Warner Fort Robins Valley restoration of two Vietnam-era aircraft - an F-105D Perry Fighter and a B-52 bomber. 75

ExploreGeorgia.org/HistoricHeartland Magnolia Midlands Travel Impact Counties: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Bleckley, Bulloch, Candler, Coffee, Dodge, Evans, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Laurens, Long, Montgomery, Pulaski, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Wayne, Wheeler and Wilcox Economic Impact

Direct Travel Expenditures Taxes

What’s happening in Magnolia Midlands • 3 new communities joined the camera ready program in 2012 - The Georgia Film, Music & Digital • Statesboro and Vidalia hosted the state’s 2012 Entertainment Office launched the Camera Ready Georgia Travel Media Marketplace event May 17- Communities program in 2010 to train and certify 19. Twenty-six travel writers had the opportunity to Georgia counties to work effectively with production discover new, fresh and unique story ideas in both companies and provide local, one-on-one assistance in of these Magnolia Midlands communities. This event every aspect of production, from location scouting and gave the region tremendous exposure and invaluable film permits to traffic control, catering and lodging. publicity. • Watermelon Creek Winery opened in Glennville adding to the region’s tourism product and agritourism experiences. • Vidalia hosted their first annual Golden Onion Competition where 12 chefs from across Georgia competed in the culinary competition using their own signature Vidalia Onion recipes. • Covering more than 220 miles, Peaches to the Beaches Annual Antique and Yard Sale along Highway 341 had its biggest year ever. • Jesup hosted its first annual Hog Jam to celebrate their hog hunting plantations. This first year proved Sylvania Dublin East Dublin Portal Statesboro 16 to be very successful bringing in hunters (and dollars) Cochran Metter Roddy Soperton Pulaski Register Hawkinsville Vidalia Cobbtown 16 Eastman Mount Lyons Claxton from all across Georgia and contiguous states. Vernon Ailey Chauncey McRae Reidsville Alston Lumber City Uvalda Rochelle Glennville Jacksonville Hazlehurst

• Hawkinsville began an organized effort to promote Baxley Odum Ludowici Irwinville Nicholls Alma Jesup their agritourism assets and are working closely with Screven Douglas various state agencies to maximize their resources at Willacoochee a local level.

ExploreGeorgia.org/MagnoliaMidlands Mountains Travel Impact

Counties: Banks, Barrow, Dawson, Elbert, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union and White Economic Impact

Direct Travel Expenditures Taxes

What’s happening in Northeast Georgia Mountains • Three years ago there wasn’t a zip line/canopy tour in Northeast Georgia, with the opening of Zip N Time • Unveiled in Downtown Dahlonega’s Hancock Park, Canopy Tours in Helen, there are now six companies the Chestatee Diving Bell is a colorful and strange offering thousands of visitors a wide variety of tours reminder of Dahlonega’s gold rush history, but through the trees as well as over creeks, ponds and scholars say it is even more important in the history even through a cave! of diving technology and American ingenuity. • The Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery & Museum opened to much media fanfare, being the first and only distillery to be located inside a city hall. Since opening during the annual Dawsonville Moonshine Festival, visitors from all over the country and the world have met “Backwoods Distiller” Dwight “Punch” Bearden, toured the facility, and tasted real moonshine. • Georgia’s Appalachian Poet/Novelist, Byron Herbert Reece’s life and legacy can now be shared with visitors of all ages at the Byron Herbert Reece Farm & Heritage Center in Blairsville. Recently inducted into the Southern Literary Trail, the farm, museum and gift shop tell the story of how nature

Hiawassee Dillard Sky Rabun Gap Valley and farming inspired a mountain man to write great Young Mountain City Blairsville Harris Tiger Clayton Wiley poetry and novels. Lakemont Suches Helen Tallulah Falls Sautee Toccoa Falls Cleveland Clarkesville Dahlonega Toccoa • Hightower Creek Vineyards, a family farm winery Demorest Eastanollee Cornelia Mount Lake Dawsonville Clermont Martin Hartwell Alto Airy Lavonia Marble Lula 85 Hill Lake Homer opened up in Hiawassee to a stream of wine Lanier Gillsville Hartwell Carnesville Gainesville Royston Flowery Oakwood Maysville Franklin enthusiasts looking for a beautiful setting, fun music Branch985 Commerce Springs Bowman Cumming Lake Braselton Russell Lanier Danielsville Elberton Lake Jefferson and delicious tastings of their six wine labels, all Islands Colbert Comer Winder Clarks served with a smile! Since opening, visitors have been Hill Lake busy buying their wine by the glass, by the bottle and by the case.

ExploreGeorgia.org/NortheastGeorgiaMountains Plantation Trace Travel Impact Counties: Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Clay, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Grady, Lanier, Lee, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth Economic Impact

Direct Travel Expenditures Taxes

What’s happening in Plantation Trace • 14 new communities joined the camera ready program in 2012 - The Georgia Film, Music & Digital • The Georgia Grown Trail: Highway 37 was created to Entertainment Office launched the Camera Ready promote agritourism. They represent a partnership Communities program in 2010 to train and certify between GDEcD and the Department of Agriculture. Georgia counties to work effectively with production Activities include hosting nine media on a Travel Media companies and provide local, one-on-one assistance in Marketplace post media tour in May 2012. Results of every aspect of production, from location scouting and this media visit include six print articles and a TV spot. film permits to traffic control, catering and lodging. In addition, the Trail will be officially recognized by the Camera Ready communities Terrell and Dougherty legislature in an invite resolution and they are working were selected as filming locations for Disney’s feature on a series of seasonal events to promote Georgia film “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” starring Jennifer Agritourism. Garner. • The Albany Convention and Visitors Bureau launched • Tift County has two new hotels and five new the Visit Albany app in November promoting four restaurants under construction. walking/driving tours including the Paula Deen Hometown Tour, Sherwood Movie Tour, African American Heritage Tour, and Historic Cemetery Tour. • By the end of January 2013, Randolph County will have launched a dozen new geocaching locations focusing on areas related to agribusiness and historical sites. • Lake Seminole was named as one of the 100 Best Bass Fishing Lakes in the Country by Bassmaster Magazine.

Georgetown Parrott Lake Morris Walter F. Dawson Rebecca George Cuthbert Leesburg Fitzgerald Sasser Ashburn Fort Albany 75 Gaines Arlington Sylvester Tifton Blakely Doerun Norman Newton Park Lenox Camilla Nashville Colquitt Adel Pelham Moultrie Cecil Lakeland Donalsonville Ochlocknee Hahira Bainbridge Remerton Cairo Thomasville Valdosta Lake Seminole Quitman Lake Park

ExploreGeorgia.org/PlantationTrace Presidential Pathways Travel Impact Counties: Chattahoochee, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Heard, Macon, Marion, Meriwether, Muscogee, Pike, Schley, Spalding, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Troup, Upson and Webster

Economic Impact Direct Travel Expenditures Taxes

What’s happening in Presidential Pathways • The Presidential Pathways Travel Association unveiled their new Visitor Guide/Map in 2012. They printed • On November 30, 2012, the Richland Distilling 75,000 copies. Company released their first batch of Richland • The Rock Ranch hosted SERAC (SouthEast Region Rum. Richland Rum is handcrafted locally in historic Agritourism Council) with attendees spanning downtown Richland, Georgia, with all natural beyond the southeast. After a successful meeting of ingredients. Richland Rum is now available in select Agritourism Service Providers, requests from states retail stores, bars and restaurants across the state. You across the country to join and contribute have poured can also sample it at the Distillery located in downtown in including OK, CA, CO, DE, KS, ME, MD, MI, MN, NM, Richland! www.richlandrum.com OR, TX, WA and WI. • The longest urban whitewater rush in the world • Construction is almost complete on the Biblical Life will officially open in Columbus, Georgia on the Artifacts Gallery that will play host to an exhibit of Chattahoochee River in summer 2013 (although many more than 1,000 ancient artifacts from Israel at the are taking advantage of what is available now). The Explorations in Antiquity Center in LaGrange. This river restoration is just one of more than 46 attractions, gallery will be one of only twenty museums in the hundreds of events, unique dining experiences, and world qualified to house such exhibits and the only one a thriving entertainment district in Columbus – just in the southeast. minutes from the whitewater course. www.visitcolumbusga.com • All 19 counties Presidential Pathways counties are now certified Camera Ready. The Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office launched the Camera Franklin Griffin Ready Communities program in 2010 to train and Hogansville 85 Gay West Zebulon Point Lake Greenville certify Georgia counties to work effectively with LaGrange Molena Warm Woodbury The Rock West Springs Point Thomaston Pine Yatesville production companies and provide local, one-on-one Mountain Manchester Hamilton Woodland 185 Talbotton assistance in every aspect of production, from location Fortson Reynolds Midland

scouting and film permits to traffic control, catering Columbus Buena Oglethorpe Vista Montezuma Cusseta Ellaville and lodging. Unadilla Louvale Andersonville Omaha Vienna RichlandPreston Lake Americus 75 Walter F. Lumpkin Archery Plains George Cordele Weston Leslie Lake Blackshear Arabi

ExploreGeorgia.org/PresidentialPathways