Small town heart, Big city soul “Atlanta’s Playground”
Just 30 minutes northeast of downtown Atlanta on I-85, Gwinnett County offers visitors “Small Town Heart, Big City Soul” with the attractions, amenities and culture of a metropolis within accessible and beautiful small towns built around culture, food, arts and music. Gwinnett County has a growing reputation for international cuisine, professional theater, major sports and entertainment venues, the arts and the most diverse shopping in metro Atlanta. Gwinnett County includes award-winning towns like Suwanee (a Money magazine Top 10 city); the 112-acre National Register district of downtown Norcross; the great restaurants, historic town square and artsy happenings of Duluth, Historic Lawrenceville and Historic Buford, plus many others. Known as “Atlanta’s Playground,” Gwinnett includes Fun–festivals, headliners and sports all-stars; Music–national acts and local legends; Food–from James Beard-worthy dining to meat & threes and international cuisine; and Shopping: Major malls to artisan boutiques and antiques to specialty stores. There’s plenty to do for a week or weekend stay, but if your day or evening plans simply include attending a headline concert, sporting event, festival or dining out, make it a mini-vacation with an overnight stay at one of 104 hotels, followed by an out-of-the ordinary brunch or lunch at unique, chef-owned restaurants.
Annual Events
- Burgers + Brews Week, March, Gwinnett restaurants serving created-for-the-occasion or wildly popular signature styles, for $7; paired with craft beers for additional charge
- Suwanee American Craft Beer Fest, March, Southeast’s premier craft beer festival with 300+ brews from around the country
- Gwinnett Beer Fest, May, unlimited sampling of more than 150 craft beers at Coolray Field, home of the Gwinnett Stripers and Atlanta United 2
- Star 94’s Woofstock, Suwanee, May, Atlanta’s largest pet party, Frisbee dogs, dock-diving “Air Dogs,” live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and kids’ inflatables
- Norcross Bluesberry and Beer Festival, June, Georgia blues bands, blueberry specials and drinks at restaurants, craft beers and more
- Fourth of July Events, county-wide. Red, White & BOOM, Sparks in the Park and more celebrations, some on July 3
- Rock’n Ribville, September, Lawrenceville’s Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned competition, People’s Choice Award, beer, arts, crafts, and Kids’ Riblet Zone
- Duluth’s annual JapanFest, September, explore the rich heritage of martial arts, calligraphy, bonsai, music, dance and cuisine at one of the largest Japanese festivals in the country
- Norcross Art Splash, October, artisans from across the country, kids zone, food and music from blues to jazz and oldies
- Grayson Blues & Brews, October, rockin’ blues bands and killer craft beers
- Artober Gwinnett, October, a month-long celebration of all the arts, including music and performances throughout the county
- Suwanee Wine Festival, November, more than 150 premium wines from around the world, music and more
- Holiday Festivals, Open Houses, and more, December, historic town centers dressed up for the holidays, with tours, Christmas markets, music and festivities county-wide
Fast Facts and Trivia
The dynamic, non-stop action of Gwinnett County offers everything from professional sports and entertainment to a walk in the woods at the Environmental and Heritage Center to preserved historic buildings including a grist mill, post office and farm.
- Established in 1818 by the Georgia General Assembly, Gwinnett County was named for Button Gwinnett, one of three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence.
- Just 30 minutes from Atlanta, Gwinnett County is the gateway to the metro area from north and northeast via I-85 and I-985.
- Easy access to the University of Georgia via University Parkway/GA Highway 316.
- Minutes from scenic Lake Lanier to the North and Stone Mountain to the South.
- Home to 16 municipalities, including Buford, Suwanee, Duluth, Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Lawrenceville, Grayson, Snellville and Lilburn.
- The Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth is home to the Atlanta Gladiators, Atlanta United 2, an ECHL hockey team and the Georgia Swarm lacrosse team. The Gwinnett Stripers play minor league baseball at Coolray Field.
- In addition to community theater, Gwinnett County has professional theater at The Aurora in Lawrenceville, named “Best Theatre in metro Atlanta” by Creative Loafing.
- Town Center in Suwanee is a 10-acre park built around art, community, culture and cuisine, in a live-work-playscape.
- The creator of Decatur’s legendary Eddie’s Attic brought his music venue and acts to the Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth.
- Duluth’s Southeastern Railway Museum includes 90 items—historic Pullman cars, classic steam locomotives, restored cabooses and a private presidential car.
- Norcross’s entire 112-acre restored/preserved downtown district is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
- Noble Fin restaurateurs successfully relocated their trendy in-town restaurant to Peachtree Corners.
- Dozens of Korean restaurants and six international markets make Gwinnett County “The Seoul of the South™.”
- Buford is home to the state’s largest indoor-outdoor mall, The Mall of Georgia.
- The largest traditionally designed Hindu temple in the Southeast, Lilburn’s BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir exudes an ornate aura of timelessness.
- Buford’s Tannery Row, now home to artists’ galleries, workspaces, and a brewpub, was once a thriving leather factory—customers included Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger.
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Explore Gwinnett, the marketing brand for the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau, is Gwinnett County’s official tourism organization and is dedicated to strengthening Gwinnett County’s economy by marketing the county as a destination for conventions, sporting events, meetings and leisure travel through sales, marketing and promotion. Explore Gwinnett also houses the Gwinnett Sports Commission, and the GCVB Board oversees the operations/management of Infinite Energy Center.