North Georgia
A Mountain Region With Breathtaking Meeting Options
By Adrianne BowenSurrounded by the natural beauty of mountains, lakes and woodlands, the North Georgia region offers meeting retreats within Towns County, Dahlonega, Dalton, Gainesville/Hall County and Blairsville/Union County.
Towns County
Located two hours from Atlanta; Asheville, N.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Greenville, S.C., Towns County has much to offer. “Our mountaintop is serenely beautiful, and adventure abounds. Choose from championship golf, teambuilding, hiking, horseback riding, boating and fishing on Lake Chatuge. Enjoy arts, crafts, antiquing, concerts, fairs and festivals,” offered Dale Rice, president of the
Towns County Tourism Association and Chamber of Commerce. “With two full-service conference resorts—
The Ridges Resort and Club and Brasstown Valley Resort—this mountaintop is designed to make your meetings productive and memorable.”
The Ridges Resort and Club, located on Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee, is one of Georgia’s premier mountain resort destinations. “What makes the resort such a unique meetings destination is that we offer a combined mountain and lakeside setting for incomparable retreats,” said Director of Sales Hayley Burch, CMP. The resort recently completed a multimillion-dollar renovation of all guest rooms and meeting space and provides 66 lodge rooms; 10 brand new golf villas with one and two bedrooms; lake villas with one, two, three and four bedrooms; and six meeting rooms with more than 6,000 square feet of space. “We are a smaller property so we are able to give undivided attention to our meeting guests; all of the meeting rooms have windows overlooking the property, which can be darkened for audio/visual (A/V) purposes.” The resort also offers wireless Internet access, A/V services, five lounges, a tennis court, an outdoor pool and a fitness facility.
Sharon VerBeek, state training programs coordinator of governmental training, education, and development for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia, said that she booked their Department of Transportation class of 30-35 attendees at The Ridges Resort and Club and had an excellent experience. “The resort was extremely well serviced; provided great food with lots of variety in settings and very comfortable rooms; and staff who couldn’t have been more attentive—all at a very competitive price.”
A walking tour of the historic district of Gainesville, Ga., offers views of Victorian and Neo Classical Revival residences, such as the one pictured here. |
The 102-room Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris offers a multitude of activities such as a private helicopter for tours of the area, championship golf, horseback riding and lake tours, as well as multiple meeting options. Ronald Taylor, regional director of sales, said that all meeting space recently received a new, state-of-the-art wireless Internet system that has the bandwidth that today’s meetings require. With 15,000 square feet of meeting space, the resort offers a 5,500-square-foot ballroom with breakout room options, but it also includes air-conditioned pavilions with stone fireplaces overlooking the property; an amphitheater with a classroom capacity for 95 people; and the 2006 addition of the Stables, which provides a small boardroom complete with a conference table and a reception area for 50 people.
Abit Massey, president of Gainesville-based Georgia Poultry Federation, planned the first meeting held at the resort. “We were excited about the resort opening and coincided our meeting with the opening of the resort and have since planned our annual meetings at the resort. The people make you feel welcome; it’s a great facility with staff that is extremely helpful and easy to work with.”
Crane Creek Vineyards and Winery has completed a new pavilion with breathtaking mountain views, Rice said, adding that, “It’s an ideal venue for an off-site event for 20-150 guests. Chef David can prepare an exquisite menu paired with Crane Creek wines.”
Dahlonega/Lumpkin County
A national historic district, Dahlonega is the gateway to the Appalachian Mountains, the heart of the Georgia Wine Country and the site of America’s first Gold Rush, according to Hal Williams, director of the Dahlonega Convention and Visitors Bureau. The city has five award-winning wineries and more than 40 pubs, restaurants and entertainment venues. “Dahlonega is small enough to render personal service and large enough to handle all requirements in our predominantly small group market,” Williams said. And the city boasts unique meeting venues that showcase the natural beauty of the mountain region.
Montaluce Winery and Estates is a 400-acre gated development being built in Dahlonega that will have cottage-styled houses for rent surrounding the vineyards, as well as a 25,000-square-foot winery building that will include conference facilities, a tasting room, a restaurant, and an owners’ club with climate-controlled wine storage and a rooftop terrace, said Paul White, general manager. Additionally, there will be a spa, a swimming pool, tennis courts and walking trails. “There will be many different options for renting the facility for various events,” he said, adding that the winery is expected to open spring 2008.
Michele Kraft-DeBlois, owner/partner of the 98-room Forrest Hills Mountain Resort and Conference Center, said the resort underwent a recent renovation that included several group lodges, meeting rooms and dining facilities, and added free wireless Internet access. The resort’s conference center provides approximately 4,500 square feet of space; attached to group lodges are four meeting rooms totaling 2,000 square feet of space. The resort also offers group packages, Kraft-DeBlois said. “The Dinner Wagon Ride is our most popular group excursion. It’s a service of Gold City Corral and departs from Forrest Hills. Attendees ride out to the Riverhouse for a steak and chicken cookout; they have guitar players, a bonfire, a pool table, horseshoes and more.”
Dalton
“Located in the foothills of Northwest Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Dalton offers natural settings all around and a wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities,” said Debby Long, director of convention sales at the
Dalton Convention and Visitors Bureau, adding that new meeting facilities are being planned.
The most recent addition to the city’s meeting venues is the James E. Brown Center of Dalton State College, which opened in 2006. Pam Partain, director of the Center for Continuing Education, said that the James E. Brown Center has six training rooms that hold 30-35 people, a larger room with a capacity for 85 attendees and two computer labs with 15 stations each. A 60-seat lecture hall will also be opening in the center.
The addition of a full-service Holiday Inn hotel adjacent to the
NorthWest Georgia Trade and Convention Center is in the works and will add to the city’s meetings facilities and accommodation ease, she said. Construction is expected to begin in 2008, and a renovation to the convention center is under way to match the look and the feel of the hotel, according to Deputy Director Doug Phipps. With 40,500 square feet of arena space, 10,800 square feet of banquet space and nine breakout rooms, the center offers several options for meetings and provides “very reasonable rates with free parking; you’re not going to beat the price at the trade center, which includes one-stop shopping for catering and audio/visual services,” Phipps said.
Gainesville/Hall County
Key Info · Sales Tax: 7 percent for Towns County, Gainesville, Dahlonega and Blairsville;
6 percent for Dalton
· Hotel Tax: 5 percent for Towns County, Dahlonega and Blairsville; 6 percent for Gainesville and Dalton |
On the shores of Lake Sidney Lanier one hour north of Atlanta, meeting attendees can get the best of both the metropolitan city and the seclusion of the lakeshore city of Gainesville, located in Hall County, according to Stacey Dickson, president of the
Gainesville Hall County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Lake Lanier Islands Resort is undergoing a $500 million renovation and is adding cabins with six suites in a unit, all new furnishings in the main resort as well as a new lodge, a new family hotel and a shopping village—all expected to open May 2008, Dickson said.
A brand new Hilton Garden Inn is being built in the city, which is slated to open by spring 2008, Dickson said, adding that several other properties are on the drawing board, including a proposed hotel that would be located adjacent to the
Georgia Mountains Center.
According to the sales manager of the Georgia Mountains Center, Bill Hartley, the center includes a 2,500-seat arena with 18,000 square feet of unobstructed exhibit space, a 300-tiered-seating performing arts center with classroom capabilities, 4,457 square feet of meeting space and a 12-seat boardroom. The center completed a $1.2 million renovation this year that included adding wireless Internet access and upgrading the arena seating, carpet and the executive boardroom in which a new wet bar was added.
The
Gainesville Civic Center has seven rooms available for rental with a 6,500-square-foot ballroom, according to Brenda Martin, manager, who said the other rooms are ideal for rehearsal dinners, small banquets, seminars and business meetings. “We have wireless Internet access available, as well as other A/V equipment needs. Our staff is trained to provide professional customer service.”
Nearby in Braselton, Ga., the 275-room Chateau Élan Winery and Resort’s 3,500 acres encompass four counties—Hall, Gwinnett, Jackson and Barrow, according to Doug Rollins, vice president of sales. “The resort is the only certified International Association of Conference Centers facility in America with vineyards and a full-production working winery. The winery has a 42,000-square-foot, 16th century-styled French chateau, which offers 11 different venues for meetings.” The conference center offers 25,000 square feet of space and will complete a $2 million renovation in December that “will greatly enhance the physical and technical aspects of the conference center as well as the aesthetics,” Rollins said. A new culinary studio opened this year.
In Vicinity
“The beautiful mountain backdrop of Blairsville and Union County make the perfect escape for a comfortable, refreshing meeting. With half of Union County being protected by national forest, attendees are assured a relaxing, peaceful environment,” said Cindy Williams, president of the Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce.
Copperhead Lodge opened in 2006, is designed with motorcycle enthusiasts in mind and offers meeting space for smaller groups, Williams said. Eleven guest rooms are available at the lodge and 60 cabin lots are under construction on the property. Also on site are an amphitheater, a swimming pool, a restaurant and a fitness center.
In addition, Williams said the North Georgia Technical College Conference Center is suited for meetings, banquets and other customized events.
