When Money magazine named this Atlanta suburb one of the nation’s “Best Places to Live” in 2013, its online post showed one of Suwanee’s most appealing scenes: a diversity of children splashing in the fountain at the center of Town Center Park, with a gleaming City Hall rising behind.
Suwanee opened this 10-acre park in 2003, instantly providing the community with a gathering place designed for a multitude of uses, from cooling off in the fountain’s tall column of water to rock concerts in the park’s 1,000-seat amphitheater. This place is the centerpiece of a public-private partnership that, surrounding the park, has also developed restaurants, specialty stores, office space, condo and townhouse units, and single-family homes.
“Town Center Park is the heat of Suwanee,” Money declared. And since the park opened, Suwanee has been growing fast. Its population “roughly doubled from 2000 to 2010,” reports public radio station WABE.
Town Center Park sits right where two of Suwanee’s busiest roadways meet. The city keeps attracting fresh energy and new visitors with a robust slate of annual festivals in the park. Some highlights:
Taste of Suwanee draws more than 8,000 people in early October, as more than 30 local restaurants and food vendors offer favorites from their menus and community organizations invite festival-goers to discover and support their work. An Artist Market features the work of local artists and crafters.
The Suwanee Jazz Fest, also in October, is sponsored by the North Gwinnett Arts Association (NGAA), together with jazz radio station WCLK and the city. The festival features food trucks and vendors, cocktails and, of course, jazz, from both solo artists and combos.
The Suwanee Classic Car Show in November spotlights about 150 classic and race cars, plus the interactive option “Paint a Wreck.”
The Suwanee American Craft Beer Fest in March bills itself as “the biggest and best craft beer festival in the Southeast.” More than 350 craft beers are available to taste, and all compete for the coveted title of attendees’ favorite beer of the day.
Red, White, Bluegrass & Back is a unique Memorial Day concert that, in 2017, combined bluegrass and classical music with a float-in by the Silver Wings parachute team from nearby Fort Benning.
Those are only some of the events that decorate the year at Town Center Park. Visit here for a full listing — or come discover Suwanee for yourself.
All photos courtesy of the City of Suwanee, GA