It was back in 1939 when the epic movie Gone With The Wind was released; when Scarlett met Rhett, amid Civil War in the southern state of Georgia.

This year, the US state of Georgia is commemorating this classic movie with tourist attractions and regions reminiscent of this bygone era. The Fox Theatre in Atlanta was the venue for the first ever performance of the movie, while the five-star Georgian Terrace Hotel in Peachtree Street was home for Clark Gable who spent the night after the premiere and where, in the ballroom, the movie premiere�s reception was held. The author�s home is now a museum - The Margaret Mitchell House, while nearby, there is also the Gone With The Wind Movie Museum.

Launched this year, the Gone With The Wind Anniversary Tour takes place in Jonesboro, Clayton County in Georgia. The bus tour is narrated by historian Peter Bonner and includes details of the Battle of Jonesboro in 1864, (one the of the most decisive battles of the Civil War when Union soldiers cut off supplies to Atlanta, forced the city to surrender), the mass grave of around 1,000 soldiers in the Patrick Cleburne Confederate Cemetery and Tara, a fictitious location for the O�Hara plantation. The tour visits Stately Oaks, a plantation house that was believed to be the inspiration behind Tara. The tour ends at the Road to Tara Museum which houses original movie props, costume reproductions and doll collections.

Georgia�s romantic appeal to the UK market has increased over the years with over 80 tour operators featuring Georgia tours, fly-drive packages and tailor-made tours to the state.

ENDS

Gone With The Wind:

� The novel remains one of the best selling novels with around 250,000 copies sold each year. � The film premiere took place on 15th December 1939 at Loew�s Grand Theatre in Atlanta � The cost of the film totalled $4.2 million and took 3 years to make � Warner Home Video is to release Gone With The Wind: 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector�s Edition in Blu-ray this year.

For more information, contact Jane Wilson PR Consultant for Georgia Tourism on 020 8948 2388 or email: georgia@jw-associates.eu

Visit www.exploregeorgia.org