What's Happening in 2014/2015:

Construction continues on the $70 million Atlanta Streetcar project, which will transport visitors from the convention corridor downtown to the east side of the city, passing the city's top attractions and winding through in town neighborhoods. The first tracks were laid March 2013 and the project is expected to begin service by mid-2014.

Home to more than 400 sites, the Civil War's impact on Georgia was greater than any other event in the state's history. The 150th anniversary of the Civil War is expected to generate a significant increase in heritage travelers to Georgia through 2015. www.GaCivilWar.org encourages locals and visitors to explore and experience all facets of the Civil War. In 2014, we commemorate the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's March to the Sea.

Opening May 22, 2014, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights will provide an unparalleled experience for visitors, solidifying the city as the global gateway for exploring human rights issues in downtown Atlanta. The 30,000-square-foot Center will provide the first venue in the world where visitors can learn about the history of the Civil Rights Movement, contemporary human rights movements and how they are connected. The National Center for Civil and Human rights will open adjacent to the World of Coca-Cola and Georgia Aquarium and will include a meeting and performance space for artistic and educational programming. http://www.cchrpartnership.org/index.html 

The College Football Hall of Fame will join the Georgia Aquarium, CNN, World of Coca-Cola and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights near Centennial Olympic Park in 2014. The $66 million, 90,000-square-foot facility will provide college football fans a shrine for recognizing the game's top players and coaches, and will provide even the non-fan visitor with a first-class entertainment experience. The attraction will feature 30,000 square feet of exhibit space, including a football field that can be purposed for events. The facility will bring some of the game's biggest names to Atlanta for annual enshrinement ceremonies, speaker series, corporate gatherings and other events. www.atlanta.net 

Atlanta will be the new home for Porsche's North American headquarters and North America's first Customer and Driver Experience Center. The center, which will feature a test track, restaurant and shop for Porsche-branded goods, will allow employees and visitors to see, hear, feel and experience what it's like to drive a Porsche automobile. Scheduled to open in late 2014, the organization chose Atlanta for its $100 million investment due to the accessibility into the city. The site will be located adjacent to the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal. www.porsche.com/usa/aboutporsche/porschecarsnorthamerica/

Six Flags Over Georgia to open all new water park, Hurricane Harbor, memorial day weekend 2014. This new area is the largest expansion in the park's 46-year history, and will feature several water attractions and guest amenities, including thrill slides and relaxing family fun. Lush tropical landscaping, beach scenery, and retail and dining locations will all provide the wonderful feeling of a warm beach paradise.
www.sixflags.com/overgeorgia

Opening in March 2014, Rock City's Fairy Tale Nights is a spectacular journey that is set in a faraway kingdom where magic is around every turn. Help Little Red Riding Hood avoid the Big Bad Wolf; follow Jack as he ventures off the beanstalk into the giant's lair; enjoy the radiant gardens with Cinderella; learn to sword fight with a knight! This attraction will be open nightly March 28 – April 20.

 http://www.seerockcity.com/pages/fairytale-nights/

An all new concert festival will be coming to Georgia in 2014 – CounterPoint Music Festival. CounterPoint is an outdoor music festival held at the beautiful property of Kingston Downs in Rome, Georgia. CounterPoint is a 3-day rain-or-shine event with camping and will feature more than 4 stages and a multitude of performers from all over the world. www.counterpointfestival.com

LakePoint, a premier vacation sports destination, is under construction in Emerson, just south of Cartersville. LakePoint will feature state-of-the-art venues for more than 20 of America's favorite sports, and five million square feet of mixed-use development. LakePoint's South campus will be the first phase to be completed, with its first venue Terminus Wake Park which opened last year, followed by baseball and soccer/lacrosse venues in 2014. www.lakepointsports.com

Yonah Mountain Vineyards will be opening their new event facility, wine cave and tasting room in early March 2014. www.yonahmountainvineyards.com

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens' newest project, the Smithgall Woodland Garden, is expected to open in autumn of 2014. The 168-acre public garden is as an extension of the Midtown attraction and will be located on land off Cleveland Highway. When fully developed, Smithgall Woodland Garden will allow the Atlanta Botanical Garden to broaden its conservation efforts while providing visitors access to beautiful green space and cultural amenities. http://atlantabotanicalgarden.org/about-us/smithgall-woodland-garden

The Center for Puppetry Arts will introduce a new 14 million dollar museum expansion – slated to open in Spring/Summer of 2015. The development will feature the Jim Henson Collection and an expanded global puppetry exhibit. http://www.puppet.org/index.shtml

The largest adaptive reuse project in Atlanta's history is underway, creating the new Ponce City Market. Restoration of the 1.1 million square feet of the historic Sears, Roebuck & Co. building will include a Central Food Hall modeled after NYC's Chelsea Market, retail, and an expansive rooftop garden, with mini-golf come spring 2015, as well as offices and residences. There'll even be a BeltLine-accessible outdoor bar made from a repurposed boxcar. www.poncecitymarket.com

Not only will it be Georgia's first full size cable wake park, Terminus will be North America's largest cable wake park with multiple lakes for riders of every skill level.  Terminus began its celebration with a soft opening in Fall 2013 introducing the North Lake Cable, which includes signature UNIT Parktech features, and the System 2.0 lake.  Several major additions under development, and in Spring 2014, Terminus Wake Park will be that of a grandeur attraction, as it celebrates the completion with an official grand opening.   www.terminuswakepark.com

What happened in 2013:

The longest urban whitewater rush in the world opened in Columbus, Georgia on the Chattahoochee River on May 25, 2013. The river restoration is just one of more than 46 attractions, hundreds of events, unique dining experiences, and a thriving entertainment district in Columbus – just minutes from the whitewater course. www.visitcolumbusga.com   

SkyView Atlanta opened on July 16, 2013 in downtown Atlanta at the south end of Centennial Park, near the Tabernacle. Stretching 200 feet high over the city, with 42 gondolas capable of holding up to six people each, the flight will last roughly 15 minutes and will cost $13.50 for adults and $8.50 for children 12 and under. Children 2 and under fly for free. VIP rides are also being offered. www.skyviewatlanta.com

For the second year in a row, Yonah Mountain Vineyards in Cleveland, Georgia brought home the GOLD from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC). With two Gold, Silver and three Bronze medals, Yonah Mountain has garnered more golf medals than any winery east of California in a two year period. www.yonahmountainvineyards.com  

Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa in Young Harris has completed an upgrade to all 102 traditional Lodge guestrooms creating a beautiful and calming mountain ambience. The new earth tone color palette of the bedding, draperies, seating, and wall coverings reflect the resort's mountain surroundings with neutral tones and add to the beautiful natural ambience enjoyed at Brasstown Valley Resort. www.BrasstownValley.com  

The SkyScreamer opened an extreme swing ride at Six Flags Over Georgia! It spins guests a 98-foot circle atop a 24-story tower at 40 miles per hour. This addition becomes the tallest attraction since opening 45 years ago, trumping the mega coaster, Goliath, by four stories. http://www.sixflags.com/overGeorgia/index.aspx  

Six Flags White Water unveiled Typhoon Twister, an inner tube attraction that sends riders down a five-story drop before propelling them into a 67-foot bowl. Once in the bowl, the tube will make several revolutions before spinning into a corkscrew drop chute into a pool below. http://www.sixflags.com/whiteWater/index.aspx  

Celebrating their 61st anniversary, Callaway Gardens announced major improvements and renovations for 2013. The most significant of these improvements is the renovation of all 274 rooms at the Mountain Creek Inn which reopened on April 1. In keeping with the Callaway Gardens' mission of environmental stewardship, all furnishings in the room have been vetted for sustainability and environmental appropriateness. In addition, the restaurant, ballroom and pool at the Mountain Creek Inn also are being renovated. www.callawaygardens.com    

The all-new 5-acre water entertainment complex, SoakYa Water Park as Lake Winnie features a lazy river, wave lagoon, body slides, racing slides, lounge areas, water play areas, and more ... SoakYa will be a one of a kind oasis of fun for all guests of Lake Winnipesaukee Amusement Park!  www.lakewinnie.com

The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta is a new outlet center in Woodstock, GA. The initial phase will be 370,000 square foot and will feature the best-known brands and designer outlets, including Nike, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, Brooks Brothers, White House | Black Market, Guess , Michael Kors, Under Armour, Puma, Converse, Cole Haan, Vans, Le Creuset, Levis, Naartjie Kids, Talbots, Carters, and more.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Outlet-Shoppes-at-Atlanta/321425264595225