Georgia Magazine - June 2018 - 22

A weatherproof vacation
LaGrange was considered an ideal location for Great
Wolf Lodge "because it's about an hour's drive from
Atlanta, and it's also easily accessible for families in other
markets, like Columbus, Macon, Birmingham [Ala.] and
Montgomery [Ala.]," says Jason Lasecki, director of communications with Great Wolf Resorts Inc.
The spacious resort is a win-win for visitors and
residents alike.
"Great Wolf in and of itself represents a capital investment of over $150 million and will employ hundreds
of our local citizens," Thornton says. "That is significant,
but the ancillary effect of Great Wolf will be increased
tourism interest in our area, [an] increase in our discretionary tax revenue and [an] increase in service-sector
business that will support and benefit from Great Wolf.
All of that is good for our local community.
"It also sends a signal to other restaurant, retail and
tourism industries that LaGrange is a good place to do
business. We already have a very vibrant manufacturing base, and people currently drive to LaGrange for
employment opportunities from all over West Georgia

and East Alabama. I'm glad that we are continuing to
diversify our job profile with more hospitality and tourism jobs."
Meg B. Kelsey, LaGrange city manager, concurs.
"We eagerly anticipated the grand opening of the Great
Wolf Lodge and the tremendous opportunities that will
come with an attraction of this magnitude. The water
park, conference center and hotel rooms will add even
more choices to our attractive list of tourism destinations in our area."
Great Wolf Lodge Georgia joins a pre-eminent
group of local attractions and entertainment venues in a
vibrant community that just keeps growing.
"People in LaGrange are very excited about Great
Wolf and all of the other growth and progress taking
place in our community," Thornton says. "While there
are always some who would prefer things to 'never
change,' those voices are a very small minority. The
overwhelming consensus is that LaGrange is thriving,
and people don't want to see that stop."
Victoria Scharf DeCastro is a freelance writer based
in Winder.

An impressive list of music legends who have performed at Sweetland Amphitheatre include Willie Nelson, the Temptations, Gladys
Knight and the Charlie Daniels Band (pictured). Set to perform in
the final months of the 2018 Summer Concert Series are Martina
McBride, June 22, and Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, July 21.
* Bellevue, lagrangechamber.com/clientsites/Bellevue.html
* Biblical History Center, biblicalhistorycenter.com
* The Cochran Gallery, facebook.com/thecochrangallery
* The Fields Golf Club, thefieldsgolfclub.com
* Hills & Dales Estate, hillsanddales.org
* Lafayette Society for Performing Arts (LSPA includes
Lafayette Theatre Co., Young Singers of West Georgia,
Lafayette Center for Dance and Azalea Storytelling
Festival), lsparts.org
* LaGrange Art Museum, lagrangeartmuseum.org
22

HILLS & DALES ESTATE

SWEETLAND AMPHITHEATRE AT BOYD PARK

Other LaGrange-area attractions

Hills & Dales Estate, an Italian villa built in 1916, features the historic
Ferrell Gardens, created by Sarah Ferrell between 1841 and 1903.
* LaGrange College, lagrange.edu
* LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, lagrangesymphony.org
* Pure Life Studios, facebook.com/lagrangepurelife
* Sweetland Amphitheatre at Boyd Park, sweetland.events
* The Thread, thethreadtrail.org
* Troup County Archives and Legacy Museum on Main,
trouparchives.org, legacymuseumonmain.org
* West Point Lake, West Point, westpointlake.info
* Wild Leap Brew Co., wildleap.com

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

http://www.lagrangechamber.com/clientsites/Bellevue.html http://www.biblicalhistorycenter.com http://www.lagrange.edu http://www.facebook.com/thecochrangallery http://www.lagrangesymphony.org http://www.thefieldsgolfclub.com http://www.facebook.com/lagrangepurelife http://www.hillsanddales.org http://sweetland.events http://www.thethreadtrail.org http://www.trouparchives.org http://www.legacymuseumonmain.org http://www.lsparts.org http://www.westpointlake.info http://www.lagrangeartmuseum.org http://www.wildleap.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - June 2018