MILLEDGEVILLE, GA: Visit Milledgeville today announced it is featured in the 2021 Explore Georgia Official State Travel Guide. Explore Georgia, the state tourism office within the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), recently released the new guide to increase visitation and support tourism recovery in the state. Milledgeville is included on the front cover with an amazing aerial shot of the town taken by Michael Lerzo, and mentioned multiple times throughout the featured story about Historic Heartland. Lake Sinclair shines as the cover photo of the Historic Heartland feature, pages 98-99, with a stunning image taken by Benjamin Galland.  Aubri Lanes is also highlighted as a Don’t Miss on the following page. On page 109, a photograph of the Georgia Old Governor’s Mansion is displayed, with information on the Mansion, Andalusia Farm, Historic Trolley Tours, Lockerly Arboretum, and Memory Hill Cemetery listed below.

In time for summer travel planning, the 2021 Explore Georgia Official Travel Guide includes trip ideas for exploration throughout Georgia. Designed by Blue Sky Agency in Atlanta, the guide’s cover features a call to action: EXPLORE. Within each letter, a photo - taken by actual Georgia travelers - provides a glimpse of the state’s most beloved, inspiring, and unexpected destinations. The 2021 Explore Georgia Official Travel Guide is produced in partnership with Atlanta Magazine Custom Media. The guide's modern, clean design uses the colors within the imagery to offer an engaging visual experience and highlight the wide range of travel experiences across Georgia.

“Georgia’s ‘open for business’ approach and success with vaccinations has given the travel industry the license to operate, meeting a steady increase in demand as travelers convert a year’s worth of pent-up demand into solid travel plans,” said Mark Jaronski, deputy commissioner of tourism at GDEcD. “The 2021 Explore Georgia Official State Travel Guide will help us capture this demand and ensure that we provide inspiration and travel planning tools to begin welcoming visitors back to Georgia.

Explore Georgia promotes the guide via ExploreGeorgia.org, as well as its monthly consumer e- newsletter, social media channels, at each of the nine state-run Visitor Information Centers, and various paid and earned media opportunities. The guide’s editorial content was informed by listening to visitors, input from state tourism partners, leveraging data from the state’s travel website ExploreGeorgia.org, social media performance, as well as traveler sentiment research.

“We are excited for the recognition Milledgeville has received in the 2021 Explore Georgia Official Travel Guide,” said Rebekah Snider, Executive Director at Visit Milledgeville. “As a small town destination, we’re thrilled to see so many of our charming local spots recognized on a statewide level. Milledgeville is an amazing tourist destination full of rich history, great local shops and restaurants, beautiful scenery, and fun recreation activities.”

2021 Explore Georgia Official State Travel Guide is available for free and can be requested online at ExploreGeorgia.org, by calling 1-800-VISIT GA, or by visiting any of the state’s nine Visitor Information Centers.

To learn more about tourist destinations in Milledgeville go to Visit Milledgeville’s homepage at visitmilledgeville.org. 

About Visit Milledgeville: Visit Milledgeville is a non-profit destination marketing organization for Milledgeville and Baldwin County. Visit Milledgeville works to increase the economic impact of the hospitality and visitor industry by attracting individual visitors, group tours, and meetings to Milledgeville and Baldwin County.

About Explore Georgia: Explore Georgia, the tourism division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, is the state’s official destination marketing organization. Through its home office in Atlanta, nine visitor information centers, and a network of representatives across the globe, Explore Georgia inspires travel to and within the state. The division works to advance Georgia’s $68.96 billion tourism industry that supports more than 484,000 jobs. Learn more at ExploreGeorgia.org.

Media Contacts: Bonnie Simmons | Visit Milledgeville -- bonnie@visitmilledgeville.com or 478-452-4687

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