How to get to Downtown Gainesville, Georgia
Known as the Queen City of the Mountains, Gainesville is the gateway to the Appalachians and sits on the north shore of Lake Lanier. Downtown Gainesville has a beautiful historic district, vibrant with shopping, dining, music venues, and lifestyle small businesses.
Parking Decks:
All Public Parking Decks are FREE in Gainesville!
- Main Street Parking Deck, 301 Main St.
- Hall County Parking Facility, 225 Green St.
- North Parking Deck, 100 Brenau Ave NE
Loading Zones:
In 2021, the City of Gainesville and the Gainesville Police Department installed new technology supervising areas marked for loading/unloading and 5-minute parking around the historic square in Downtown Gainesville. These spots are to be used for delivery trucks and delivery vehicles to quickly get in and out of downtown safely, to assist downtown businesses with day to day operations. The public can use them as well to drop off / pick up persons, as well.
In 2023, GPD installed SafetySticks, a technology provided by Municipal Parking Services, to help ensure these spots are being used in the most effective manner possible, and tickets will be issued to anyone not using them for their intended purpose.
Below is a parking map to help you plan your trip to Downtown Gainesville:
Directions:
Gainesville, Georgia is situated approximately 60 miles Northeast on I985.
From Chattanooga /Atlanta: While there are many backroad options through the mountains, we’ll leave those directions to GPS! The interstate route can be the quickest /easiest unless you hit rush hour traffic in Atlanta, which can easily add an hour to the drive time.
- South on I75 toward Atlanta
- East on I-285 toward Greenville/Augusta
- North on I85 toward Greenville
- Left to continue on I-985 N, follow signs for Gainesville.
- Take exit 20 (Queen City Parkway).
- Right on Jesse Jewell Parkway.
- Left on Main Street.
From Cornelia / Northeast of Gainesville:
- Start Southbound on US-23
-
Use the right lane to take the ramp onto GA-369 W/US-129 N/Jesse Jewell Pkwy SE
- Right on Main Street
From Dahlonega/ Northwest of Gainesville:
- Start Southbound on GA-60 (which changes names to Thompson Bridge Road, then Historic Green Street!)
- Slight right onto W. Academy St
- Left on Main Street