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February 27, 2009

Master plan for Prater's Mill, area to be unveiled Saturday

Submitted by the Prater's Mill Foundation

The results of the recently completed Interpretive Master Plan for Prater’s Mill and the Murray and Whitfield County area, including the city of Dalton, will be presented to the public on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Dalton City Hall.

The results of this extensive analysis of heritage tourism potential reveals that Dalton and the Historic High Country Tourism Region are well positioned to develop a new successful tourism industry for the region as the carpet industry continues to decline.

According to professor John Veverka, a heritage tourism and interpretation planner, “with Interstate 75 passing next to/through Dalton with a traffic count of approximately 100,000 cars a day passing by, the heritage tourism industry that had been undervalued for years can become the region's economic recovery engine, bringing in thousands of tourists and creating new jobs and businesses."

 Results of the Interpretive/Tourism Plan and Tourism Assessment, along with recommendations for an aggressive Heritage Tourism Development Strategy, will be presented at the Saturday meeting. Highlights include developing Metro Dalton as a Regional Heritage Tourism Gateway to attractions throughout the Historic High Country Travel Region. It also calls for developing a Civil War Landscape Museum in preparation for the 2011 Civil War sesquicentennial which could bring tens of thousands of heritage/Civil War tourists to the area if developed.

With the city of Dalton developed as a Regional Heritage Gateway, Dalton could become a major Northern Georgia tourism destination site, with potential visitation at well over 250,000 and higher as new programs, events, workshops, new driving tours and community interpretive program are developed. With the proximity of Atlanta, Chattanooga and other larger communities within the 2-hour/one tank of gas driving range, a well planned and executed heritage program could bring new life to the region. 

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