Navigating 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!
Loading Zones:
In 2021, the City of Gainesville and the Gainesville Police Department installed marked loading/unloading and timed 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.
SafetySticks:
In 2023, GPD installed SafetySticks, a technology provided by Municipal Parking Services on bollard lookalikes, to help ensure loading zones are being used in the most effective manner possible, and tickets will be mailed to anyone not using them for their intended purpose.
SafetySticks are now actively monitoring spaces in the following areas, as shown on the map below: 15-minute loading/unloading spots in front of Atlas Pizza (Washington Street), THRIVE Coworking (Main Street) and Moore’s Wealth Management (Main Street); the 20-minute loading/unloading spot in front of Downtown Drafts (Bradford Street); and untimed loading/unloading spots in front of Racquets & Togs (Bradford Street), at the back of the Hall County Library (Main Street), plus several behind Martin Furniture and Design (Main Street).
Security Ambassadors:
In 2022, The Gainesville Police Department launched the Downtown Security Ambassadors team. While not certified police officers, these city employees patrol the Downtown area and the parking decks to assist the community, further enhancing safety, authority community presence, and parking enforcement Downtown.
Below is a parking map to help you plan your trip to Downtown Gainesville:
Driving 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