2211 Dug Gap Battle Road
Dalton, Georgia
If you miss the Georgia Welcome Center a few miles north, or it’s too cold or wet to let the kids run around outside it, consider a pit stop at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center, locally called the Dalton Trade Center.
There is room to stretch, but small enough to not get lost. The bathrooms are spectacularly clean. And of course, there are vending machines. I admit it seems wierd at first to crash a trade center, but wait, there’s more…
Go to up the stairs, and right inside the entrance there is a visitor center with Georgia maps and brochures of area attractions. Once you leave there, you can take the kids to the restrooms, surf the internet on a couple of free terminals, or watch TV. Then take the elevator or head down the stairs to check out the water sculpture, see who has made it into the Georgia Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame, and if there’s nothing going on, practice a few cartwheels down the main corridor. We were there last on May 1, 2009, during a regional Garden Railroading event, and spent some money to change our pit stop into an outing.
Hours: 9 to 5
Website: http://www.daltontradecenter.com/
Directions: Exit 333 off I-75, head west, away from Dalton, up the ridge. It’s a quarter of a mile on the left.
Written and submitted by: Dawn Braswell, Rocky Face, GA Be sure to stop by her website at: drowningbearcrk.livejournal.com/
