11-12-08 Clayton County Convention & Visitors Bureau Launches New Tour
PRESS RELEASE
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November
12, 2008
CLAYTON COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU LAUNCHES NEW TOUR
Clayton County Convention & Visitors Bureau is celebrating Clayton’s
150th birthday year with the launch of a new tour and a low, introductory price.
With Clayton County turning 150 this year, the CVB has rolled out a new tour
that asks participants to follow the path of brave men and Southern Belles on
this historical journey through Jonesboro. The Southern Belles and Whistles
Tour highlights more than 100 years of history and heritage in
the Official Home of Gone With The Wind and allows you to hear the captivating
stories behind Jonesboro’s historic district. Some of the sites on this
mini-bus tour include:
- • The Road to Tara Museum—stroll among Gone
With The Wind costume reproductions, original movie props, an international library
and unique Hollywood and historic memorabilia
- The Old Jail / History Center—take your photo in
the cell of this original 1800s-era county jail, which now houses the Clayton
County History Center (exclusive to the Southern Belles and Whistles Tour)
- The Patrick Cleburne Memorial Confederate Cemetery—walk
among the mass grave containing between 600-1000 fallen Confederate soldiers.
- The Warren House—as the tour passes this historic
home, site of some of the heaviest fighting in the Battle of Jonesboro,
imagine what it was like when the house served as a hospital for the Confederate
and Union Soldiers
- The intersection of Rhett Butler and Scarlett Drive
- Ashley Oaks Mansion—as your narrator points out
to you this 1880 home, marvel at the sheer number of locally-made bricks— over
one million!—that it took to build this home
- Stately Oaks Plantation—you’ll pass the 1839
restored house museum, outbuildings and entire seven-acre Margaret Mitchell Memorial
Park. A great place to visit. Open daily for tours.
“Jonesboro and Clayton County are so full of wonderful stories of our
history and our heritage that this new Belles and Whistles Tour will keep those
stories alive and gives us the opportunity to share them with others, said Patrick
Duncan, president of the Clayton County CVB. “We have found that both visitors
and local residents are fascinated by what they hear about our past. I
have heard local residents leaving the tour and saying ‘I have lived here
my whole life and never knew that!’ ”
The tour runs daily Monday- Friday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. from the Road to Tara
Museum located in downtown Jonesboro at 104 N. Main Street. Tickets for each
tour are $24.95 for adults, $21.95 for seniors and $13.95 for children 12 and
under.
However, during Clayton’s 150th birthday celebration year, the museum is
offering a 50% discount on adult admission. That means, everyone gets in for
just $12.50. The CVB is hoping not only visitors, but local
residents will come share in the history that helped to build this community,
and what better time than during its birthday year.
“As Clayton County celebrates is Sesquicentennial birthday, the Belles
and Whistles Tour will be offered at half price during the entire year of celebrating
this historic event. Turning 150 years old means we have a strong heritage and
history in this county and we are pleased to offer our tours at this discounted
rate to share our story with our visitors and residents alike,” said Duncan.
“It is a wonderful tour and I hope all who take it leave here feeling they
have experienced a true reflection of the history and heritage of Clayton County
and Jonesboro,” Duncan adds.
The Clayton County Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official tourism marketing
agency for Clayton County. The CVB advertises and promotes the area to bring
business to hotels, attractions, historical sites and meeting facilities within
Clayton County and its neighboring communities.
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Contact:
Megan Spears
Clayton County CVB
(678) 610-4242
megan@visitscarlett.com
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