Lawrenceville

Lawrenceville is a city in Georgia, on the outskirts of Metro Atlanta.

Understand

Lawrenceville came into being on December 15, 1821 and is the county seat of Gwinnett County, which was formed exactly 3 years prior. Lawrenceville was the second city founded in the greater Atlanta area. The location for the original town square was chosen due to its close proximity to multiple springs.

Lawrenceville was named after Captain James Lawrence who was commander of the frigate Chesapeake. During a battle with H. M. S Shannon on June 1, 1813, off the coast near Boston, Massachusetts captain Lawrence was mortally wounded. His dying words were, "Don't give up the ship."

In 1978 Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler Magazine, was shot on the Lawrenceville courthouse square allegedly by Joseph Paul Franklin.

Get in

By plane

• 🌍 Gwinnett County Airport (LZU  ^IATA Briscoe Field). There is no regular passenger service into Lawrenceville but there is a large general aviation airport that charter flights can fly into. It has a 6,000 foot runway with two FBOs supplying both 100LL and Jet-A fuel.  
• Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL ^IATA) is 40 miles southeast of Lawrenceville in Atlanta. There are several ways to get from Hartsfield-Jackson to Lawrenceville:
  • Take Interstate 85 North through Atlanta, taking exit 106 onto GA-316 E towards Lawrenceville.
  • Drive east on US-78 through Atlanta and Decatur then take GA-124/Scenic Highway in Snellville north directly into downtown Lawrenceville.
  • Take the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Gold line north to the Doraville station to transfer onto the Gwinnett County Transit Express Bus Route 103 to Sugarloaf Mills then head southeast on Sugarloaf Parkway.

By Car

Travel north on Interstate 85 from Atlanta taking exit 106 onto GA-316. Travel east on GA-316 to Highway 20 and turn right.

Get around

• Best Taxi of Gwinnett offers 24-hour taxi service. This includes airport transportation and sight-seeing.
• Gwinnett County Transit is Gwinnett's public bus service. They provide routes around Lawrenceville and Gwinnett as well as express routes to MARTA stations closer to Atlanta.

More information on transportation in Lawrenceville and Gwinnett can be found at the Gwinnett County government's website.

See

• Fallen Heroes Memorial, 75 Langley Drive. On the grounds of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. [phone]. 13 black granite markers immortalize Gwinnett residents who died in service to their country (both military and public safety service) as well as those who impacted American history, listing their names in no order and without rank. 
• Gwinnett Historic Courthouse, 185 Crogan Street, ☎ [phone]. Open Monday - Saturday 10AM - 4PM, closes at 2PM on Saturdays. Part of the National Register of Historic Places, the courthouse has erected in 1885. The exterior sports a clock tower and a turret with a balcony. The inside contains the Gwinnett Veterans Council War Memorial Museum open to self-guided tours. The courtyard and pavilion play host to weddings, the Annual Lighting of the Tree, and Moonlight and Music summer concerts. 
• Gwinnett History Museum, 455 South Perry Street, ☎ [phone]. Open Monday - Thursday, 10AM - 4PM. Registered in the National Register of Historic Places, the Gwinnett History Museum is hosted inside the Lawrenceville Female Seminary. One of the oldest buildings of Lawrenceville, the structure is over 150 years old. 

Do

• Alexander Park 800 Old Snellville Highway. [phone]. Open sunrise until sunset. Alexander park includes a playground, a 1.4 mile multipurpose trail, a small fishing lake with piers, and an 18-hole disc golf course. The playground was built within the last five years and has swings, a boulder structure, two large structures, and multiple slides. The disc golf course has a practice putting basket and 18 holes with both beginner and regular tees adding up to 56 par depending on the current basket pin positions. The course has a mix of wooded and open holes. There are 3 pavilions, one of which is equipped with a grill. This is a very well-maintained and new park spanning over 91 acres.
• Aurora Theatre, 128 East Pike Street, ☎ [phone]. The Aurora is located in downtown Lawrenceville and hosts shows and plays every weekend as well as classes during the week. Shows are performed by local actors. Show times and prices vary. 
• Collins Hill Golf Club 585 Camp Perrin Road. [phone]. Collins Hill Golf Club sports a driving range, pro shop, clubhouse, and 18-hole golf course. Non-resident walk-ins cost $35 a round or $29 if reserved online. There are many other cheaper rates depending on time, residency, and age.
• Collins Hill Park and Aquatics Center, 2000 Collins Hill Road. Info/rentals: [phone]. Aquatics Center: [phone]. Open sunrise until 11PM. On over 95 acres, this park has a collection of seven baseball/softball fields, a football field, sand volleyball courts, playgrounds, 1.5 miles of trail, a fishing lake, and an aquatics center with an outdoor leisure pool and indoor competition pools. Entrance and parking are free. 
• Dave and Buster's, 5900 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Suite 441. Open Sunday - Thursday 11:30am - Midnight, Friday - Saturday 11:30am - 1:00am. Located in Sugarloaf Mills, D&B hosts a bar, grill, bowling alley, billiards room, and hundreds of arcade style games. Rates vary, budget around $25 for a day of games and food. 
• Freeman's Mill Park, 1401 Alcovy Road, ☎ [phone]. This park includes a large, modern playground, 0.5 miles of paved trail, and an intact historic mill. 
• Coolray Field, 2500 Buford Drive, ☎ [phone]. Home of the Gwinnett Stripers, top minor-league team of the Atlanta Braves, Coolray Field is a minor league baseball field located north of downtown Lawrenceville towards I-85. It was also home to Atlanta United 2, the reserve side for Major League Soccer's Atlanta United FC, in 2018, but that team now plays in Kennesaw. Baseball ticket prices range from $6 lawn seating to $170 anytime box tickets. 
• Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation. Boasts 46 county parks and facilities, several of which are in Lawrenceville (and all are within a short drive's range). Do not leave your car parked in any park past dark. Free admission to all parks. 
• Medieval Times 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway. Shows every weekend. Medieval Times provides dinner and a show for the whole family. Admission includes an old-style chicken meal and a medieval themed performance that includes jousting and sword-fighting. Adult tickets are $51.95, child tickets are $35.95.
• Painting With a Twist 178 East Crogan Street Suite 230. [phone]. Varying times with private booking available. Here you can attend painting sessions in a relaxed studio. Visitors are encouraged to "bring your favorite people, munchies, bottle of wine or other favorite beverage" to be guided by artists and have a care-free painting session. Other events include family days, private parties, and days that benefit charity.
• Rhodes Jordan Park 100 East Crogan Street. Gym/info: [phone]. Pool: [phone]. Open sunrise until 11PM. Rhodes Jordan Park is over 162 acres and has 1.9 miles of multipurpose paved trail. There is a recreation center, gymnasium, indoor pool, outdoor aquatics park, seven baseball/softball fields, eight lit tennis courts, a football field, outdoor basketball court and large fishing lake. The playground and adjacent pavilion and grills was constructed in 2011 and is very large and well-maintained.
• Lawrenceville Ghost Tours. Tours begin at the Aurora Theatre, 128 Pike Street. [phone]. Tours are every Friday and Saturday May through September at 8:30 PM. and every night in October at 7:30 PM. Explore Lawrenceville's haunted past on a ghost tour through downtown Lawrenceville. Adult tickets are $12, Children are $9. 

Buy

• The Avenue at Webb Gin 1350 Scenic Highway. [phone]. The Avenue is a form of plaza/strip mall with a collection of eateries and stores. Parking is free. Shopping and dining are moderately upscale.
• 🌍 Sugarloaf Mills, 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway (between Duluth Highway and I-85, just off of Exit 108), ☎ [phone]. The mall includes over 180 stores and kiosks as well as an AMC 18 movie theater. The mall is structured in a loop with the food court linking to two parts in the middle. There is parking surrounding the mall as well as a parking deck; all parking is free. (updated Aug 2018)

Eat

• Corner Stop Café, 195 N Perry Street, ☎ [phone]. Closed on Saturday and Sunday, open Monday through Friday 7AM - 3PM (closed between 10AM and 11AM). Dinner is served on Fridays 5PM - 8PM. Southern Style Cookin’ in The Heart of Historic Downtown Lawrenceville. 
• Biba's Italian Restaurant, 4850 Sugarloaf Pkwy, ☎ [phone]. Fine Italian dining and full bar in a casual environment. Excellent and quick service. Every meal comes with the best rolls in Lawrenceville (citation needed). Entrees around $15, desserts around $5. 
• Dominic's, 197 West Crogan Street, ☎ [phone]. Lunch served Monday through Friday 11AM - 2PM. Dinner times vary, Monday - Thursday 5PM - 9:30PM, Friday 5PM - 10PM, Saturday 11AM - 10PM, Sunday 5PM - 9PM. Dominic's is an Upscale Italian restaurant located in the Rhodes Jordan building on the Courthouse Square in downtown. Dominic's serves lunch and dinner and has an extensive wine list. Free wi-fi is available. Entrees are about $15 - $25. 
• La Cazuela, 179 West Crogan Street, ☎ [phone]. Family restaurant that serves Mexican-style food. $5.95 lunch combos, dinner is around $10. 
• Lil' River Grill, 179 East Crogan St, ☎ [phone]. An American classic fine dining restaurant with an extensive wine list. 
• Little Barn. 60 East Pike Street, between Rhodes Jordan Park and Buford Highway/US-20. [phone]. Breakfast served Monday through Saturday 5:30AM - 11AM, lunch from 11AM - 2PM. This excellent family-run restaurant is housed in a large red barn. Little Barn boasts its large biscuits, Brunswick stew, and classic Southern gravy and sweet tea (available for purchase by the gallon). Drive-thru and dine-in options. If the main parking lot is full, there is a gravel lot just above the main lot. Biscuits are around $2 each, barbeque sandwiches $3.
• McCray's Tavern, 100 N Perry Street, ☎ [phone]. McCray's is a classic American sports bar and grill in downtown. Dining options include regular seating, booths, a bar, and tables on the roof that overlook the town square. Expect to pay around $20 to $30 for a full meal. 
• Oyster Bay Seafood Cafe, 125B Crogan Street, ☎ [phone]. Open 11AM - 10PM weekdays, until 11PM Friday and Saturday, and closing at 9 PM on Sundays. This is a Florida-style seafood and oyster restaurant and bar in downtown with a seaside bar vibe. Oysters are around $11 a dozen; budget around $20 per meal. 
• Peachtree Cafe, 50 South Clayton Street, ☎ [phone]. Peachtree Cafe serves breakfast foods such as Belgian Waffles as well as specialty burgers. Breakfast is about $5; dinner is around $10. 
• Uptown Cafe. 117 Perry Street. [phone]. This little hole-in-the-wall (the restaurant is only about five feet wide with three tables) serves excellent Mediterranean food, including hummus, gyros, and grape leaves. Boasts a perfect 30/30 score on Google's Zagat.

Drink

The City of Lawrenceville's zoning laws designates that establishments that serve alcohol must be primarily restaurants. There are no typical "bars" or "clubs" in Lawrenceville.

Sleep

• Hampton Inn Lawrenceville, 1135 Lakes Parkway, ☎ [phone]. Offering free hot breakfast, free WiFi and free parking. 
• 🌍 Homewood Suites by Hilton - Lawrenceville, 1775 North Brown Road (Off i-85 and Sugarloaf Pkwy NW), ☎ [phone]. All-suites hotel with kitchens plus hot full breakfast, internet and conveniences, located off I-85 minutes from the Gwinnett Arena 

Go next

Routes through Lawrenceville

Greenville ← Buford ←	N  S	→ Duluth → Atlanta
Greenville ← Athens ←	N  S	→ Lilburn → Atlanta