No matter how you best rejuvenate, Roswell has what you need

Feeling stressed? A cure awaits in Roswell, Georgia. Distance is not a key ingredient in the recipe on how to relax! Located about a 20-minute drive north of Atlanta, Roswell feels a world away. Roswell has a 640-acre historic district, is linked with the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, and its Canton Street—a linear shopping, dining and arts district with period storefronts—has been designated a “Great Street” among the “Great Places in Georgia.”

Here are five proven ways to recharge and renew. Mix and match whatever suits you.

The Chattahoochee Nature Center offers information for guests who want to connect with the outdoors

Spa

Recharge and renew at Jolie Beauty Spa & Nails. This haven impresses with high-quality treatments, skilled technicians and value prices. Nontoxic, eco-friendly products are favored; a lemongrass aroma is the first reward for opening the front door. Indulgent services include nail care, reflexology, reiki, facials, massages and body wraps. Expect to feel pampered, not rushed, while here. Among the deals, the Day Spa package includes a one-hour Swedish massage, one-hour deep pore facial, plus spa mani/pedi for $150. 770.642.8686 joliebeautyspa.com

Eat

Roswell is home to more than 200 independently owned restaurants. Whatever you crave, from classic Southern to ethnic, creative contemporary to casual traditional fare, options abound. Among the mouthwatering destinations, Adele’s On Canton serves Cajun classics for breakfast, lunch and dinner; several options on all menus are priced under $10. A trio of warm, puffy beignets is a decadent splurge any time of day and tastes like vacation as soon as the powdered sugar hits your tongue. 770.594.0655 adelescajun.com

Vickery Creek Falls are a highlight among Roswell’s hiking options.

Hike

More than 30 miles of trails weave through Roswell. Old Mill Park is a picturesque place to start, with the Vickery Creek dam, ruins of the Roswell Manufacturing Co. Mills, and Vickery Creek Covered Pedestrian Bridge that links to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (nps.gov/chat/). Another option is the Chattahoochee Nature Center (770.992.2055; chattnaturecenter.org), the Southeast’s oldest and largest private non-profit natural science learning center. More than half of the rare and endangered plant species found in Georgia grow among the 127 acres of native plants and gardens including five different wetland habitats, a Bog Garden with carnivorous plants, a boardwalk and a butterfly garden.

Bulloch Hall, where President Theodore Roosevelt’s mother, Mittie Bulloch, grew up

Learn

Three historic homes offer tours and an education in history from 1838 to the present (southerntrilogy.com). Barrington Hall (770.640.3855) was home to a Roswell co-founder; the grounds boast the Atlanta area’s only antebellum public garden. Bulloch Hall (770.922.1731) is best known as the childhood home and wedding site of Mittie Bulloch, mother of the nation’s 26th President, Teddy Roosevelt. Reconstructed slave quarters are also on the grounds. Smith Plantation (770.641.3978), home to another Roswell co-founder, retains many original structural elements including heart pine floors, walnut doors and 12 outbuildings.

Shop

Favor retail therapy? Great news: The shops along Canton Street offer assorted goods from antiques to fine art, tchotchkes to kitchen essentials, clothing to wine, local foodstuffs to handbags, and so much more. Each eclectic boutique is unlike any other. Don’t miss Raiford Gallery (raifordgallery.com), which is helmed by Judie Raiford, a gold/silversmith who specializes in jewelry. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces and other baubles of her design are for sale, as are works by over 400 other artists specializing in glass, ceramics, paintings, jewelry, wood and other mediums.

ROSWELL GEORGIA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
617 Atlanta Street
Roswell, GA 30075
770.640.3253
visitroswellga.com

STORY: Hope S. Philbrick