Hi,

I'll be spending a night in Gainesville next month - taking my son to Riverside Military Academy for the summer term. Where should we stay/eat?

We always stay at The Baymont Inn. It is very nice and a continental breakfast is offered. We book one of the larger rooms with a sitting area with hidabed sofa. The room has a microwave and refrigerator. It is very clean and comfortable. It is located at the Williston exit off 75.

Thanks, Sabrina. I will check that out!

Downtown G'ville has several hotels and Exit 12 on I-285.

Do a search on Expedia and find out which ones. They are all ok but I think the I-285 are a little newer.

For convenience, Best Western Lanier Center, downtown Gainesville, is used often by RMA families. It is a very short (5 minute), direct drive to RMA. Locations off I-285 are a good 40-50 minutes from Gainesville with potential traffic hassles. I don?t recommend anything off I-285 or I75 (also far away from Gainesville).

Best Western Lanier Centre

400 E E Butler Pkwy
Gainesville, Georgia, 30501, United States


On personal knowledge, I do not recommend the Ramada Inn in Gainesville.

Other options, within 20-30 minutes, are around the Mall of Georgia (Buford, Georgia) and the upscale Lake Lanier Islands resort, Renaissance Pine Isle.
http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/ATLSR

Another very upscale location is:
http://www.chateauelanatlanta.com/

While no websites are listed, here is a fairly comprehensive list of area hotels.
http://www.lakelanier.com/lodges.htm

Gainesville is a good-sized town with plenty of lodging and conveniences. Unless you just want something exceptional (such as Chateau Elan and the Renaissance at Pine Isle), you have plenty of options closer to Riverside.

The small, but pretty, downtown square has several very nice restaurants and shops. It is only a short drive to the north Georgia mountains and wonderful small towns when departing from Gainesville. Just a short drive from Gainesville is the start of the Applachian Trail and Athens, home to the University of Georgia.

For other dining purposes, close to RMA is the upscale Rudolph?s restaurant and the homey, comfortable Longstreet Café (100% southern style cafeteria). St Ives, also near Riverside, is a wonderful, small coffee shop.

Best wishes. Our son is a student at RMA, just finishing his 8th grade year, of which we are very proud and pleased. I can?t say enough positive comments about the school. Know that you are giving a tremendous gift to your son AND enjoy the area. It is truly a beautiful and historic area.

My mentioning I-285 was a big error on my part. Avoid that road always!

I meant I-985, Exit 12-which is closer than Mall of Georgia, Exit 4.

ELO- is right the downtown hotels are the better choice-if you have extra time, see the whole area-we love it, esp. Lake Lanier, and Jay-Mar Farms on US 23.