Duluth, Georgia, has a suburban feel but offers the bonus of being just 30 minutes from the major city of Atlanta. It has many advantages and amenities, making it appealing to individuals and families. Our Crème de la Crème team collected some top reasons to move to Duluth.

Top-Rated School System

Elementary school by Jens-Olaf Walter is licensed by CC BY 2.0

Duluth, GA has a top-rated school system. There are 42 preschools in Duluth. The school system includes 19 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, and seven high schools. The city has two public charter schools and 37 private schools. The top five elementary and high schools have ratings of four or five stars. These ratings are based on academic performance and equity for all students.

Some of the best public high schools in Duluth have received the college success award, which is given to schools that show excellence in preparing students for a successful experience in college. This includes success in getting students to enroll and stay in college. Schools may also receive the college success award based on how well they serve students from low-income families.

Art and Culture

Duluth, GA has several theaters and cultural centers for you to enjoy, such as:

Aurora Theatre

A short 19-minute drive from Duluth brings you to Aurora Theatre. The Aurora Theatre offers creative and educational programming at the Lawrenceville arts center. They seek to cultivate a community of belonging for all by celebrating the rich cultural fabric of humanity. Their productions include musicals, the biggest Broadway plays, and contemporary theatre. Aurora also produces stand-up comedy, concerts, and children’s programs. 

See the theater at 128 E. Pike St. in Lawrenceville.

Hudgens Center for the Arts

At the Hudgens Center for the Arts, you’ll find year-round art exhibits and a gift shop offering handmade and one-of-a-kind art pieces. Walk the grounds and see the outdoor sculpture garden. You can see the art collection through rotating exhibits, including works from the center’s private collection. Local artists display their work here, and you can also view collections by guest curators. Children and adults can take a wide range of art classes, including pottery, drawing, clay sculpture, acrylic painting, animation, calligraphy, and creative painting with oil, acrylic, watercolor, and pastel. There are also youth summer art camps. 

The Hudgens Center for the Arts is located at 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Building 300 in Duluth.

Sugarloaf Performing Arts

Sugarloaf Performing Arts is a short 14-minute drive from Duluth, home to ballet classes and several ballet companies. Their mission is to inspire youth through professional arts education. The Sugarloaf Ballet Conservatory is designed for the serious dancer, offering comprehensive ballet training for young artists. There are classes for youth and high school-aged performers, including boys and girls. 

The Sugarloaf Performing Arts stage their ballets at the Gas South Theatre and other local venues. Classes take place at 1070 Northbrook Parkway in Suwanee.

Suwanee Academy of the Arts

Suwanee Academy of the Arts offers classes in various artistic disciplines for all ages. Their dance classes include theater, tap, jazz, ballet, and combination classes for all levels. They provide musical education through private vocal and instrumental classes. There’s also Kindermusik for the little ones. Their drama classes are for all experience levels, from first grade and up. 

Find the academy at 341 Main St. in Suwanee.

Nature and Outdoors

If you enjoy exploring the outdoors, you have many options in and around the Duluth, GA area. 

McDaniel Farm Park 

At McDaniel Farm Park, the park includes a farm-themed playground, a dog park area, a rustic pavilion, a grill, and paved and unpaved trails connecting to the other side of the park, which is a historic area. 

On the historic side of the park, McDaniel Farm has been restored to depict a typical 1930s farm in Gwinnett County. This 134-acre area has rolling grassy hills and wooded walking trails. It includes a furnished farmhouse, a blacksmith shed, a barn, a carriage house, a restored tenant farmhouse, a well house, a chicken coop, a pavilion, a vegetable garden, a flower garden, three miles of paved and unpaved trails, and restrooms. 

Park hours are from sunrise until sunset. The park entrance is 3020 McDaniel Road in Duluth, and the historic entrance is 3251 McDaniel Road.

Shorty Howell Park

The 67-acre Shorty Howell Park provides an activity building where you can take classes. The park includes a large community room and classroom, a football and multi-purpose field with a lighted walking track, seven lighted youth baseball/softball fields, a grilling area, a pavilion, playgrounds, a lake, over a mile of paved trail, and restrooms. 

Park hours are sunrise to 11 p.m. The park is located at 2750 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth.

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

At the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, you can find many activities to enjoy on your trip. The park comprises 48 miles of river and 15 land units, featuring cycling trails, walking areas, grilling areas, rafting on the water, boating, and fishing. You can also take kayaking classes on the water or go kayaking if you’re already experienced.

If you want to learn to navigate the great outdoors better, you can take an REI outdoor school course, which provides a hands-on experience in outdoor education. Topics include cycling, introductory hiking, navigation, paddling, climbing, and running. 

Have some fun on the river at 8800 Roberts Drive, Sandy Springs, GA.

Great Restaurants

Duluth, GA concentrates on incredible food, including authentic Asian cuisine, such as Japanese, Thai, Laotian, Chinese, Korean, and Asian fusion.

Okiboru Tsukemen and Ramen

Okiboru is a highly-rated spot specializing in tsukemen and ramen, including dishes such as Tonkotsu, Okiboru Buns, Truffle Shoyu, crispy gyoza, and more. 

Stop at 3614 Satellite Blvd. in Duluth to give this refreshing Japanese restaurant a try.

Local on North – Duluth

If American dining plus a varied selection of international food is more your style, check out Local on North – Duluth. You can try steak tacos, sweet thang salad, burgers, mussels, spaghetti bolognese, and paella.

It’s located at 3085 Main St., Suite 530, in Duluth. 

Duluth, GA is truly a great place to live, with its combination of award-winning schools, art and culture, nature destinations, and fine dining. Our Crème de la Crème of Duluth team believes this might be just the place you’ll love to call home.