Tourists and Conyers citizens are drawn to the elegance and historical significance of the city's many attractions. Whether you are shopping through downtown or visiting historic landmarks, Conyers has many places to see and enjoy.

Historic Downtown

The central attraction in Conyers is Downtown, the city's historic district. Shoppers and sightseers enjoy walking down the streets of Downtown Conyers, with its specialty stores, coffee houses and antique shops. Many of the homes and buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A recent revitalization has turned Downtown in to a showplace with many great shops, an outdoor pavilion, The Lewis Vaughn Botanical Garden and the infamous Old Jail. Long ago, this historic site housed the sheriff, the sheriff's family and the jailer. The jailer's upstairs room was equipped with trap doors in the floor and actually doubled as the jail's "hanging room." Now, as the Old Jail Museum, the site is open for tours on Sunday afternoons.

Downtown is also the site of the City's celebrated Summer Series and Hometown Holiday celebrations, each featuring a diversity of fun activities.

The Depot

Conyers' most colorful attraction is the yellow Depot, a converted railroad station which is used today meetings, weddings and receptions. Permanently parked across the street from the Depot is the "Dinky", a 1905 Rogers steam locomotive that is one of only three of its type left in the world. It is maintained along with the Depot by the Rockdale Historical Society.

Monastery of the Holy Spirit

Visitors and citizens of diverse religious backgrounds enjoy the surroundings of the lovely Monastery of the Holy Spirit, located off Highway 212 South. The monastery was started in 1944 by a group of Cistercian monks traveling from Kentucky. By 1960, with the help of communities across the nation, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit was completed as sign of prayer and hospitality of everyone in the Conyers and Atlanta area.

Located on an old 2,000-acre plantation, the monastery includes a man-made lake surrounded by beautiful landscaping and scenery. Many Conyers natives often visit to relax by the lake, feed the ducks or simply enjoy the solitude. The monks' living quarters are private, but Abbey Church is open for daily masses, tours or religious retreats.

The primary means of financial support for the monastery is the Abbey Store, which offers beautiful religious articles, artwork, books, monastic products. The store, located at the edge of the main parking lot, is open Monday-Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. For more information, visit their website or call 770-483-8705.

Haralson Mill Covered Bridge

The new Haralson Mill Covered Bridge is set just north of the Haralson Mill historic district. Surrounded by the Haralson Mill House, a general store, the old mill site and blacksmith shop, visitors will enjoy the old-time feel of the recently completed covered bridge, the first of its kind to be built in the state of Georgia since the late 1890s.

The bridge emulates the covered bridge design of the 1820s-era Town Lattice Truss, patented by Connecticut architect Ithiel Town. The superstructure of Haralson Mill Covered Bridge was designed to utilize Georgia wood products and labor. For more information, call 770-929-4052.

Black Shoals Lake

Located in historic Rockdale County between Miller Bottom Road and Georgia Highway 138, Black Shoals Lake is a 650-arce reservoir that provides Conyers and Rockdale County with much more than just a future water supply.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has stocked the lake with many species of fish such as large mouth bass, bream and catfish for sport fishing. Designs have been completed for activities such as fishing, canoeing, boating, picnicking, hiking and the Black Shoals Park that includes a Veteran's Memorial Park.

By the year 2050 Black Shoals Lake is projected to provide a minimum water yield of 32 million gallons per day, more than enough to meet the growing needs of Conyers and Rockdale County. To prevent pollution of the water, the county has implemented a 150-foot natural, undisturbed buffer around the reservoir, with a watershed of trees, shrubs and grasses to prevent overland run-off produced by storms. For more information, call 770-929-4052.

Recreation

Conyers draws many visitors to the community for recreation. Conyers has over 15 parks for recreation that offer activities including soccer, football, baseball, tennis, softball, swimming, basketball, golf, cross country running, hiking, biking, and horseback riding. An active Senior Citizens program and Arts Council add to the recreational opportunities in Conyers. For more information, call 1-800-CONYERS.