Rockdale

East, Rockdale County Steeped in rich and compelling history from its first settlers in 1816, Reconstruction in 1867, the Olympics in 1996, and now as a perfect destination for Georgia’s burgeoning movie and television industry, Rockdale County is an exciting and thriving community located east of Atlanta via I-20. Founded in 1870 and comprising 128 square miles, Rockdale is bordered by Gwinnett and Walton counties to the north, Newton County to the south, and Henry and DeKalb Counties to the west. Its county seat, Conyers, was incorporated in 1854 with just 400 residents. Today, the second smallest of the state’s 159 counties, Rockdale boasts more than 85,000 residents and continues to grow and prosper economically, socially, and culturally. On any given day, residents and visitors alike enjoy unique shopping opportunities at numerous charming boutiques and national retailers in and around Conyers, including quaint Old Towne, where lovely cafes, local shops, toe-tapping entertainment, fun festivals, and harmless Vampires, come alive! The popular television show Vampire Diaries currently films in Old Towne. Other television favorites filmed in Conyers include the Dukes of Hazard (1979), and In the Heat of the Night (1988), Teen Wolf (2011-2017), and The Originals (2013-2018). Rockdale is on the fast track as a popular location for television and feature films, such as Reese Witherspoon’s Sweet Home Alabama (2002), the award-winning, Selma starring David Oyelowo (2014), Greenland starring Gerard Butler (2020), and Netflix’s Ozark series, featuring Jason Bateman (2017-). Socially, Rockdale is home to Black Shoals Park, a recreational haven for the active and outdoorsy types. The park boasts a 650-acre reservoir and recreational facility offering fishing, canoeing, boating, picnicking, and hiking. In 1996, Conyers’ 1,400-acre Georgia International Horse Park hosted equestrian and mountain bike venues for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Today, the Horse Park is a multi-purpose facility that hosts horse and car shows, fairs, festivals, concerts, picnics, and banquets year-round. For those seeking spiritual renewal and uplifting, the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, home to Cistercian monks for more than 65 years, is located just off Highway 212. Rockdale is in close proximity to I-20 and 35 minutes to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and downtown Atlanta.