Long before it ever handed out a city map, the little building at 8588 Main Street was handing out something else: conversation. In 1906, Dr. Will Dean and his son Linton opened Dean's Store on that spot, and it quickly became the kind of place where neighbors lingered trading news, telling stories, and living out the unhurried rhythm of small-town life.
Decades passed. The shelves changed. But the building never stopped being a gathering place, just took a while to find its second act.
That second act belonged to Linton Dean's daughter, Alice Dean Felton. She looked at her father's old store, still holding all those decades of Woodstock history, and saw something more than a memory — she saw a future. Partnering with the city, she helped turn the building into the Woodstock Visitors Center, which opened its doors August 22, 2001, with local historian Juanita Hughes as its very first employee, an official greeter.
"It was the dream of of Linton Dean's daughter, Alice, to share with Woodstock's residents and others her father's 1906 store filled with artifacts from Woodstock's history, embraced by that long-lost atmosphere from another century," Hughes recalled. She remembers being handpicked by Alice for the role, stepping into retirement only to find herself with "a front-row seat" as Woodstock's growth threatened to swallow her father's legacy whole. It didn't. "The legacy was protected even as the center thrived as the one spot in town that declares 'Welcome,'" Hughes said. "I think Alice would be very proud."
And welcome folks it has. Since opening, the center has greeted more than 250,000 visitors from all 50 states and over 100 countries, a number that's only picked up speed. In 2007, the first year attendance was formally tracked, 5,600 people walked through the doors. By 2025, that number had climbed to 19,000 a number that mirrors Woodstock's own transformation into one of Georgia's most sought-after tourism destinations.
The accolades have followed. In 2019, the center was named Georgia's Regional Visitor Information Center of the Year and earned the Jeffrey Tatum Visionary Award for its renovations. The year before, it took home the Al Burruss Award for Creative Expression at the Georgia Governor's Tourism Conference, along with the Tourism Product Development of the Year award from the Northwest Georgia Travel Association. In 2017, Woodstock even hosted the Georgia Regional Visitor Information Center Conference, welcoming tourism professionals from across the state to see firsthand what all the fuss was about.
"For 25 years, the Woodstock Visitors Center has demonstrated how innovative visitor services and exceptional guest experiences can transform a community into a sought-after destination," said Nija Torrence, Regional Tourism Manager at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, praising the center's role in driving meaningful benefits for the community.
No one has watched that transformation more closely than Kyle Bennett, who has managed the Visitors Center for the past 20 years. "It has been an honor," he said. "From welcoming people visiting Woodstock for the first time, answering questions about the community from people looking to move to the area, to helping locals learn more about their hometown, the Woodstock Visitors Center has played a key role in putting Woodstock, Georgia, on the map as a major tourism destination. I look forward to seeing how the Woodstock Visitors Center program will continue to grow and develop over the next 25 years!"
Step inside today, and you'll find both halves of the story living side by side with historic artifacts from the old general store sharing space with city maps, event guides, and branded apparel, all under the care of the same warm hospitality that's defined this building for over a century.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was recently held alongside a reception.
VisitWoodstockGA.com.