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Fulton County · North metro

Alpharetta, Georgia: events, facts and drive times

The short answer

Alpharetta is a town in Fulton County in North Georgia, with 65,818 residents in the 2020 Census and about 36 minutes by road from downtown Atlanta without traffic. It is known for avalon mixed-use shopping and dining district; ameris Bank Amphitheatre concerts; former seat of Milton County, founded 1858. Below: the facts with sources, what is coming up and drive times.

Last checked October 19, 2026

A tiered bronze fountain in a round cobblestone plaza ringed by boxwood hedges and dogwoods
The fountain in Brooke Street Park, Alpharetta, July 2025. Photo: John Phelan, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)

Alpharetta at a glance

What to know about Alpharetta

  • The City of Alpharetta was established on December 11, 1858, and later became the seat of government for Milton County. City of Alpharetta
  • Alpharetta's history goes back to settlers of the 1830s, and the community began as a trading post. City of Alpharetta
  • The Alpharetta & Old Milton County History Museum traces Alpharetta's past through a permanent collection of artifacts and displays. City of Alpharetta
  • The city's Alpharetta Arts Center has studios, a recording studio with performance space and two rotating art galleries. City of Alpharetta
  • The city's special events program includes festivals, races, concerts and art shows. City of Alpharetta
  • Avalon is an 86-acre mixed-use community in Alpharetta with more than 570,000 square feet of retail and a 12-screen theater. Avalon
  • Avalon has more than two dozen local chef-driven restaurants. Avalon
  • Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, a Live Nation concert venue, is at 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. Ameris Bank Amphitheatre (Live Nation)

Coming up in Alpharetta

Apr4Sat

Alpharetta Farmers Market

Organizer date for 2026
  • Apr 4 – Nov 14
  • Saturdays, April 4 through November 14, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (closed October 10th for Wire and Wood)
  • Alpharetta Town Green area at City Center, in front of City Hall, Alpharetta

Saturday-morning farmers market on the Alpharetta Town Green at City Center. The Alpharetta Business Association runs it. The 2026 season ends on November 14.

Add to calendar: Google Apple / Outlook (.ics)

Source: Alpharetta Farmers Market, checked 2026-10-19

Nov23Mon

Santa at Avalon

Organizer date for 2026
  • Nov 23 – Dec 24
  • November 23rd – December 24th. Sundays 10AM-6PM; Mondays 12PM-6PM; Tuesday-Thursday 12PM-8PM; Friday & Saturday 10AM-8PM; closed Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve 10AM-5PM (walk-ups only)
  • Santa's Cottage in Palmer Plaza, Avalon, Alpharetta

Santa takes photos at a North Pole-themed cottage in Avalon's Palmer Plaza through the holiday season. Appointments are recommended, and walk-ups are taken only if time allows. Pet portraits with Santa are offered on Tuesday evenings.

Add to calendar: Google Apple / Outlook (.ics)

Source: Experience Avalon, checked 2026-10-19

Dec5Sat

Breakfast with Santa at Avalon

Organizer date for 2026
  • Dec 5 – Dec 6
  • Saturday, December 5th: 8:00AM to 8:45AM & 9:15AM to 10AM (Chick-fil-A); Sunday, December 6th: 8:30AM to 10AM (Oak Steakhouse)
  • Chick-fil-A (Dec 5) and Oak Steakhouse (Dec 6), Avalon, Alpharetta

Ticketed breakfast with Santa and his elves at two Avalon restaurants over one December weekend. Tickets go on sale Thursday, November 5 at 10 a.m.

Add to calendar: Google Apple / Outlook (.ics)

Source: Experience Avalon, checked 2026-10-19

Every North Georgia event in the finder

How far is Alpharetta?

Drive times by road

TownAtlantaAlpharettaMariettaLawrencevilleAthensChattanooga
Alpharettaabout 36 min27 miabout 1 min0 miabout 36 min19 miabout 39 min22 miabout 1 h 29 min62 miabout 2 h 20 min110 mi

Computed 2026-10-19 with the OSRM router on OpenStreetMap data, town centre to town centre. free-flow driving time, no traffic

For downtown Alpharetta, the old seat of Milton County, read Downtown Alpharetta.

Towns near Alpharetta

Dates, times and rules can change. Each listing links the organizer or local government page it came from, with the date we checked it; confirm there before you go.

Layered blue ridges to the horizon beyond rhododendron and a forested slope
Photo: Thomson200, CC0 (cropped)

Living here

Day trips turning into a bigger idea? Talk to people who sell homes in North Georgia.

Gold Peach Realty is the North Georgia brokerage that publishes this journal. If a weekend in the mountain towns has you wondering what it would be like to live here, our agents will show you what is actually for sale, town by town.

Visit Gold Peach Realty Call Gold Peach Realty (770) 283-1223

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