Environmental and Heritage Center

Please remember that certain park facilities and amenities remain closed to keep us all safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Failure to comply with any order, rule, or regulation made effective by the Chairman upon or after a declaration of an emergency constitutes a misdemeanor violation punishable by fine of up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment up to 60 days.

The Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center is a unique partnership between the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, the Gwinnett County Board of Education, the University of Georgia, and the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center Foundation.

The center is used as a multi-use history, culture, heritage, and environment facility. Located on a 233 wooded acres near the Mall of Georgia, the center features interactive exhibits, walking trails and greenways, unique rental spaces, gift shop, and is a model of innovative green building techniques.

The center was Gwinnett County’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified green building and has one of the nation’s largest, sloped, vegetated roofs.

Public Hours M, W, F, Sa – 9:00am to 4:00pm TU, TH – 9:00am to 8:00pm Closed on Sunday

Trail Hours dawn to dusk Office Hours Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm

The Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center is open to the public with free admission.

Admission for field studies and educational programs vary. For details, call 678.765.4680.

Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center
2020 Clean Water Drive
Buford, GA  30519
Phone:  770.904.3500
Fax:  770.932.3041

From I-85
Take Exit 115 towards Lawrenceville/Buford; keep left/west at the fork in the ramp toward Buford. Go 2.35 miles on Buford Drive (GA Hwy 20) to Plunketts Road. Turn left on Plunketts Road and go 1.59 miles. The GEHC entrance at Clean Water Drive will be on the left.  

From I-985
Take Exit 4 toward Buford/Cumming. Turn right/east on Buford Drive (GA Hwy 20) toward Lawrenceville. Go.36 miles on Buford Drive to Plunketts Road. Turn right on Plunketts Road and go 1.6 miles. The GEHC entrance at Clean Water Drive will be on the left.

From Satellite Boulevard
Take Satellite Boulevard North to Woodward Mill Road. Turn right on Woodward Mill Road, Just after the bridge, Woodward Mill Road makes a sharp left and becomes Plunketts Road. Go .24 miles on Plunketts Road. The GEHC entrance at Clean Water Drive will be on the right.

The mission of the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center is to serve as a recreational catalyst for inspiring and engaging community involvement in educating Gwinnett’s students to solve tomorrow’s environmental challenges; promoting sustainable development practices and utilizing new technologies to preserve the future health of our water resources; enhancing the appreciation of Gwinnett’s natural resources; and presenting the interaction and interrelationships of lifestyles and cultures, past, present, and future, as they relate to the living world around us.

The vision of the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center is to:

• Develop an exemplary, high-tech cultural center known for hands-on science exhibits and quality educational programming that inspires visitors to become better stewards of our environment
• To transform the concepts of science and history into interactive, learn-by-doing experiences that will encourage a visitor’s natural curiosity and sense of wonder about themselves and the world around them.