Inside Perry, Georgia
Inside Perry, Georgia
Sip And Stroll Through Historic Downtown Perry
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A spring Friday in Downtown Perry has a way of slowing you down, from the glow of the lights in the trees to the energy of people enjoying the evening together. That atmosphere is exactly what makes the Historic Downtown Perry Wine Tasting such a standout event, and in this episode, we’re sharing what makes it a favorite year after year!
We're joined by Downtown Manager Alicia Hartley to walk through the full experience: how the tasting works, what you’ll see as you sip and stroll, and why the night feels elevated without being overwhelming. We also talk about what makes this event different from other downtown festivals. The focus stays on Downtown Perry businesses instead of being vendor-heavy, and that means extended shopping hours, restaurant specials, and a chance to discover storefronts you might not normally catch during the usual workweek.
We dig into the bigger story too: how this wine tasting grew from a small merchant-led fundraiser into a signature Main Street event that can raise tens of thousands of dollars to reinvest in downtown placemaking and beautification. Alicia shares examples of projects these funds support, plus what’s new with the VIP ticket option, including the VIP lounge, faster check-in, restrooms, and light bites. We also cover how to buy tickets safely online, what to watch for with scams, and where to find official links.
Purchase tickets to the 2026 Historic Downtown Perry Spring Wine Tasting by clicking here.
Alicia Hartley can be reached at alicia.hartley@perry-ga.gov
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Welcome To Inside Perry
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the Inside Perry Podcast, where you get an inside look at Perry, Georgia's local government. We're glad you chose Perry, where people make the difference. Whether you stay a few hours or a lifetime, your time in Perry will be rewarding and unforgettable. I'm Tabitha Clark, Communications Director for the City of Perry.
What The Wine Tasting Is
SPEAKER_01Welcome back to the Inside Perry Podcast, where we like to keep you connected to everything happening here in the City of Perry. Today we're talking about one of downtown's most anticipated events of the year, especially for me, the historic downtown Perry wine tasting. And that's happening this Friday, April 17th, beginning at 5 p.m. So if you're looking for a fun night out with friends, this is definitely one you'll want to have on your calendar. And here to discuss this event with me is our downtown manager, Alicia Hartley. So thanks for being here, Alicia.
SPEAKER_02Happy to be here. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01So this event is really all about slowing down and enjoying the charm and the offerings of our historic downtown. For this event, ticket holders get to sip a variety of wines at participating downtown locations. But in my opinion, it offers, you know, much more than just that. So Alicia, for someone who's never been to the downtown Perry wine tasting before, how would you describe the overall experience and you know tell us a little bit about what they can expect?
SPEAKER_02What we really try to offer in the downtown Perry wine tasting is an elevated experience in historic downtown Perry. Just as you mentioned, it's an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the charm of what all downtown Perry offers from our brick sidewalks to our landscape planterns, and it's in springtime, so things are in bloom and things are turning really green. Um, and then of course, also our downtown businesses that offer extended shopping hours. So this is also another opportunity to enjoy all of the business offerings, the restaurant offerings, specials that are offered for street food options from some of our restaurants. And then we make sure that we hang up the beautiful twinkling lights on the like the Edison bulbs in the middle of the Carroll Street. So it really adds that elevated ambiance that you get already from downtown, but in a little bit of a different environment where the streets are closed. Um, you have this wide space to kind of slow down stand in historic downtown Perry and just take it all in.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So one of the things I love most about this event also is its evolution that it's seen. The downtown Perry wine tasting started as a small fundraiser more than I believe 10 years ago. And it has grown into a signature event for downtown. And not only that, but all of the proceeds go directly back into our downtown through those projects led by the Main Street Advisory Board. So can you talk a little bit more about how this event started and how those funds are used to make an impact in our downtown?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, of course. So before our Perry Main Street program was an accredited program by the state Georgia Main Street Center and then the National Main Street Center, we had a local merchants association who was here doing a lot of that promotion, the fundraising efforts, the activities, and then hosting the events to get more people into downtown Perry. So it started off as a small event hosted by our downtown merchants here in the city. And it started off offering about a hundred tickets, from what I've been told, where where they were doing all the ticket sales themselves, like each business. You could only buy tickets from the businesses directly. They were like paper tickets, like and then now we're up, we've maxed out before selling 500 tickets. Right. So, really, over the past 10 plus years of of hearing the reports from our businesses that have been around since the conception of this event, they've seen a lot of growth. They've seen a lot of expansion of the offerings for the event. Um, and then continuously each year when we host this event, and from all the ticket proceeds we sell and the sponsorships that support this event, we are able to move forward and do our projects in downtown, such as placemaking projects, beautification improvements. Um, so some of those projects that you've probably seen on the street before walking around downtown include the beautification of the Ball Street Alley that goes between Massey Gordon and Soul Shoe. That was a project from Main Street that used these types of funds. And then additionally, and most recently, the speakers that were installed downtown. That was a major investment that probably took two and a half years of fundraised event dollars to be invested into this project.
SPEAKER_01Um speaking of, yes, I, Alicia, I love those speakers. They add the ambiance. It really does. It is, it feels like, and I feel like everybody says this a lot about our downtown already, but it really does make you feel like you're in a hallmark movie. Yes. Those speakers do such an excellent job at that extra ambiance. Exactly.
SPEAKER_02And that's that's what we strive to offer is that sense of place that you feel that warm and fuzzy feeling when you're walking down the brick sidewalks. And so anything, any types of projects like that that we can continue to improve on and build upon to make visitors and customers feel welcome and special in downtown is what the wine tasting can offer for our future projects.
Why The Event Keeps Growing
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of that growth, obviously this event has come a very long way. So, from your perspective, and we kind of touched on this a little bit, what has the growth of this event looked like over the past 10 years? And what exactly do you think has contributed to the success of this event?
How Businesses Benefit Without Tickets
SPEAKER_02So, like I said, the the really the growth is the amount of tickets that are able to be sold and the capacity for our business growth too. Our businesses have grown, so we're able to have more participating wine stops that want to participate in this event annually. And then as well as our volunteer base, we have a really strong promotions committee of volunteers that that help to build that up. And that contributes to the success because with our seven board members that also own and operate downtown businesses for the most part that are participating in this event, they can't also volunteer. So we turn to some other volunteers and in other partnering departments and and support like Visit Perry to help us staff this event. So volunteers, a growing business base, and then supporting partnerships has really contributed to the success of this event. And then at the end of the day, the the customers and the visitors that are demanding this event, because if they continue to buy tickets, we'll continue to offer it. Yeah. If it's working for our downtown businesses and for the customers that are wanting to experience this, we will continue to offer it at the highest caliber that we can.
SPEAKER_01And another big piece of this event, like you said, is the direct impact on our, you know, our wonderful downtown businesses. So how does the wine tasting directly help support them and showcase them?
SPEAKER_02So during the downtown wine tasting, usually all of our retail businesses that have the capacity to stay open late do. And I would say that's the majority of them. So whether they are participating as a participating wine stop or some of them participate as now non-alcoholic beverage stops, offering lemonade, sparkling water, flavored waters and snacks and things like that, they're all open for business. So if you can't get to downtown on a regular weekday or weekend between, you know, their typical hours of 10 to 5, this is an opportunity to come check out what all downtown Perry has to offer on the retail front. So it supports them because people are still shopping late. Browsing, it brings new customers that might not have experienced downtown before into their storefront or onto the sidewalk in front of their storefront. So it's all about promotion too of our entire downtown district and all the business offerings within.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. And I think one thing to note here is that of course we want everyone to experience the downtown wine tasting, but let's say you don't have a ticket, you can still come into the footprint during this event and experience the shoplate hours of our downtown businesses.
SPEAKER_02The extended shopping hours are open to anyone. Restaurants are still open to anyone, ticket holder or not. We don't close the streets and say you won't you have to have a ticket to enter. That's not that's not the motto or or the idea at all. We want downtown to be open to everybody all the time, including when we have ticketed events, the tickets needed to experience the tasting part and that elevated experience.
The Atmosphere And Event Feel
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of that elevated experience, let's talk a little bit about the atmosphere that ticket holders will get to experience. If you've never been to the downtown wine tasting before, the atmosphere is something that really sets this event apart from other events that happen downtown. In my opinion, it's truly a sip, saver, and stroll kind of evening, which we kind of touched on earlier. So, what do you think makes the atmosphere of this event so unique compared to other events?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I would definitely say that it it operates a bit of a slower pace. We are very diligent in this event that the goal of this event is to support historic downtown period. Right. So we don't have a lot of third-party or external vendors that come in and set up. We are prioritizing our businesses here within the downtown district with a couple event center or theme-centered events, such as a couple visiting wineries that add to the overall thematic elements of the event. But otherwise, all the businesses that you'll interact with on the streets or the vendors are all downtown peri businesses. So that's our number one priority is to support them through that. So it's not vendor heavy. Um, and then also we usually see anywhere from like 2,000 to 2,500 people at this event. So while it's one of our larger signature events that the Main Street Advisory Board and the Promotions Committee host, it's not massive by any means. Right. So it's not overly crowded, but you still get that feeling of a lively downtown without overly extra crowds, if that makes sense.
SPEAKER_01Um certainly not overwhelming in any way.
SPEAKER_02No, it's not overwhelming, it's not over stimulating. You can still enjoy everything, all the experiences that are there, but also know that you're somewhere special at the same time for a new experience. And then, of course, as we touched on earlier, the string lights, you know, the sun sets later, so the trees are wrapped, so we get a beautiful sunset. The streets come to life during nightlife with the wrap trees and the lighting and stuff like that. So there's just a something different about the downtown fairy wine tasting than some other events that are hosted in downtown.
SPEAKER_01Right. And as far as I know, we're supposed to have pretty good weather this Friday night.
SPEAKER_02It's supposed to be clear and pretty.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it might be a little warm, but kind of the perfect way to kick off spring.
SPEAKER_02I think it'll be a perfect spring night. 100%.
VIP Tickets And What You Get
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Okay, so let's talk about the VIP experience. So obviously, we have general admission tickets, but we also offer a VIP experience to this event. And it does add an extra layer to the guest experience. So if you're looking to elevate your night a just a little bit, that's definitely something you want to consider. So can you share exactly what's included in that VIP experience, Alicia? Sure.
SPEAKER_02So we brought on a VIP ticket. This will be our third year offering a VIP ticketed experience for the wine tasting. As we mentioned earlier, this event's been going on for 10 years. We wanted to be able to offer those loyal patrons that have been attending annually something different that they can add to their experience if they want to try something different, but still do all of the tastings, enjoy the extended shopping hours. So, included with the VIP experience is access to a VIP lounge, which this year is at the patio on Carroll at 901 Carroll Street. And then if you have a VIP ticket, you get to skip the general admission align and check right in. So we only offer about a hundred VIP tickets when overall the event has the capacity for 500. So you get to go to a shorter line still and get started on your tastings a little bit quicker with a quicker check-in process. And then additionally, while at the patio on Carroll, you'll have access to restrooms that are on site located at the center of the event. Um, and then also light bites throughout the evening. This year, those light bites are provided but with bodega brew. Um, so you get to have a home base, you can use the restroom, lounge a little bit, meet up with your friends, get a snack, and then go back out on your way for tasting. Yeah. Um it's worth it to me. I mean, yeah, it is. It's an$85 ticket, but I mean you get full plumbing restrooms, you get a place to take a breather, to a home base to return to, and then a snack, of course, along along the way for your evening. Yeah. Um, so that's most definitely a reason to upgrade your ticket. If you've been participating in the wine tasting before, try this out this year. And I don't think you'll go back to a general admission ticket.
Tickets Buying Tips And Scam Warnings
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Some good news. Uh, there are still a limited number of tickets available for this Friday. We are coming up on the event pretty fast. It's just a couple of days away, but we do have tickets left. So if you're interested in attending, we recommend grabbing those as soon as possible, you know, before they sell out. Can you tell us a little bit more about where exactly people can go to purchase the general admission or VIP experience tickets?
SPEAKER_02Of course. So all of our tickets are available online through Ticket Sign Up. That's our ticketing platform that we've been using the past couple of years. It's great and efficient. And so that link can be found on the city's website or on the historic downtown Perry Facebook page as well, either in the event or on the general feed page as we've posted about the event recently. Go there to buy your tickets. If tickets are still available on Friday afternoon, we will have a QR code at the general admission check-in table located on the City Hall lawn where you can purchase tickets on site by scanning that QR code pending availability, of course. All ticket transactions are done online and be wary of anyone that's trying to scam or sell their tickets. Like if you're not sure, send us an email here at the city and we can verify a ticket status or get you that secure ticket link.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And we'll have the purchase tickets link in the show notes as well as your email address. Should anybody have any of those questions.
SPEAKER_02It's always safe to check then than to do a sketchy transaction online.
Awards Impact And Final Invite
SPEAKER_01Exactly. So, Alicia, while this is an annual event, this event has recently won some awards in other accolades. So tell us a little bit about that.
SPEAKER_02Yes, so it's been about two or three years now, but we did receive an award from the Georgia Downtown Association at their annual conference for premier special event for the downtown Perry wine tasting and the impact that it's had on historic downtown Perry and the abilities that it's given our Main Street Advisory Board as far as being able to reinvest those funds into our community. So, like I said, we've raised anywhere from$18,000 to$20,000 when we have a great sellout of an event. And all that investment is put right back into downtown. And so we're kind of a case study for a fundraising event across the state of Georgia by receiving that award and that accolade from the Georgia Downtown Association, really putting us on the map as a premiere special event for downtown.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's great.
SPEAKER_02Thank you.
SPEAKER_01All right, so grab your friends, make your plans, and get ready to sip and stroll through historic downtown Perry this Friday, April 17th from 5 to 8 p.m. It's a great way to support local businesses, enjoy a beautiful spring evening, and be part of a tradition that continues to grow year after year. So thanks for chatting with me, Alicia.
SPEAKER_00Of course, happy to be here. Thank you. Thanks for listening to the Inside Perry Podcast, your inside look at Perry's local government. Take a look at the show notes for more information about today's episode. If you like Inside Perry, we encourage you to subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you around in our amazing community where Georgia comes together.