Is the price of gas eating into your summer plans? The economy woes making you watch every penny?

Maybe it's time to look around and find some fun close to home.

Gwinnett's numerous communities offer a variety of places to shop, dine or just visit ... only miles down the road.

For instance, did you know that Money Magazine named Suwanee one of the best places in the country to live? Or that Lawrenceville has lots of new restaurants and shopping establishments on the square downtown?

Berkeley Lake has a tree canopy so lush that it was chosen by the U.S. Forestry Service as the site to train arborists and foresters. And downtown Lilburn has something so sweet to eat, it often grinds traffic to a halt during lunchtime.

Come take a look-see.

LILBURN

> Population: 11,167

> Web site: www.cityoflilburn.com

> Downtown Lilburn is getting a face-lift. Nearly $4 million in construction improvements are being made in Old Town Lilburn. About $2 million of that money was spent on a project that will give downtown Lilburn a new look. Crews have buried gawky utility lines to give the quaint streets a clean look. Decorative lighting, benches and signs are being added to complete the decor. One of the main draws in downtown Lilburn is the strawberry cake served up in healthy slices at the Blue Rooster Cafe, where the traffic gets gridlocked around noon. On good days, the lunch crowd lingers. Some trickle into shops nearby. Thousands of people have come to see the new BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, the largest Hindu temple of its kind in the United States. The $19 million mandir, on Rockbridge Road, is the fourth traditional BAPS community temple in North America.

DULUTH

> Population: 24,482

> Web site: www.duluth-ga.com

> With the opening of a $13 million City Hall with a 100-foot clock tower, soaring atrium and mural of notable landmarks, Duluth is at a high point in the redevelopment of the old downtown. City Hall sits on a hill that looks out across the Town Green, with its amphitheater and fountain, toward the old City Hall and history museum.

BERKELEY LAKE

> Population: 2,071

> Web site: www.berkeley-lake.ga.us

> Its tree canopy is so lush, on both city streets and its urban forest, that Berkeley Lake was chosen by the U.S. Forestry Service to train arborists and foresters on new i-Tree software. But that doesn't mean the city's stuck in time: It's nearly ready to replace the old bait shack that has served as City Hall with a new building across Lakeshore Drive from the city's beloved 88-acre lake. In the spirit of its live-green vibe, in 2007 Berkeley Lake was named "2006 Recycler of the Year" by Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful.

DACULA

> Population: 4,425

> Web site: www.daculaga.gov

> Dacula is still a little town in eastern Gwinnett surrounded by big changes. The actual city population of Dacula is under 5,000 —- which still represents tremendous growth through the years —- but the real expansion has been in the residential subdivisions and commercial property around it. Hog Mountain north of the city has Hamilton Mill's 2,500 homes, while dozens of smaller developments dot the roads closer to Lawrenceville. According to local historians, Dr. Samuel Freeman of Walton County settled Dacula. He developed a cure for pellagra, a disease with symptoms that included sores, diarrhea and dementia. Two cultural institutions dominate the town: Dacula High School and Hebron Baptist Church, each a stone's throw from the other and the city's historic commercial area near the railroad tracks.

GRAYSON

> Population: 1,389

> Web site: www.cityofgrayson.org

> Grayson is a bedroom community with room to grow. There is only one city park and three municipal employees. But town leaders have big plans. Grayson has been awarded a $368,000 grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation that the city will use to build a grand entranceway with lush landscaping at the intersection of Ga. 20 and Rosebud Road. The funds also will pay for sidewalks, pedestrian lights and other improvements along Grayson streets. City leaders hope their investment in improving downtown will pay off by attracting more commercial and residential property owners to the tax rolls.

BUFORD

> Population: 10,972

> Web site: ww.cityofbuford.com

> When most of Gwinnett was farmland, Buford was a working city with good-paying jobs in the leather manufacturing enterprise owned by the Bona Allen family. The factories have closed, but some aspects of Buford haven't changed. Like a doting parent, Buford has carefully nurtured its independent school system, which offers great resources and produces both scholars and athletes. The city's renovated Main Street offers offices, shops, restaurants and antique shops. Work is almost finished on the city's first mixed-use development on Buford Highway and Hamilton Mill Road. Buford was named by CNNMoney.com as the third-best place in the country to live and launch a business.

NORCROSS

> Population: 9,887

> Web site: www.norcrossga.net

> Having spent years debating which way to go in redeveloping its historic downtown, Norcross is moving forward this year with an ambitious renovation. It's turning an old baseball field into a glitzy new town center ringed by restaurants, shops and housing and improving its connection to the thriving international boulevard of Buford Highway, a block away. An upscale development of townhomes over retail space is going in at College and Cemetery streets. They were designed by architect Robert Forro, the first developer to build new housing in classic architectural styles in the downtown area.

SUGAR HILL

> Population: 17,000

> Web site: www.cityofsugarhill.com

> In the coming years, Sugar Hill hopes to be a regional recreation destination. It wants to be the site for tournaments of all sorts. The city has improved E.E. Robinson Park and started working on Gary Pirkle Park. In response to citizen wishes, Broad Street is turning into its new downtown, with wide sidewalks and streetscapes. Sugar Hill is one of Gwinnett's fastest-growing cities, and is becoming more diverse, with almost 10 percent of its residents born outside the United States.

LOGANVILLE

> Population: 8,018

> Web site: www.loganville-ga.gov

> Loganville is a city at a crossroads. While some city leaders fight to maintain the community's small-town values, others are pushing for change. They want the city to be a place neighbors can raise children and still enjoy a meal and a cocktail at a chic restaurant. In 2007, residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of the sale of liquor by the drink to help spur economic development in Loganville, and now business is returning to the city. Loganville Crossing, a new shopping plaza under construction, has restaurants competing to be tenants. The 260,000-square-foot plaza, built at U.S. 78 and Ga. 81, will include a Kroger and other businesses.

BRASELTON

> Population: 3,000

> Web site: www.braselton.net

> Like a child playing Twister, Braselton touches Gwinnett, Barrow, Jackson and Hall counties. Whatever you do, don't call Braselton, home to Chateau Elan and Resort, a city. It's a town, a place that welcomes newcomers and where neighbors know each other. A downtown revitalization master plan will make sure new public buildings fit in with Braselton's distinctive architectural styles. A spacious new library has attracted a lot of supporters who sponsor regular cultural and literary events.

LAWRENCEVILLE

> Population: 28,393

> Web site: www.lawrencevillega.org

> With the opening of the Aurora Theatre last year, the city has continued its mission to reinvent itself as a contemporary center for the arts and culture in Gwinnett. The theater is seen as the centerpiece of the city's effort to change the face of the county seat and transform its once slow-paced square into an entertainment district. With both the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center and the newly-established Georgia Gwinnett College a few miles away, business leaders hope the city's square can become a crossroads for students and people working at the county seat. Developer Emory Morsberger owns much of the property around the city's historic center, and has been actively recruiting new restaurants and upscale shopping establishments, like McCray's Tavern on the Square and the Lil' River Grill. Right now, the square is a mixture of eclectic businesses, from karaoke coffeehouse The Singin' Bean to Yo Jo's Comics.

SNELLVILLE

> Population: 18,295

> Web site: www.snellville.org

> Snellville is a city looking for a competitive edge. City leaders are working to broaden Snellville's image so it not only attracts families looking for a safe neighborhood to raise kids. Snellville also wants to attract senior citizens. The Orchards development, which has been bitterly contested by neighbors in the Brookwood Schools cluster, is the first 55-and-over community approved under Snellville's new senior housing ordinance passed in January 2007. The development will include attached homes and a community recreation center. A similar project, the Eastside Campus Village, a 45-acre campus, has been approved for development on Tree Lane near Emory Eastside Medical Center. The proposed development will feature medical offices and 726 units of housing for those living independently or in need of assisted living and nursing care.

SUWANEE

> Population: 16,000

> Web site: www.suwanee.com

> Unlike other communities, Suwanee actually implements the plans it creates. Like a methodical honors student, Suwanee proudly checks off its many accomplishments of the past five years, including increasing open space and parks, opening Town Center and linking everything together with trails that will soon go under the railroad line running through the old part of town. The city received a boost when Money Magazine named it one of the best places to live —- though many of the city's mostly young, upscale residents have thought that for years. The city's current focus is on the area at Lawrenceville Suwanee Road and I-85, known as Suwanee Gateway, where a huge, mixed-use development is taking shape.

 Map of Gwinnett County