Off-roading hotspot Durhamtown closes. The reason why remains unclear
Durhamtown, a massive off-road riding resort in Greene County highly popular with enthusiasts, has closed, its owner announced on the resort's Facebook page Tuesday.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce Durhamtown will be closed effective immediately. We appreciate each and every one of you over the years and your continued support,” wrote owner Mike McCommons of Union Point.
The announcement provoked widespread speculation on what prompted the decision.
Contacted Wednesday, McCommons declined to lift the veil over what has become a mystery for fans of Durhamtown.
However, McCommons later sent a text to the Athens Banner-Herald, saying, “You can write what you feel comfortable with, but I have been advised not to comment. Thanks, Mike.”
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Durhamtown, according to its website, is a 6,000-acre facility near Union Point providing dirt tracks for dirt bikes, ATVs, Jeeps, 4X4 vehicles and rock crawlers. The site has 14 tracks and 150 miles of trails, along with RV sites, cabins, camping areas and a pro shop which sells food and off-roading gear.
Whether the business that opened in 1991 would reopen under new ownership is unknown, although the decision spawned an enormous response on social media, where people speculated about that along with why it closed.
The closing occurred just days after Durhamtown hosted a New Year’s’ Eve party that included fireworks and a live band.
“We had such a good time. I didn’t see it coming,” Keith Flury, lead singer for the Dublin-based country-rock band Reckless Soul, said Wednesday.
“The place was packed. It was a great night and so much fun. I have no idea what is going on behind the scenes,” Flury said. The band has played Durhamtown several times for holiday events.
“It’s too nice a place for it not to exist. I don’t know if there’s anything in the country like it,” he said.
The off-road facility has been popular with riders from across Georgia and the Southeast, but the business has also encountered problems despite hosting thousands of off-roaders.
In 2019, a teenager and his parents were awarded nearly $15 million by a Greene County Superior Court jury in a lawsuit filed after an accident in 2014 when the teen was permanently injured when he crashed on one of the tracks.
Three people have died in recent years due to dirt-track crashes at the resort.
A 20-year-old Pennsylvania man was killed in March 2020 when his dirt bike wrecked, and in July 2020 a 51-year-old Lawrenceville man was killed when he crashed and hit a tree.
In September 2019, a Gwinnett County dentist was killed when his bike crashed.
The Focus, a social media site established by a media company located in England for out-of-work journalists who lost their jobs due to COVID-19, also reported about the closing for its international readers.
The headline read, “Why is Durhamtown Off Road Resort Closed?” But like other dispatches, the article could not provide an answer.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Durhamtown off-road facility in Union Point suddenly closes
