Liberty County launches first restaurant week to boost tourism

by Augostina Mallous

HINESVILLE, Ga. (WTOC) - Liberty County is hosting its first restaurant week as the area seeks to draw tourists.

Taste and Travel Week runs May 3 through May 9 and features 16 local restaurants.

The county sits between Savannah, which drew nearly 13 million visitors and $4.1 billion in spending in 2024, and the Golden Isles.

Local restaurant highlights authentic cuisine

Zum Rosenhof, an authentic German restaurant in Hinesville, has been serving authentic cuisine since 2006. Owner Anka Hinze said everything is made in-house.

“We make everything in-house. We make our own noodles. It’s not prepackaged and finished and we just cook it. No, we literally, we make it. I mean, the rouladen, we cut our own meat. We spice it. We roll it. We bake it,” Hinze said.

The restaurant also operates a German grocery store next door stocked with imported goods from Europe.

Jeffrey Andrews, superintendent of the Georgia National Guard, said the restaurant recreates an authentic experience.

“All of us have been to Germany many times, and this is like just being right back in Germany,” Andrews said.

Leah Poole, president of the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce, said the restaurant week aims to not only draw in locals and tourists, but also to encourage more dining options downtown.

“It just builds synergy. One restaurant, two bars, three restaurants, four bars, and everything builds,” Poole said.

Hinze said the restaurant focuses on creating a welcoming atmosphere.

“We are not the restaurant where you just sit and eat. We are the restaurant where you sit and eat and you talk for hours,” Hinze said.