Without promoting drinking on the streets in general, Visit Statesboro has launched a “Sip & Soar” campaign to highlight the fact that alcoholic beverages in paper or plastic cups can legally be taken outside of eating and drinking establishments in a limited, ordinance-defined area of downtown Statesboro, as long as rules are followed.

Nearly five years have passed since City Council approved the ordinance that makes this possible, and it took effect immediately, in July 2020. Visit Statesboro, the destination marketing organization long known as the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, issued a media release May 2, 2025, announcing the Sip & Soar initiative and including a map of the designated “open container area.” A bird in flight is part of Visit Statesboro’s logo, and the organization already used references to “soaring” in its marketing efforts.

“We just wanted to make it clear to everyone, and that’s one reason why we included the map,” Visit Statesboro President and CEO Becky Sanders told the Statesboro Herald. “We just want everyone to enjoy the benefits but also follow the rules.”

Its own webpage

In addition to issuing the map and media release and giving the initiative its own webpage, https://sipandsoar.com, Visit Statesboro is partnering with eating and drinking establishments in the open container area to provide them with “exclusive, custom-designed to-go cups.” The cups feature original artwork by Murphy McRae, Visit Statesboro’s visitor center manager, whom Sanders called “an amazing graphic artist,” with tiny sketches of the participating establishments’ exteriors, plus a QR code to sipandsoar.com.

These cups are optional and “purely for fun,” but are also meant to “help ensure that everyone, from locals to visitors, knows exactly how to enjoy the open container area safely and responsibly,” the release stated.

Key rules of the zone

 ● No Glass or Aluminum Beverage Containers: Only paper or plastic cups are allowed.

● Container Size: The cup must be 20 ounces or less.

● Age Requirement: Of course, people must be 21 years or older to drink or be served alcoholic beverages.

● No-Go Area: The Bulloch County Courthouse and its grounds, being county property, are not part of the city’s open-container area, and drinking alcoholic beverages is prohibited on the courthouse grounds.

That last point may be important for people to bear in mind during special events such as the city-sponsored Downtown Live concerts, when eating and drinking establishments in the area may be serving adult beverages, but there’s more of a family atmosphere near the courthouse.

Also, as was pointed out five years ago when the city “open container exemption zone” ordinance amendment was adopted, the Georgia law prohibiting possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in the passenger area of a motor vehicle remains in effect in the city’s zone, as does, of course, the law against driving under the influence. Being a pedestrian under the influence is also a state law violation if a person’s behavior threatens the safety of others or occurs in a roadway.

The city ordinance section, 6-17(k), also restricts establishments in the zone from selling more than one alcoholic beverage in a to-go cup per person age 21 and up.

Visit Statesboro  has included the text of the ordinance section on the sipandsoar.com site.

That site also gives these landmarks for the open container zone’s boundaries:

• To the South you should turn back before you pass the Methodist Church.
• To the West don’t wander too far past the Post Office.
• Walking to the North you should stop just beyond the Bulloch County Courthouse.
• To the East you can walk to Eagle Creek Brewery and the Boro Art Park, but not beyond.

Sanders noted that another organization, the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority, led in advocating for the ordinance amendment’s passage.

“Their leadership has helped ensure the open-container area enriches downtown’s welcoming atmosphere while preserving a safe, family-friendly environment,” she said.

The release also quoted Justin Samples, Visit Statesboro’s vice president of marketing.

 “We are thrilled to highlight this unique city ordinance and invite everyone to experience downtown Statesboro in a unique and exciting new way,” he said. “The Sip & Soar campaign not only educates our community about the open container area but also supports our local businesses, encouraging a lively, safe, and enjoyable downtown atmosphere.”