 |
| ||||||
Text Size 
• Email • Printer Friendly
|
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:44 AM Tourism shows off its new digs By Laura Keeter | Times Staff Writer Clay Yeager finally found the Wilson Visitors Bureau, but only because it was at its new location. The delivery driver from Perce Auto Group, based in Richmond, Va., said he'd searched for the downtown office before but could never find it. On Tuesday, he said he was coming in at the interchange of U.S. 264 and Interstate 95 and saw the new office with the lettering "Visitors Center" in a row of shops behind Burger King. Yeager walked in to get a map of Wilson. "We deliver down here, and I just need a map of the downtown businesses so we can find streets and businesses better than the state map we have," Yeager said. "I just happened to see it was open and turned around and came back." The new office space opened this week and is now furnished with antiques from local antique dealers, an Oriental rug over laminate flooring, plants, art work by local artists, large brochure rack, computer/phone station and a television that shows a looping video of Wilson. An informational desk is being built. On Monday, two billboards on I-95 were changed to advertise the new visitor's center. One ad is an extension on a board at Exit 107 before Kenly. The other is at mile marker 157 headed south on half of a board shared with the North Carolina Baseball Museum. Perhaps by the weekend, DOT will have directional signs up on the ramps. For this to happen, the Visitors Center had to agree to make water available to visitors. Sandra Homes, tourism director, said the center will offer guests free plastic water bottles with Wilson promotional labels. The Visitors Center has a main room, office, a kitchen and restrooms. On Tuesday, the monthly board meeting was held at the Visitors Center for the center's overseeing group, the Wilson County Tourism Development Authority. Now, Tourism has two offices -- the one at the interchange and a small loft at the Arts Center of Wilson that's been in existence for the last 11 years. The board planned to use both, but Homes on Tuesday suggested closing the downtown office and using the $3,600 annual rent toward the interchange space to finish out the second floor. She envisioned creating a stairwell to lead up to office and board room space upstairs. Homes said from a security standpoint, she would feel more comfortable having two people in the office. This summer, the board hired Rosemary Mallory as an executive assistant to Homes. The plan was for Mallory to staff the downtown office and for Homes to be at the interchange. However, Tourism could leave their brochures in the Arts Council and staff there could help the visitors who are mostly people coming off the Amtrak train, Homes said. The downtown visitors center averages about 15 to 20 visitors a day. Board member John Byrd asked how many visitor centers Raleigh has, and Homes answered the city has one. "They're a lot bigger than we are," Byrd said. He suggested the best way to utilize manpower and resources would be to focus on one location. "I would say the majority of visitors are coming off the freeway, not the train," said Mary Powell, board member. Bobby Boykin, chairman, suggested the group not act hastily. He also suggested if traffic is good at the interchange, perhaps that center could be open on the weekends, because that's when many tourists are traveling. The shopping center at the interchange -- called Shoppes at Southern Village -- will have three other shops. Java Dogs and Smokers Palace are still working on their spaces, and another space is available for lease. keeter@wilsontimes.com | 265-7817 |
| Add Comment: | |  | | (All comments must be approved) |
| View Comments: | | | | (0 comments) |
Most Popular
 |
 |
 |
