RURAL TOURISM: BEST PRACTICES. August 2018 Lake Charles, Louisiana

Transcription

1 RURAL TOURISM: BEST PRACTICES August 2018 Lake Charles, Louisiana

2 Country Living: Prettiest Small Towns Ligonier, PA (1,560): home to one of the oldest amusement parks; historic downtown has a bandstand at its center Frankenmuth, MI (4,898): Nicknamed Little Bavaria, the town boasts the world s largest Christmas store Leiper s Fork, TN (650): Revitalized downtown after the trains quit running in 1927 Maysville, KY (8,920): Important stop on the Underground Railroad, picturesque Ohio River City where Rosemary Clooney was born Rhinebeck, NY (2,636): Home to America s oldest operating inn and the Dutchess County Fairgrounds and Country Living Fair

3 Architectural Digest: Best Small Towns Jacksonville, OR (2,898): Gold rush town revitalized in 1960s is home to the Britt Music & Arts Festival, and heart of the Southern Oregon wine region Dahlonega, GA (6,049): Site of the first major gold rush in the U.S., now popular destination in North Georgia wine country Clinton, NJ (2,697): Signature Red Mill Museum (historic grist mill and iron bridge) on the banks of the Raritan River is popular film location Ste. Genevieve, MO (4,493): Missouri s oldest town with French Canadian roots features historic homes, French festivals, area wineries

4 Rural Tourism Success & Sustainability 3 Proven Strategies

5 1. FOCUS: Define and Own Who You Are

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9 Marfa, Texas

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18 2. BE THE HUB: Develop distinct ways to complement area attractions

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22 Ely, Minnesota

23 Tennessee Overhill Monroe, McMinn & Pike Counties Etowah Depot

24 Unicoi Turnpike Trail Oconee NF Byway Cherohala Skyway Farms, Fields & History Byway Bookends Two Rivers: One Ride Excursions by: - Motorcycle - Scenic Drives (auto) - Bicycle - Sailplane/Glider - Train, Railway - Zip Lines/ Canopy Tours

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27 Ludington, Michigan

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31 Farm/Art D Tour: Wormfarm Institute Reedsburg, WI

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36 3. Be the First, Best: Take time to create, innovate and enhance

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39 Literary and Writers Workshops Lecture Series Annual Book Festival One Book Two Book Children s Literature Festival Artists in Residence

40 Shelby, North Carolina

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44 Oh you ve got a story And I ve got a story We ve all got a story to tell

45 Swamp Gravy Georgia s Official Folklife Play Premiered in 1992; celebrates the people left behind More than 60 volunteers in cast Evening performance is collection of vignettes of local residents reminiscences 40,000 visitors annually to rural southwest GA town, population 2,000 Last five years have hosted annual how-to workshop, draws approximately 80 Founders also formed arts council, built 32 low income housing units, revolving loan fund, business incubator $7.5 million economic impact last year; more importantly, community pride and placemaking May 25, 2018 NPR Planet Money segment /viewpodcast?mt=2&id=

46 Six Lessons Learned 1. Success does not happen overnight 2. Have a plan and use it 3. Use research to understand trends, make marketfacing decisions 4. Listen to and engage all residents, stakeholders 5. Do not be afraid to risk or fail 6. Funding will come to good projects

47 Resources & References Rural Policy Research Institute: Our Town Case Studies: Citizens Institute on Rural Design: EPA s Local Foods, Local Places Toolkit Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks Guide Rural Placemaking: Making the Most of Creativity in your Community (Re) Building Downtown: A Guidebook for Revitalization The Role of the Cultural Arts in Post-Disaster Recovery Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning and Development Codes

48 If you build a place people want to visit, you build a place where people want to live. If you build a place where people want to live, you ll build a place where people want to work. If you build a place where people want to work, you ll build a place where business needs to be. And if you build a place where business has to be, you ll build a place where people have to visit. - Author Unknown

49 For more information: Cheryl Hargrove

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