Becky Holland
AMERICUS — Most people have heard the old proverb, “The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence.”
Yet, most people don’t know that the quote doesn’t end there.
But Melanie Grace, executive director, Americus-Sumter County Tourism Council, does, in a way.
Before we can expect others to come into our community and to assist the local economy, Grace explained, “We really need to become tourists in our own hometown.”
She continued, “I know of people who have never even been out to the Boyhood Farm in Archery or visited the Andersonville Historic Site, and these people live here.”
From January of this year, until the end of April, over 1,291 people visited the Welcome Center, located in downtown Americus, while in 2008, 1,163 during the same period visited.
There were two toll free inquiries, and in 2004, there were four. Over 2,294 e-mails— all inquiries regarding places to visit and things to do in Americus/Sumter — have come through Grace’s office during the first part of this year. Total inquiries for 2009 to date have been 10,675. Registered visitors in Sumter County are: Chamber of Commerce 1,053; Habitat for Humanity International, 3,200; Andersonville National Historical Site, 41,704; Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, 24,327; and the SAM Shortline, 6,365.
Grace, who came to Americus from Virginia because of her “other half. He had a job in Rome, Ga., and when that finished, found a job here.” And this is where she has been, and has served with the Tourism Council since 2000.
“The people are extremely friendly here,” said Grace of one of the main appealing qualities of the community, and then “of course, we have two extremely big draws ... two National Historic Sites within 20 miles of each other, and of course, Habitat for Humanity and the SAM Excursion Trainline, which is a real draw, especially for grandparents and their grandchildren.
“Tourism is hard to define, and it is hard for people to understand, because there really is no quick definition ... especially since we cover a sparse area, and we are not all under the same roof, so to speak,” Grace said.
“We have leisure tourists, and those are the families, and singles, and then there are business tourists, and during the tornado, we had ‘voluntourism,’ which is when tourists come to do some sort of project.
“The architecture is a big thing for us as well ... of our buildings downtown and the historic significance is very important ... in the design. Our driving tour, which a lot of locals are not aware of, is popular.”
According to Grace, there is plenty to do for locals and non-locals, and as a regional welcome center, Grace and her staff offer a number of resources for the area, including little trinkets and gifts for sale, and for surrounding areas with points of interest in Georgia.
So, when you start looking at the “grass on the other side of the fence,” or looking for something to do over the summer, stop by the Welcome Center in downtown Americus at the Windsor Hotel. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday- Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
