INC NEWS - Durham Visitors Guide -- Check it out for Free

[Shelly Green]

Thanks for the plug, Melissa...and the compliments as well as
suggestions.  We are always glad for feedback of any kind.

Melissa wrote to me earlier today with these suggestions to which I
replied, but thought everyone might benefit from the answers.  

We're in the process of designing the new guide as we speak.  I agree
there should be more exposure for Kids, and we are already discussing
this.  Our challenge has always been deciding on what to include and
what to refer people to the website for for more information since there
are some limitations on how much we can include in a 60-page guide.  

Major Parks and Nature Places are on page 21, with info on where to find
ALL the parks. We've also got suggested itineraries on the website, but
we should spell that out better.

Regarding #2, we have a pull out map that is inserted into the guide
that has most of the primary features and sites shown.  I'm not sure if
this was somehow pulled out of the guide she received.

The new Guide is in production now and will come out in March.  If
anyone else has feedback, please feel free to provide it to me at
shelly at durham-cvb.com.  We always welcome these kind of helpful
suggestions.




-----Original Message-----
From: inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org [mailto:inc-list-bounces at rtpnet.org]
On Behalf Of Melissa Rooney
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:13 AM
To: inc-list at rtpnet.org
Subject: INC NEWS - Durham Visitors Guide -- Check it out for Free

Hi everyone. On a less controversial note, I think
that everyone who hasn't already done so should use
the following link to request a Durham Visitors Guide.

http://www.durham-nc.com/visitors/visitors_info.php

It is more than a pamphlet -- more like a
magazine...chock full of reasons to visit (and love)
Durham.

That said, I personally think there is much room for
improvement. Below are my suggestions, if you're
interested.

I think it would be GREAT for the INC to put a list of
suggested improvements together for the DVCB. They've
done a great job, but there is room for improvement.
Below are my suggestions, if you're interested:

The visitors guide seems to be geered toward adults. I
think Durham is an IDEAL location for a long weekend
with the kids.  

1) So, as in all the other visitor's guides I've
seen/used, there should really be a THINGS TO DO WITH
KIDS section (with the title in big bold letters).
Right now the Museum of Life and Science is listed
under  the 'nature and science places,' which may not
be a section that a parent with preschool children
would skim. There should also be a more prominent
listing of all the bigger parks/playgrounds in Durham,
Trinity Park, Forest Hills Park, Indian Trail Park,
Duke Park -- in fact, I think there should be a whole
page dedicated to this, with photos -- of that great
slide Tower in Duke Park, for instance. I know people
in Martinsville, VA, where I'm from, would love to
visit a playground like that. The carousel at
Northgate mall and Wheels on Hoover Road are also
great places to take kids -- but they are a little
lost under the ubiquitous section entitled 'other
amusements.' And The Eno River hikes should be
included in the THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS section (at
least as 'see page 10 or whatever'), as there are many
easy hikes (at the section off Cole Mill Road) that
I've done with my kids even when they were 1 and 3.
DBAP should also be (or referred to) in this section.

2) I also think that, like most other visitor's
guides, there should be a map showcasing the top 20-30
locations/things to do in Durham, so people can see
how near to each other they really are: Mus Life Sci;
DBAP Tobacco District; Brightleaf Square; Ninth
Street; Trinity Park, Duke Park, Duke Gardens, Duke
Forest, etc. 

3) And it'd be great to have a 'Suggested Itineraries'
section. In the Savannah visitor's guide (and most
others we've seen), it had 'What to do for 1 day',
'What to do for 2 days,' and 'What to do for 3 days,'
and 'More to do for longer stays.'

* I would LOVE to send visitors' guides to my Mom's
friends (and mine) in Martinsville and Greensboro to
encourage them to visit. But would all be looking for
things that would be fun to do with their kids. Right
now I think that they would get a little lost in the
details, unless I went through and highlighted things
for them.

Cheers,
melissa




 
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