What Are Destination Towns?

A recent project that I have been working on is “Destination Towns”. It is closely linked to my earlier post about Adjusting to the New Economy. The idea of Destination Towns is rooted in turning your town into a destination has been an idea that has been out there, mentioned in books, and discussed by others intent on helping communities.

But what are Destination Towns?

Destination Towns are those that are unique and boldly different. They don’t think that they’re the needle in the haystack, they are the random sunflower standing up amongst all the hay. Successful destination towns can find what is unique about them and make them stand out. In each type of Destination Town you are about to see each town has taken something unique and snowballed it into something much bigger, grander.

Destination Towns have more control. They aren’t relying entirely on a main employer, hoping and praying that they don’t leave. They’re creating a place where employers WANT to come, not begged and incentivized in some bidding war with other communities.

The best part of Destination Towns is that you’re chasing people, not industries. People who spend money in multiple locations. They pay sales tax or a hotel-motel tax, which supports your community and takes some of the tax burden of your residents. It’s kinda like building a wall and having someone else pay for it.

Types of Destination Towns

From my research, there are five different types of destination towns. Cultural / Historical, Recreational, Natural / Scenic, Special Events, and Other. Many communities may be able to tie into one of these categories.

Cultural/Historical Destination Towns

Let’s look at Cultural/Historical Destination Towns first. Cultural/Historical towns span a wide variety of attractions. They utilize historic buildings, sites, memorials, or birthplaces to generate interest. This category also includes antiques or craft shops, and towns that emphasize their cultural heritage.

Lindström, MN

Scandinavians are all over Minnesota. You can’t throw lutefisk into a crowd of Minnesotans without hitting one. So the number of towns that can lay claim to that heritage is numerous. For one town to stick its neck out and lay claim to being “America’s Little Sweden”, that’s bold. But that’s Lindström, Minnesota.

This boldness is clearly evident in their push for the umlauts to be added back onto their name on state roadway signs. The push by city representatives to fix this error wasn’t just noticed locally, or on a statewide basis, it drew international attention. When you get international attention to your desire to highlight your Swedish heritage on state signage, you’ve gone a long way to being able to stake your claim as “America’s Little Sweden”.

However, their Swedish heritage goes well beyond two dots above the “o” in their name. There’s Gustaf’s Galleries, which houses fine Swedish arts and crafts, souvenirs, and home decor. But Sven’s Clogs obviously can’t be overlooked as well. These wooden shoes scream Scandinavia. Don’t forget the Lindström Bakery that has declared itself as the “Home of the Scandinavian Donut”.

But one of the best aspects is that Lindström is part of a regional chamber made of up six communities that work together to promote tourism in the area. They know that working together and pooling resources can have a bigger impact than going it alone.

Image by Tony Webster on Wikimedia Commons, cc-by-sa-2.0

Recreational Destination Towns

Recreational Destination Towns typically leverage recreational amenities to draw people in. These include towns close to lakes or parks for camping. These communities also lean on active sporting areas like youth sports fields, ski resorts, and the like.

Lake View, IA

The residents of Lake View, Iowa, know their niche. They know what it means to be a destination town. This little Iowa town of 1,113 residents has the envious position of sitting along the shores of a popular recreational lake in Northwest Iowa.

The lake and adjoining park itself are run by the Iowa DNR, but the town has taken its proximity to the lake and run with it. They’ve made the town a welcoming place for tourists of all types. They’ve worked on streetscape improvements, installed wayfinding signage, and improved the overall look and feel of the downtown from facades to building signage.

Here’s one of their wayfinding signs pointing to one of their own facilities. Yes, the City of Lake View created its own campgrounds with full and partial-service RV pads, a beach, mini-golf, concessions, and other amenities. It is also a short, relatively walkable distance to downtown with wayfinding signage and a familiar blue and white scheme to guide the way.

The lake and the downtown are not the only amenities either. For a destination town to be fully successful it needs to look into other possible activities to please all members of a family. The community has other parks, a nicely done memorial space, and a connection to the Sauk Rail Trail. A regional rail trail that goes through a few towns in central Iowa. This trailhead has maps, information on the community, seating areas, and a fixture that provides tools for minor bike repairs.

Sauk Rail Trail Entrance

Natural/Scenic Destination Towns

The third type of Destination Town that we’ll look at today is Natural/Scenic Towns. This includes towns that lean on the fall foliage, fishing streams, lakes, hiking trails, orchards and vineyards/nature trails, and scenic views.

Grafton, IL

One scenic destination town is Grafton, Illinois. Grafton sits just downstream of the confluence of the Illinois River converges with the Mississippi River, roughly an hour from downtown St. Louis.

Grafton’s proximity to the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, as well as the Missouri River just a few miles downstream in St. Louis, paid early dividends. Commercial fishing, boat building, and the nearby limestone quarries took advantage of the location. The Old Boatworks in town once made paddle wheelers as well as PT boats.

However, as with many rural communities, the town’s economic base started to fade. Various industries that were at the heart of the local economy chose to close their doors or move out of town.

Grafton, Illinois – Courtesy, The Loading Dock

But Grafton flipped the script. The town’s 638 residents have successfully remade it into a destination town. Residents from the “St. Louis” flock up to Grafton each year to see the fall colors.

The town has reinvented itself with restaurants, antique/craft shops, and land-based recreational activities, including a roller coaster, zip line, chair lift, and enclosed gondola rides over the community. There are also two wineries offering unique wines, fine dining, and live entertainment.

The Loading Dock, Grafton, Illinois – Courtesy, The Loading Dock

This wasn’t an overnight transformation. It has taken quite some time for the community to build the momentum needed to get to the point that they are now. It hasn’t gone without its hiccups as well. Lying on the Mississippi River, the community has been pounded by extensive flooding in the past. They’ve rebuilt each time, but have made strides to avoid the damage of future flooding at the same time.

The townspeople don’t just sit back and reap the rewards of the summer boating season and the fall foliage seasons, they’ve been looking at ways to draw in traffic during the winter months as well. The Loading Dock, a local restaurant/bar created an event space for wedding receptions and other events. During the winter months, they convert the space into a skating rink.

Special Events Destination Towns

Maybe your community isn’t a Destination Town year-round. Maybe it’s just for special events. Then make that special event really stick out!

Romeo, MI

For Romeo, the concentration of their activities is on Tilson Street. Throughout the entire month of October, the street’s homes are elaborately decorated in Halloween décor. With the street free to visit 24 hours a day during the month, the community welcomes thousands of visitors each year and 2,000 trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

The community also has the Stoney Creek Orchard and Cider Mill to offer as an attraction during the Halloween season. Visitors can jump on moonlight hayrides on Friday and Saturday nights.

Takeaways: Romeo utilizes the entire month in their celebration. More days of celebration typically means more visitors if done right. Romeo has done it right.

Halloween decorations on Tillson street in Romeo, Michigan. Rodney Campbell. Creative Commons 2.0

If you want to have a real cowboy-style Christmas, there’s nowhere else to look than Darby, Montana. The community itself has a Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony along with caroling and hot cocoa the first weekend in December. However, the nearby Triple Creek Ranch has several activities including horseback riding, ice fishing, sledding, skijoring, and skiing in the Montana Rockies. At the end of the day, guests settle down in front of a cozy fireplace in their rustic cabins.

Ida Grove, IA

Although no longer in operation, Byron Originals in Ida Grove held an annual RC Airshow that drew people from all across the country, even internationally at times.

They had a full backdrop “set” where they would put on a grand finale show where battle recreation would happen with smoking planes and pyrotechnics.

The town is also well known for the many buildings that are adorned with a castle architectural style, a favorite of Byron Godberson, the founder of Midwest Industries, one of the main employers in Ida Grove.

Ida Grove Golf Course Bridge, idagroveia.com

Other Destination Towns

Other is more of a miscellaneous category that covers Agritourism, Sporting Facilities, Breweries, etc. It may be a category that is without direction, but it is quite open to your imagination!

Williamsport, MD

It’s debatable if you should put Williamsport into the Special Events or the Other category. But regardless, they have been doing things right in that Pennsylvania town for many years. Williamsport is the home of the Little League World Series. An event that draws in the best Little League teams from around the country and even internationally.

Each year 70,000 people visit this community in north-central Pennsylvania. In addition to the activities that the organization puts on, the town puts on “Williamsport Welcomes the World” a street festival that has a variety of programs including live music, kids zones full of fun and free activities, along with various food and merchandise vendors.

They estimate that the event draws between $35 million to $40 million in revenue to the region annually.

Image by Ruhrfisch on Wikimedia Commons, cc-by-sa-3.0

Is Your Town a Destination Town?

So is your town a “Destination Town”? They’re not for everyone. But the ones that buy into the concept reap great rewards.

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