Seaway Trail Walks
A byway organization has developed a bywaywide series
of guided walking tours offered in partnership with local community
hosts who share in the revenues generated by the walks.
Who:
Following the model of the London Walks that take tourists to Westminster Abbey, the West End, the British Museum and along the Thames, Seaway Trail, Inc. developed a series of guided walking tours in communities across the America’s Byway that parallels Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River.
What:
Walking tour guides offer narration on their community’s unique features; those features may be artistic, architectural, or the maritime, industrial or military influences that helped shape that community’s past, present and future. Animated storytelling of local legends and lore may be part of the narration. Guides in one community (Lewiston, NY) dress in period costume.
When:
Seaway Trail Walks run 16 weeks from June through September to capture spring and fall shoulder season and summer visitors. Most tours start at 5 pm and go for 90 minutes. This timing was designed to encourage visitors to stay in the community for dinner and overnight there. Other walks are offered on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
Although there is some scheduling overlap, different communities offer their Seaway Trail Walk on different days of the week. This spread throughout the week is to encourage visitors to spend a week on the Trail, moving from Walk to Walk.
Where:
The communities participating in Seaway Trail Walks in 2005 included Erie, Pennsylvania; and Westfield, North Tonawanda, Lewiston, Oswego, Sackets Harbor, Clayton, Alexandria Bay & Waddington, New York.
How:
Visitors pay a fee to walk with a tour guide
who narrates the unique history and features of the area. Local
group hosts Walks in partnership with Seaway Trail.
Seaway Trail, Inc. developed the walking tour network by recruiting the interest of local arts councils, Chambers of Commerce, historical societies and in the fund-raising potential of a Seaway Trail Walks series.
The local partner arranges the guides and handles the tours. Seaway Trail, Inc. has supplied a sandwich board sign for streetside placement to advertise the Walks, identify the starting point, and offer brochures on the Trailwide series. Seaway Trail, Inc. assists local tour partners with promotion assistance via rack cards and press releases editorializing the Walks as a bywaywide series.
Funding Potential:
The fee for Seaway Trail Walks in nine communities in 2005 was $8 for adults; $4 for children younger than 12; and $6 for groups of 15 or more. Admission is collected at the time of the Walk. The local community host keeps 55 percent of the admission fee and sends 45 percent to Seaway Trail, Inc.
One community that previously offered tours on a weekday will try a 2 pm Saturday tour time to increase sales by attracting walkers from the weekend tourist traffic in their village in 2005.
Seaway Trail, Inc. began the Walks in 2003. Its share of the funds raised has ranged from $465 in the first year with five participating communities to $487 in 2004 with eight participating communities.
Why Walks:
• Help communities promote a sense of local pride as part of the byway
• Support byway-community partnerships
• Raise funds for local groups, local economy and byway
Resources:
Photo Credit:
Photo courtesy of Lewiston Council on the Arts, Lewiston, NY
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This project was funded in part by a |
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