As some of you know, I’ve decided to fire up my old blog again. I tried writing for a commercial travel site for seven months, only to find that what readers liked, the local tourist bureau did not. Although I enjoyed the experience and met many great Floridians through my work, ultimately, the goals of the tourist agency reigned supreme.
The dialogue that led up to me parting ways with the travel site weighed heavily on Gainesville tourism. Many of you readers expressed an opinion about local tourism, finding it and Gainesville to be mutually exclusive things. Even the tourist bureau itself stopped calling people from out of town “tourists” and replaced that with “visitors.” People visit Gainesville. As a friend of mine said, they come for football, get drunk, and leave with a hangover. Or they come for medical reasons (medical tourism is Gainesville’s great secret tourist market) or to visit students at Family Weekend. What they don’t do is to come for pure tourism, since there is an extremely limited market.
One thing I tried to do with my former column was to highlight the area’s rich natural resources. Over the course of my writing for that site I met cave-diving tourists from Germany and bird-watching tourists from Ohio. Here were two reasons for tourists to visit Gainesville. The more I got out, the more I realized that Paynes Prairie, and La Chua Trail in particular, was an enormous tourism attraction that was almost completely overlooked. Handled correctly, and with an eye towards conservation and preservation, the prairie might be the “draw” that pulls people off I-75 as they hurtle southwards towards Orlando or Miami. La Chua Trail is a cognate to the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades and might be put forth as such, if…
For whatever reason, the tourism promotion in Gainesville focuses at least half on the downtown area, or on urban attractions. Here is where I had to draw the line. I didn’t see how promoting a coffee shop where I’d never bought a cup of joe would help bring people to Gainesville. There’s nothing at the corner of University and Main. A fun weekend can be had by combining a Free Fridays concert with a play at the Hipp and dinner at Emiliano’s and a sandwich at the Lunchbox, but what happens on Monday? Or Tuesday?
Once the major attractions were covered, or were covered by someone else, it seemed foolish to write about them again. While I do revisit certain locations time and time again, I saw no reason to re-up them as if they were fresh ideas. How many editorials about the Butterfly Rainforest can you read?
So, I am back to the swamp, on my own agenda. Coming up soon will be Okeefenokee adventures, a trip to St. Pete, and a tour of local sinkholes. Thanks for reading!
Debby said:
I really enjoyed your blog here and love it’s title, too. There is so much more than the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Your eye for and descriptions of the hidden Florida I know has been captivating and thought provoking. I don’t take for granted that these natural places and people will endure either. Florida is fragile…just an overpopulated sand spit I always say. At first I thought I’d like you to check with me about St. Pete, but then I think I actually enjoy your views as a visitor with a unique eye for the unusual amongst the usual things. Anyhow…glad you are keeping on here!
gainesville365 said:
Thanks for being a long-term reader of this blog, Debby! Folks like you make it worth writing.
rick said:
It’s about damn time.
David Lambert said:
Welcome back Suzanna. How ’bout a repost of your last piece, just to keep the continuity flowing, Free Thanksgiving Dinner. Lovely, moving, worthy words. Good stuff for your new readers. David Lambert, Southerner’s Journal
Patti said:
Love this: Join Me in the Other Magic Kingdom…
Welcome back! If I wrote as well as Debby above I would have said the same thing!!!
I hope that you have fun in St. Pete. I love that town. Wish I could go with you. Spent my birthday down there in May. I was going to retire in St. Pete but decided to stick around up here.
It seems funny that we met because of this blog.
Can’t wait to read about your new adventures!
suwanneerefugee said:
Hey!!! Normally I wait to reply to people’s posts until I have more time. But I couldn’t wait with your blog. Great to have you back in the land of the Real Floridians!! How’s the health?