The Benefits of Tapping into Tourism Offices for Outdoor Trip Planning

Planning a summer trip, outdoor adventure or day trip in the Southeast? Instead of a generic internet search, consider using local tourism offices. Outdoor writer Jim Mize shares how to take advantage of these resources, both online and in person, and why they're superior for tapping into local gems, organizing group vacations or day trips and creating an unforgettable getaway.

Figuring out all the details of a trip to an unfamiliar area can be daunting. This becomes even more complicated when you have additional people, all with different tastes and physical requirements, and you’re trying to find lodging, dining, and entertainment.

Most of us start with a Google search of the area to find all this information, but there’s a better way. Instead, simply visit the local tourism office's website.

Why Tourism Offices are a Better Way to Plan a Trip

Tourism offices exist in most states to attract visitors to their areas. And if anyone is an expert on local opportunities, it will be the people who live there and share them with others every day.

For example, if I search for South Carolina tourism offices, I find a website with all eleven tourism districts in the state.

By selecting the district that corresponds to my destination, I can go directly to a website with local information. And the website offers details on accommodations, attractions and local trips you might not have found otherwise.

All this information in one place becomes even more valuable when planning a group meeting or family reunion.

For instance, last year I was on a team that planned a small conference in Anderson, South Carolina. Our attendees were about 30 media professionals, all eager to write stories, take photos and create social media content about the area’s attractions.

This is as close to herding cats as a meeting can get, with people going in different directions during the day, but coming together at night and on our last day for networking and professional presentations. Given the task's size, we turned to Lake Hartwell Country for help.

For a bit of background, Lake Hartwell Country is a tourism region that covers three counties in the northwestern corner of South Carolina. With mountains and trout streams in the far end, public lakes throughout and Clemson University at the lower end, the area offers a unique mix of outdoor recreation and cultural attractions; in short, perfect for our outdoor media group.

Les McCall and Jordan Bannister were our allies at Lake Hartwell Country. We kicked off our planning discussions with a review of the required logistics. For instance, we needed a hotel that fit our members’ budgets, restaurant recommendations that could handle groups and a meeting place for the presentations.

The Benefits of Using Local Tourism Offices for Group Vacations and Day Trips

Their local knowledge took the legwork out of our search, calls and visits to multiple venues. Since this was their resource, we were never starting from scratch.

Once we figured out how to house and feed our group, another member of our planning team began juggling all the day trips.

We knew many places to go ourselves, but were occasionally stumped on a special request. That was when we went back to Les and Jordan with a quick question.

I asked them about working with groups like ours.

“While knowing everything about three large counties is impossible, we do have contacts throughout each county that can put your group in touch with the right people for almost any event,” said Les. “We have assisted with everything from major fishing events to small media events, and all in between. We also run our own event space, so we know what it takes!"

The result was a final agenda that had media members on boats fishing, in the woods hunting, wading trout streams and taking nature photos.

With the contacts made, many of our members are still following up on trips they learned of during this visit. And I still use their website for story ideas and daytrips in the area. It seems the more I explore an area, the more I realize how little I knew.

I also asked Les and Jordan about their website as a starting point for planning a trip to this area, and what they wanted people to take away from the site.

“We hope people find us who are genuinely looking for a unique stay in a unique place.” They added that Lake Hartwell Country is a “quiet, rural destination that is seeing major growth, but still keeping its small town charm and beautiful outdoor recreation opportunities. We hope everyone who interacts with our site comes away with that message.” https://www.lakehartwellcountry.com/

Finding Hidden Gems with Local Expertise

Local expertise, on a website or in person, can also help you find those hidden gems.

For example, since I am an angler, they tipped me off about a small fly shop near the stream I planned to fish during the conference.

“One of my favorite things in our region is the Chattooga River Fly Shop,” said Les. “It’s a great asset for sportsmen, but also a great spot to get some unique Mountain Rest, South Carolina arts and crafts or learn how to fly fish for the first time.”

For us, the shop was another example of local experts willing to share what they knew about fishing.

Sometimes, your planning is as simple as having some free time and needing only to find a day trip.

One trend among many tourism offices is highlighting “trails” for people with specific interests. For instance, you can follow music trails, beer and wine trails, barbecue trails and many others. Many of these make for great day trips.

Often, these tourism websites highlight these opportunities and provide printable maps to help you get from one place to another. As an example, on the Lake Hartwell Country site, you can print a map with stops on a waterfall tour that also shares information on the amount of hiking required, so you’re not surprised when you get there.

Final Thoughts on Using Local Tourism Offices

Les added, “We are so much more than Lake Hartwell, our namesake. While named for it (as it touches all three of our counties), we are also home of the stunning Lakes Keowee and Jocassee, not to mention tons of river fishing opportunities. Whether an outdoorsman or just someone who enjoys beautiful views and scenic hikes (or drives), we have something for everyone.”

Finding these unique opportunities, and making your trip more enjoyable and less trouble to plan, you might consider tapping into tourism resources for help. These websites have become my first stop on that journey.