Better signage

Try this sometime:

When you’re driving on U.S. 421 Bypass and planning to take the Brushy Mountain Road exit to Wilkesboro or the N.C. 115 exit to North Wilkesboro, imagine you’ve never been here before.

Pretend you want to visit the Wilkes Heritage Museum in Wilkesboro, Wilkes Art Gallery in North Wilkesboro, Wilkesboro Open Air Market, Wilkes Farmers Market in North Wilkesboro or the Yadkin River Greenway and historic downtowns in both towns but don’t know how to get there.

You may use a GPS or smartphone app for directions, but what if you’re not sure about the names? What if you know essentially nothing about the Wilkesboros, but you want to discover anything worth experiencing here?

The point is that except for signs telling towns closest to exits and lists of logos of gas stations and restaurants at exits, signs that prompt interest in nonprofit, visitor-oriented destinations in the Wilkesboros and show them how to get there are woefully lacking.

N.C. Department of Transportation brown directional signs near and at the N.C. 268 West exit of U.S. 421 Bypass in Wilkesboro are exceptions.

These signs point the way to the Wilkes Community College Gardens and W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir. They should also in some way mention the trails at W. Kerr Scott Reservoir. This trail network, over 30 miles long and growing, is rapidly becoming one of the most popular mountain biking destinations on the East Coast.

On the exit ramp from U.S. 421 Bypass to N.C. 268 is a small DOT brown directional sign that says  “Museums,” with a directional arrow. The generic nature and brevity of this sign for the Wilkes Heritage Museum and Old Wilkes Jail and putting it on the exit ramp instead of U.S. 421 Bypass diminish its effectiveness.

First-time visitors to the Wilkes Heritage Musuem are often surprised to find such an elaborate and diverse collection of artifacts and interpretive information, but being open on Saturdays would expand the outreach. Perhaps this could become feasible by shortening hours on one or more weekdays.

Another suggestion: Consider marketing the Old Wilkes Jail as the “Tom Dooley Jail” to capitalize on the fact that it housed Tom Dula, part of a well-known 19th century love triangle that ended in tragedy.

Visitors driving up from Interstate 77 or elsewhere to the east stand a good chance of learning about visitor-oriented destinations in Wilkes County – and how to find them – if they stop at the Northwest Visitor’s Center on U.S. 421 east of the Wilkesboros.

The visitor’s center staff do a good job promoting the Wilkesboros and the entire county, but it’s hard to steer most visitors off a direct path to the Boone-Blowing Rock area when they’re already so close to the higher mountains if they aren’t already inclined to visit the Wilkesboros.

Repetition is a key to the effectiveness of well-worded and well-placed highway signs for visitor-oriented destinations, as is true with other forms of advertising.

Tourism-wise, it’s an opportune time to be a small town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Travelers are more interested in places with unique and genuine features and less in cookie cutter restaurants, lodging and attractions, reflecting an emphasis on experiences over destinations. Small towns that can offer a variety of experiences, especially for different age levels and interests, are better positioned to benefit.

The Wilkesboros offer a diverse array of nonprofit and for-profit visitor-oriented destinations, plus a growing number of special events. For example, the inaugural Carolina in the Fall bluegrass music festival is Sept. 25 and 26 in downtown Wilkesboro.

Also important are natural beauty, friendly people and convenient opportunities for recreation for all skill levels. In addition to cycling opportunities on the trails at W. Kerr Scott Reservoir, the 7.5-mile Yadkin River Greenway and soon trails near Cub Creek Park and the Wilkes County Courthouse in Wilkesboro, paddling on the Yadkin River in and near the Wilkesboros is rapidly becoming more popular.

Authenticity and quality are essential because today’s well-informed visitors are more discerning than ever. This is particularly true with heritage tourism, a rapidly growing segment of the travel industry that capitalizes on a community’s culture, history, stories and more.

However, a small town will have a hard time capitalizing on its outstanding offerings if visitors don’t learn about them and can’t easily find them.

Getting better signage along U.S. 421 and other roads to point the way to nonprofit visitor-oriented destinations in the Wilkesboros should be very doable – and effective.