SNIPPETS FROM SCOTT: Finding, or creating, a destination

• Tuesday, August 4, 2015

This past week, Samantha and I spent some time in North Carolina. We spent a handful of days in Asheville and the rest in Raleigh visiting her brother.

While in Asheville, I couldn’t help but notice the demographics and the folks who are there. Asheville is known around the country as one of, if not the top, destination for craft beer. At each restaurant we visited, we had a selection from any of the 21 craft breweries around. I guess that’s why it was named Beer City, USA by the Examiner.

Even if that’s not your scene, Asheville has a wide array of locations to visit. Of course, there’s the Biltmore, which needs no introduction. There’s the Blue Ridge Parkway, which winds for 469 miles through the mountains and its information headquarters is in the town itself.

The arts district is appealing to any budget or taste and is quite expansive. We spent roughly half a day visiting artists in their workshops, watching techniques and admiring their works.

One night, while waiting for a table at Tupelo Honey Cafe (far and away my favorite food stop), we sat in a park across the street. A local hoola-hoop troupe had a jam session, with children, teens, adults and everyone else just having fun and hooping (or at least attempting to). There was a tip bucket that was passed around, with all proceeds going to a local nonprofit geared toward raising awareness and prevention of HIV and STDs.

My favorite stop was the Asheville Pinball Museum. For $12, you could play as many games as you could take of old- and new-school pinball machines, arcade cabinets and even a Super Nintendo. I saw folks ranging from 5 years old all the way to 70-plus in there having a great time.

I know this may come off as a giant advertorial to visit Asheville, but my point is simple – this is a destination for millennials. It’s where Samantha and I chose to vacation, and there were many other visitors with license plates from Michigan, Florida, New York, Georgia, Virginia and even a few Alaskans that I can remember.

When our local leaders say they want to attract young professionals, it’s things like this that are critical. Asheville has a leg up, of course, due to having the Biltmore in its backyard. A year-round attraction such as that brings tourists in from any and every demographic, from school field trips (like I went on as a kid) to a Lexington County senior facility that happened to park its bus near our car.

I would like to think that North Augusta is on the right track. It’s a city that is growing, and there could be some exciting times ahead. Just off in the horizon we’re looking at Project Jackson, which will dictate many other opportunities depending on its success or failure. We also have the Greeneway expansion, an idea that the visionary folks at North Augusta 2000 believe can transform our downtown. Riverview Park Activities Center is going to expand with new gyms, which creates a lot of potential.

That said, it’s going to take more than just these projects. We have some amazing restaurants in our area, but there’s a significant need for variety – particularly downtown. While we have a great arts culture in our area, I saw an idea on Facebook about a performing arts center. That would be a welcomed addition, and honestly it’s time for something like that.

I would like to think that North Augusta boasts a wide array of recreational opportunities. Just about anything you want to do, short of a vertical climbing area, is available. That’s a strong foundation, but there simply needs to be more activities. That’s where Project Jackson would come in, as it should bring in concerts, conventions and other shows.

Of course, this is all pending – as they say, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. I like to think our city is going in the right direction, but to make North Augusta a destination for young families, to bring college graduates back home (for good reasons, not because of the struggles of finding a job out of school) and to attract tourism, there’s a lot of work to be done.

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