We Went Where We Tell 'Em Where To Go

Mary Margaret Traxler - TRIP Hospitality Resources

On Saturday, June 8, a group of front-line hospitality professionals boarded a "trolley" and headed out for a Charlotte city tour that entertained and educated both newcomers and those who thought they knew it all!

The 24 seat trolley was provided by Trolleys of the Carolinas, a charter bus company that has a fleet of six restored trolleys. The trolley was air conditioned and had a microphone, which added to the comfort and efficiency of the three- hour tour. Our driver Benny was most professional and accommodating as well.

Babs Highfill from Charlotte Arrangements was our step-on guide. Babs' specialty is Uptown Charlotte, and she knows more about uptown than all the staff of Charlotte Center City Partners combined, at least in my opinion. In fact, she was the tour guide
for the architects during the American Institute of Architects Convention held here in May, and she said that she spent four hours just showing them the sights of Uptown Charlotte. Unfortunately our time was much more limited. However, we were able to stop at Bank of America to see the frescoes and take a quick trip through Founders Hall. Then we disembarked again in Fourth Ward for a walking tour through Charlotte's most historical neighborhood.

Once more back on the trolley, we continued our tour of uptown with Babs pointing out the Omnimax Theater and Ericsson Stadium and telling us interesting stories about all the places in between. Next we headed through Myers Park and Queens Road, We Told 'Em Where To Go which is shaped like a figure eight, and that's the reason you keep crossing it as you drive. We stopped briefly at the Duke Mansion where Babs told us interesting stories about the "poor little rich girl" Doris Duke. Many of the homes in Myers Park, are among the oldest in the city.

We went from old to new with a quick trip through SouthPark to see the new Symphony Park that was holding its very first concert on Sunday. Babs pointed out many residences of the rich and famous, but TRIP_Hospitality_Resources our time was running out. We had scheduled a picnic at Freedom Park, and what a glorious day it was for a picnic. Thanks to Lynn Saul of Mecklenburg County Park & Rec, we had a nice shelter where we ate a lunch provided by Rainbow Cafe/Uptown Catering Co. After feeding the ducks for a few minutes, we boarded the bus and headed back to our starting place, the new Visit Charlotte Official Visitors Center at the offices of the Charlotte Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Comments from the tour attendees included: "Downtown does have history," "There's a lot to see in Charlotte," and "I now know more about the history of Charlotte and the locations of restaurants and can share this information with my guests."
The Tell 'Em Where To Go workshop series is co-presented by the Charlotte Convention & Visitors Bureau and TRIP Hospitality Resources and sponsored by the Greater Charlotte Hospitality and Tourism Alliance, American Express, and the Charlotte Coliseum Authority. The next Tell 'Em Where To Go workshop will be held in October. Stay tuned for more information. Tell 'Em where To Go participants toured the city in style in this 24-seat trolleys from the fleet of Trolleys of the Carolinas. After their picnic at Freedom Park, Tell 'Em where To Go attendees took a tour break to pose for the camera.

Charlotte Concierge Association, July 2002