National Travel & Tourism Week Offers New Ways to Rediscover Georgia’s Rome

National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) encourages locals to become tourists in their hometown from May 6 – 12.

Several activities are planned for National Travel & Tourism Week and include the following:

Sulzbacher Roman Holiday Riverboat Tour, May 6: Tour Rome’s rivers on the Sulzbacher Roman Holiday for a guided birding cruise with Gena Flanigen & Doug Walker. The tour departs at 2 p.m. from the Heritage Park boat dock. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and may be purchased online or at the Last Stop Gift Shop.

Georgia’s Rome Photo Exhibition Opening Reception, May 10 – The photography exhibition features images that showcase the beauty and uniqueness of Georgia’s Rome. The exhibition and opening reception will be held at Farrell’s Frame & Design on Thursday, May 10, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 110 entries were submitted for the Georgia’s Rome Photo Contest. Nine photographers were selected for the exhibition and include: Candiss Ayer, Jason Blalock, Hunter Brooks, Ginger Gresham, Kathy Kean, Katherine Kennedy, Crystal McCord, Carla Shinall and Morgan Shropshire.

Hike Through History at Myrtle Hill Cemetery, May 11 – Historic Preservation is not only essential to preserving our history, it is essential to heritage tourism.  The community is invited to celebrate Historic Preservation Month at the base of Myrtle Hill Cemetery on Branham Avenue from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. The event features food trucks, live music, games, historical facts and health walks. It is a free event sponsored by Harbin Clinic, Historic Downtown Rome and Rome Historic Preservation Commission.

Superstars of Service Awards – Front-line employees who consistently display a service mindset provide the southern hospitality that attracts visitors to Georgia’s Rome. The tourism office will recognize and surprise Superstars of Service winners with on-site presentations at their respective places of business throughout the week.

Geocaching – Geocaching is a worldwide game of hide-and-seek.  A geocacher searches for treasures hidden by fellow geocachers by pinpointing its location using smartphones and other GPS-enabled technology. The tourism office has created a new geocache just in time for tourism week. Find it and you’ll be rewarded with a special gift from Georgia’s Rome. Geocaching is a free activity, learn more or get started now. 

Rome Selfie Tour – Locals are encouraged to visit all the best places around Rome to take a selfie. Participants are encouraged to tag their selfie photos “#romegeorgia” for a chance to be featured on the Georgia’s Rome Instagram page (@RomeGeorgia). Visit RomeGeorgia.org/Selfie for the selfie tour map and locations.

Tourism Week Restaurant Offers – Several restaurants are offering week-long specials in celebration of National Tourism Week. Patrons simply need to pick up a free Tourism Week Restaurant Card to take advantage of the restaurant offers. Cards are available at both the Downtown Welcome Center and the Rome-Floyd Visitor Center and will also be distributed at events throughout the week. You must show your card to receive the offers, here are the offers included on the card:

• • City Creamery
    225 Broad St. – Two hand-scooped waffle cones for $8
  • Doug’s Deli Downtown
    606 Broad St. – Free Cup of Grits with Purchase of Sandwich or Salad
  • Harvest Moon Cafe
    234 Broad St – 10% off purchase (food & beverage)
  • Honeymoon Bakery
    228 Broad St.  – Buy One, Get One Free Cookie (1 per person)
  • Jamwich
    510 Broad St. – Free Dessert with sandwich purchase
  • Rome City Brewing Co
    325 Broad St. – $1 off all burgers all week

         SweetFrog
477 Turner McCall Blvd – As much froyo & toppings you can creatively put in a 12 oz cup for $4

To stay up-to-date on how you can always enjoy being a tourist in your hometown, follow us on social media (@RomeGeorgia). 

About the Author