In celebration of the 27th annual National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) May 8-16, several popular attractions in Alachua County are offering complimentary or reduced admission and offers.
Gainesville/Alachua County Celebrates National Travel and Tourism Week 2010
Offering Free Admission at Area Attractions
Gainesville, FL –(May 5, 2010) -- In celebration of the 27th annual National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW) May 8-16, several popular attractions in Alachua County are offering complimentary or reduced admission and offers, announced Roland Loog, executive director of VisitGainesville. “National Tourism week is the perfect time for us to showcase many of our incredible attractions and a great way to say thank you to the visitors as well as residents of Alachua County,” said Loog.
The NTTW attractions program kicks-off with a complimentary tour with the purchase of a regular-priced adult tour of historic Haile Homestead at Kanapaha Plantation on Sunday, May 9 (Mother’s Day). The tours, available Sunday 12-4 p.m., are usually $5 per adult.
On Monday, May 10 at the Florida Museum of Natural History, is offering a complimentary admission with the purchase of a regular-priced adult combination admission to the CSI: Crime Scene Insects as well as the Butterfly Rainforest. The Museum is located in the Cultural Plaza at the University of Florida. Their telephone number is: 352-846-2000. *(This special offer cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.)*
Poe Springs is offering $5 off canoe or kayak rentals on Wednesday, May 12.
Poe Springs, Alachua County’s largest spring, is a second-magnitude spring, which pumps approximately 45 million gallons of cool, refreshing water daily. The park features fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, and picnicking, and there are volleyball courts and large fields for other recreational activities. Hours are 9 a.m. - sunset all year except New Year’s Eve and Day. Admission: $5 per adult; free for children 4 years and under. Located about three miles west of High Springs on County Road 340. From High Springs go north on US 27-41 to Poe Springs Road. Go west 2.5 miles to park. Poe Springs is 27 miles northwest from Gainesville. Their main phone number is: 386-454-1992.
Ordinarily closed on Thursdays, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens is opening and offering a complimentary admission for every paid adult admission on Thursday, May 13. Kanapaha is a 62-acre facility developed and operated by the North Florida Botanical Society, a non-profit educational organization. Kanapaha is comprised of 14 major collections visually accessible from a 1 ½ mile paved walkway. These include the state's largest public display of bamboos and the largest herb garden in the Southeast. Located at 4700 S.W. 58th Drive, the admission fee is usually $6 for adults and $3 for children ages 6-13. For additional information, call 352-372-4981.
On Friday, May 14 “Let’s Go Downtown “Free Fridays” Plaza Series presents Hudost, an alternative/folk rock at the Bo Diddley Community Plaza located in Downtown Gainesville. The “Free Fridays“series season kicks off May 7 with free concerts in the plaza each week through October 15. For the events schedule and additional information, phone: 352-334-ARTS or http://www.gvlculturalaffairs.org/website/programs_events/plaza_series/plaza.html
Also during National Travel and Tourism Week, VisitGainesville is hosting the 18th annual Bed-making Contest on Monday, May 10 at the Paramount Plaza Hotel (from 9 a.m.-noon) as well as the Annual National Travel and Tourism Luncheon Wednesday, May 12 at the Historic Thomas Center. The winners of the bed-making contest as well as the winners of the VisitGainesville Customer Service Awards will be announced at this luncheon on Wednesday.
National Travel and Tourism Week is an annual event sponsored by the Travel Industry Association and commemorated by states, cities and organizations across the nation. The goal of NTW is to highlight the powerful economic, social and cultural impacts of travel through events and celebrations recognize the incredible job travel as a major U.S. industry that is vital to the economic stability, security and perception of the United States.
VisitGainesville is the official tourism sales and marketing organization for Gainesville and Alachua County. The Alachua County Hospitality Council is a non-profit member-based organization comprised of local and regional sales and marketing professionals in the hospitality industry. For additional information about Gainesville and National Travel and Tourism Week activities in Alachua County, visit the VisitGainesville website at: www.visitgainesville.com.
For additional information, media contact Marcheta Cole Keefer at VisitGainesville at 352/374-5260 or by e-mail at: mkeefer@visitgainesville.com
