Tag: tourism

Discover Southern Indiana Launches Sweets And Treats Trail

Posted on by Radius Indiana

Discover Southern Indiana – Tourism organization welcomes locals, visitors to participate in this sweet adventure across eight counties

BEDFORD, Ind. (July 21, 2022) — Discover Southern Indiana has launched its new Sweets and Treats
Trail, which invites locals and visitors to check out more than 25 participating businesses across the
region to receive special offers and earn prizes.

Consumers are encouraged to download the free Sweets and Treats Trail mobile passport by visiting
https://discoversouthernindiana.com/sweetsandtreatstrail/ and check-in to as many businesses as
possible. At each location, participants will be given a unique PIN code to enter into the passport and
track their progress. Participants will be eligible to win special prizes after checking in to various locations.
Prizes include a sticker after five check-ins, a branded ice cream scoop after 10 check-ins, and a branded
tote bag after 20 check-ins. Those who make it to all locations on the trail will receive a special treat from
one of the participating trail locations. All prizes will be mailed to winners.

“We have so many local businesses across our eight counties that offer some of the best desserts you
can get your hands on,” said Misty Weisensteiner, Chief Operating Officer of Discover Southern Indiana.
“The Sweets and Treats Trail is a fun way for both visitors and those who have lived in the area for their
entire lives to find a new favorite treat.”

Radius Indiana launched Discover Southern Indiana, making it the first region-wide tourism initiative of its
kind. Tourism is the region’s sixth-largest economic driver. The initiative bolsters the commercial interests
of the region by highlighting the opportunities, attractions and events for visitors traveling to Crawford,
Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Martin, Lawrence, Orange and Washington counties. Discover Southern
Indiana’s Sweets and Treats Trail, originally named the Ice Cream Trail, launched in 2020 and is returning
with even more delectable desserts.

For a full list of trail stops and to download your mobile passport, visit: https://discoversouthernindiana.com/sweetsandtreatstrail/.

About Discover Southern Indiana:
Headquartered in Bedford, IN, Discover Southern Indiana is a regional tourism initiative serving a total of
eight counties. The initiative aims to boost awareness of all that Southern Indiana has to offer, inviting
visitors and prospective residents to explore the charming spirit of the bustling region while indulging in
thrilling world-class experiences. Travelers have the opportunity to choose from a wide variety of
family-friendly, one-of-a-kind experiences, including five-star accommodations, Indiana’s finest State
Parks, prestigious golf courses, and much more. Your pleasant surprises await.

Crawford County Tourism and Crawford County Economic Development Receive $22,500 Through Region’s First Cooperative-Advertising Program

Posted on by Radius Indiana

ENGLISH, Ind. (Aug. 17, 2021) — Representatives from Crawford County Tourism, Crawford County Economic Development, Radius Indiana and Discover Southern Indiana will hold a press event Wednesday, Aug. 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the Crawford County Welcome Center, 5935 S. State Road 66 in English. The group will discuss the county’s participation in a new cooperative advertising program created by the region’s tourism initiative, Discover Southern Indiana, which will provide $22,500 in funding to bolster tourism advertising.

Discover Southern Indiana is a regional tourism brand launched in 2019 by Radius Indiana, the eight-county economic development organization representing Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange and Washington counties. Since its inception, Discover Southern Indiana has launched multiple advertising campaigns, outdoor ads and the region’s first Ice Cream Trail, which takes visitors on a 15-stop, region-wide tour of locally owned ice cream shops. Its new cooperative advertising program allows counties to receive matching funds of up to 150 percent to promote local attractions along with Discover Southern Indiana.

“We are delighted to have Crawford County join in our efforts to bring new visitors to our southern Indiana region,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “By working together to showcase our attractions, we are strengthening the tourism industry that is so important to our region, especially in Crawford County. Through the co-op advertising campaign, we will be able to expand our visibility and reach to cities and states and a new audience of visitors.

This program will allow Crawford County to attract more tourists by highlighting and promoting Crawford County’s already existing attractions through mixed media advertising. Tourism is the biggest industry in Crawford County and it is important to utilize tools that will help continue growth in that area. A portion of this contribution will support Discover Southern Indiana’s regional tourism efforts through the purchase of advertising in publications, digital and social media marketing, paid written stories, and sponsorship of regional promotion in travel agent conferences.

“As our economic development has consistently indicated, we will collaborate with any person or organization committed to prosperity in Crawford County,” said Michael Thissen, executive director of the Crawford County Economic Development Partnership. “Our long-term partnership with the Tourism Commission has paved the way for boosting our profile for visitors and potential investors. I am excited for the next steps and am grateful to our regional partner in Radius Indiana for this unique opportunity.”

“We are excited to continue our attempts to strengthen tourism in the county by partnering with Crawford County Economic Development and Radius Indiana to increase advertising and attract people from all over the state of Indiana and beyond,” added Mark Stevens, Crawford County Tourism Board President and County Councilman.

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About Crawford County Tourism: Crawford County, IN is home to Marengo Caves, Cave Country Canoes, Patoka Lake, O’Bannon Woods State Park, Sycamore Springs, and many other popular attractions. For information on Crawford County attractions, events, and lodging, visit crawfordcountyindiana.com or contact us at 812-739-2246 or info@crawfordcountyindiana.com. We Are Outdoor Recreation!

About Radius Indiana: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington. Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval Support Activity Crane and leads regional collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of the region to drive attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.

About Crawford County Economic Development Partnership: The Crawford County Economic Development Partnership (CCEDP) serves Crawford County Indiana to meet business, employment, and quality of place needs. The CCEDP is a collaborative organization to assist businesses, entrepreneurs, employment seekers, and quality of place initiatives to generate increased assessed value for the new generation economy. The CCEDP is committed to growing a prosperous Crawford County… together. Visit selectcrawfordcounty.com for more information or contact us at info@selectcrawfordcounty.com or 812-739-4479.

Discover Southern Indiana, NOW!

Posted on by Radius Indiana

Regional tourism website features hundreds of attractions across eight counties.

 

BEDFORD, Ind. (May 6, 2020) — As the state begins to re-open, Discover Southern Indiana has immediate opportunities for those ready for a change of scenery, while keeping in mind social distancing as we navigate travel and recreation in this post COVID-19 environment.

DiscoverSouthernIndiana.com is up and running to welcome travelers from all over to the Radius region. The region-wide tourism drive is the first of its kind for the area and gives an identity to the opportunities the Radius region has to offer to its visitors.

Natural explorations allow families the opportunity to get outside of the house while still maintaining distance from others. While this is not a complete list of activities, it is meant to serve as a starting guide and more options can be viewed at DiscoverSouthernIndiana.com. We encourage travelers to check with specific attractions for hours/updates before heading out to visit any location.

“Often, when families think about vacation, they think about traveling outside of the state, and we have so much to discover in southern Indiana. The beauty alone of the rolling hills and landscape is enough, but then add on top of that two phenomenal four-star resorts, spas, casino, water park, lakes, state parks, unique lodging, a ranch where you can have hands-on experiences with elephants and giraffes, see bears, sloths, lemurs, not to mention the natural explorations or our trails, woods, and caves. Not all are open at this time, but the closed attractions will re-open as conditions allow,” said Radius Indiana’s Director of Tourism and Quality of Place Blaine Parker.

The website serves as a one-stop-shop for all and any resources that tourists may need to plan a trip to the Radius region. With sections dedicated to food and drinks, events, shopping, sports, art and culture, heritage, and outdoor recreation, the site features a vacation planning tool that allows tourists to plan a trip and offers suggestions on a mileage-based radius to help plan a manageable trip.

Creating Discover Southern Indiana was a regional, collaborative development process. Unifying the tourism initiative across the region allows community leaders and tourism businesses to cost-share practices to more effectively implement the branding because multiple counties are likely to be visited by a single visitor. The communities recognize the need to work together to invite travelers to the Radius region, which includes Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange and Washington Counties.

Parker led a team of 10 committee members to create a unified tourism effort for the Radius region. The committee is made up of members of the region’s eight counties, the French Lick Resort, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The Tourism Strategy Team met throughout 2018 to bring the idea of a region-wide joint tourism venture to life. 

The plan continued into 2019 by working with Blueline out of Bloomington to capture photography and videography from each county. Blueline also designed the new site.

In addition to the new website. Discover Southern Indiana has also launched profiles on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to grow a following. The accounts will get behind the scenes looks at attractions across the region to entice tourists to visit the region.  

“Southern Indiana is where you can go to have that once in a lifetime experience without ever crossing the state lines. With everything that’s going on in the world right now, personally, I have been looking at what there is to do close to home, where can I go with my family where I know I can be safe and still have fun, and Discover Southern Indiana has those options,” said Parker.

To learn more about ‘Discover Southern Indiana’, visit www.discoversouthernindiana.com.