Looking to stretch your dollar? How about all the way around the city of Flint? The Flint & Genesee Convention & Visitors Bureau has you covered.
The CVB’s third annual Be a Tourist in Your Hometown event from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on July 18 will give Flint & Genesee residents and non-residents alike the opportunity to experience the best the community has to offer – all for only $1.
“Tourists” purchase passports that will grant access to over 30 venues throughout Flint. The passports are also valid for discounts in downtown Flint restaurants and businesses that day.
More than 600 passports were sold during last year’s event.
“Every year, our event has grown to include more venues, more tourists and more business discounts,” said Cheryl DeFrain, Director of the Flint & Genesee CVB. “There’s no better value. We give tourists the passport, a map and a bus to ride, and they choose their own stops on the tour. Participants love being able to customize their own routes to whatever best suits their interests.”
At some venues, tourists get special access to areas that usually are off-limits to the public. Some of the most popular Be a Tourist stops each year include:
- Applewood, the Charles Stewart Mott estate
- The Flint Cultural Center, which this year includes the completely renovated Longway Planetarium
- The Michigan School for the Deaf Superintendent’s Cottage
- The Whiting
- Glenwood Cemetery
New stops and corresponding events this year include:
- Perani Arena & Event Center, home of the new Flint Firebirds
- Stockton House at Spring Grove
- Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church and its Family Fun Festival
- Gospel Fest will be held on the grounds of the Flint Cultural Center
- An American Institute of Architects Walking Tour
“The main complaint we hear every year is that tourists couldn’t fit in all the stops because there’s so much to see and do,” DeFrain said. “We get people who haven’t visited downtown Flint in years, and they thank us for showing them what’s to see and do in Flint. They always vow that they’ll be back.”
Passports can be purchased online at flintandgenesee.org/tourist, where you also can see a full list of participating venues.
The passports can be picked at the Riverfront Banquet Center in downtown Flint on the day of the event, where tourists will also receive their maps and catch free bus rides complements of Flint MTA, a Be a Tourist co-sponsor.
The CVB supports Flint & Genesee for all tourism needs including, but not limited to, lodging, motor coach tours, conventions, sport activities, reunions, weddings, car shows and clubs, and individual tourism.
For more information, contact the CVB at (810) 600-1404 or .