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photo by Hannah Reel
Sharon Airington of Kent, Iowa, walks past a bullseye mirror while, far right, Katrena Towery of Lexington, Tenn., peeks into the kitchen in the basement of The Burn while on tour Friday afternoon at the antebellum home on Union Street.
Pilgrimage sees jump in ticket sales
Published Saturday, October 3, 2009
NATCHEZ — Pilgrimage is no longer just a house tour, its interactive in many cases.
That, coupled with pleasant weather, has resulted in a jump in ticket sales and group tours Marsha Colson, director of Natchez Pilgrimage Tours said.
Colson said many of the houses have added extras to the tours to help entertain and lure visitors to Natchez.
Photo by Hannah Reel
Center, The Burn owner Glenn Green greets tourists, from far left, Debbie Poynter of Lexington, Tenn., Betty Towery of Belzoni, Miss., Don Airington and wife Sharon of Kent, Iowa, during their tour of the antebellum home on Union Street Friday afternoon.
Photo by Hannah Reel
The Burn host Sandy Taylor shows a crystal wine glass to tourists in the dining room of the antebellum home on Union Street Friday afternoon.
“Each day I get a report of the previous days sales and how that compares to the same day last year,” Colson said. “On most days this year, sales were considerably higher than the same day last year.”
Single ticket sales, sales to individuals for home tours, are up 30 percent over last year and group sales are up 27 percent over last year.
Colson said not only are the number of groups booked for tours of Natchez larger, but the number of people each tour is bringing is also higher.
“What we saw during the Spring Pilgrimage was the number of group tours wasn’t significantly lower the number of group tours but the number of people in the tours was lower,” Colson said. “Fall has been just the opposite.”
Colson said during the first week of Fall Pilgrimage several things combined to make it a success. The pleasant weather has been one factor, but Colson said the hard work of the homeowners shouldn’t go unnoticed.
“Every year we try to add things to the tour to enhance the experience and to help make Pilgrimage a longstanding success,” Colson said. “This year many of the houses have taken the opportunity to add things to the tour. Yes, people are still interested in the history and the antiques but there is a great interest in the human stories behind these houses.”
The House on Ellicott Hill has had craft demonstrations during their tours. They have hosted a weaver and a staff member at the house is displaying handmade walking canes made from salvaged wood.
Mary Baugh, artist in residence at Natchez Clay will be on hand during house tours on Oct. 9.
Auburn has added music to their tours by having a violinist on the porch at the house while it is open for tours.
“The homeowners recognize the benefit of adding fun, informative things to their tours,” Colson said.
At Green Leaves, Colson said Joie Morrison is making dreams come true, by allowing tourists to try on hoop skirts at the end of the tour.
“That is just a neat thing that gives tourists an idea of what it was really life to live during that time,” Colson said. “It is a lovely thing.”
Colson said a when tourists come to Natchez they are interested in seeing what life was like in the early days. To get an accurate look, Colson said they only need to visit the old Spanish district during tour days.
“On the blue tour, I noticed last year that the homeowners and hosts and hostess, in costume, would stand on the sidewalks or porches and socialize,” Colson said. “That really gives you a sense of what it would realy be like to live in that early Spanish section.
“This year two of the young ladies have had babies and they often are pushing them in prams in front of the houses, so that is just a bonus.”
Pilgrimage continues through Oct. 10 with morning and afternoon tours daily.
Comments
Posted by friendofjimmy (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 12:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
wow, no negative comments yet. I'm sure it won't last long.
Posted by been_there (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 8:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great to see things picking up in Natchez!!
Posted by LOVESNATCHEZ (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thusfar, the walking traffic downtown has been tremendous. The best fall pilgrimage in many years. One thing that I'm really happy about is the fact that almost everyone I have seen said that Natchez was their destination. That's a huge deal. They aren't on their way to New Orleans, etc., they are actually coming to NATCHEZ!
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm so happy to hear this. I just can't understand why the DAR would have felt the need to lay off a docent that had great comments in the guest register and many compliments from guest.
Posted by gottabehappy (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 11:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey southernbelle...who?
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 11:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Mississippi Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution at Rosalie.
Posted by gottabehappy (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 12:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah I know but who is it they let go?
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 12:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ME ! E-mail me via Ntz Democrat and I'll tell you exactly All of what really happened. I don't want to do or say anything that would harm tourism in our beautiful city.I love Natchez and I love the tourist.
Posted by gottabehappy (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 3:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
emailed you hours ago southernbelle..check your inbox
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 5:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
the old foggies stopped a lot of industry from building here. I don,t care what anybody says.
Posted by bellesouth (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 6:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That sounds like the ticket!
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 8:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I did and there is nothing from you there, gottabehappy.
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 8:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Please try again at another time. The Ntz Dem may not have had my currant e-mail address. I would love to know if I was laid off for another reason. Perhaps a personnal reason?
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 3, 2009 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Question? When a superior tells an employee they will call them when they can put them back on a schedule and then doesn't ,ugh, does that mean the employee has been let go? I'm still waiting by the phone and it hasn't rung.
Posted by suzee971 (anonymous) on October 4, 2009 at 6:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry southernbelle, that usually does mean you've been booted. That's just a nice way of telling you.
Posted by fraidoclowns (anonymous) on October 4, 2009 at 6:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Might be they wanted someone who knows the difference between personal and personnel, as well as someone who doesn't air their employment problems on a public board.
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 4, 2009 at 9:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
fraidoclowns, you are right about not airing my employment problem . I was wrong. However , I meant what I said about it being a personnal problem. This wasn't handled professionally. I believe ones personnal feelings shouldn't interfere with ones job performance .
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 4, 2009 at 10:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
In my defense, I probably wouldn't have mentioned my problem if not for the many articles in the Democrat being on unemployment because so many people are being laid off. Still, it was in bad taste and I apoligize if it offended you, fraidoclowns. I probably should take my grievance up with the MSSDAR.
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on October 4, 2009 at 5:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
They didn,t want a fourlane coming near Natchez and it didn,t .
Posted by goodoleboyslikeme (anonymous) on October 4, 2009 at 9:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
southernbelle, hope it works out for you.
On the article, if ticket sales are up 30%, that is quite an increase. Even tho I'm sure the hosts and hostesses are friendly, guests are bound to feel like they have to tippy-toe around the old places. Adding some interaction is going to be a positive to offset that.
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 5, 2009 at 10:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thanksgoodoleboy. you are right about making our guest feel at home. Since I'm sure I'm already blackballed , I feel free to say a few words about some of the feedback I received from our guest from time to time. I only say this hoping it will be taken as constuctive criticism. One beautiful home on the corner of Pearl and High St has the reputation of being downright rude to our out of town guest. I've had guest say they thought they would be sent to the gallows if they touched anything. Times too numerous to count it was said another house(which is my favorite,even though it was never finished) has the habit of making our guest feel rushed . The tours are so good people want to stay. Still another home has guides from the park service that doesn't know beans from peas about the house so they tend to be boring or untruthful. I could go on & on but I'm sure you get the picture. I want our guest to leave with a smile and lots of good things to say about us. I know none of us are all we could be but this area needs an overhaul desparately. I want our visitors to leave wanting to come back and bring people with them. But you have people within the power so wrapped up in being the big fish in this little pond that they seem to have lost sight on the objective.
Posted by Keith (anonymous) on October 5, 2009 at 2:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How nice to hear that ticket sales for the Fall Pilgrimage are UP! Having visited most of the beautiful houses of Natchez numerous times over the past three decades, I can say that the only unsavory experience was at Melrose, where a guide obviously cared little for the history of the house (and said as much!) but used his position to preach about the evils of slavery -- to the point that a number of visitors on the tour became very offended at having such a diatribe shoved down their throats. Certainly it's part of history but it didn't need to be presented in such a militant way! Hopefully that guide is now gone -- and likely enjoying a nice federal retirement package!
Posted by southernbelle (anonymous) on October 5, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Many people experience the same thing. There is a black woman that has driven a tour bus for many years and does the same thing and then wonders why her tips are not good. But if anybody complains they are considered racist. Slavery played an important part in our history and the story should be told as truthfully as possible.
Posted by Idefinitelymight (Tom Scarborough) on October 5, 2009 at 6:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
natasha--you are a parody poster, right? I mean no one can consistently post such dumb things as you do unless they are trying to be funny--right??? I mean, Fenwick is funny when he does it. You aren't funny like Fenwick, but you are at least trying to make us smile--right????
Posted by gottabehappy (anonymous) on October 7, 2009 at 2:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
southernbelle I have one question for you...on one of your previous posts you mentioned you got RAVE reviews at Rosalie in the guest register right? WHAT guest register darlin? NONE of our homes that are tour homes have such a thing! Maybe you are going to too many funerals darlin and getting the houses confused with funeral homes.
Posted by gottabehappy (anonymous) on October 7, 2009 at 3:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have fiqured out exactly who you are!
Posted by gottabehappy (anonymous) on October 7, 2009 at 4:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The problem with the tours at Melrose is that they have hired yankees to give tours! Think about it! They hate us and talk us down every opportunity they get and some moron gave them the opportunity!
ya get what you pay for
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