National Travel Center and its Principals have played an integral role in developing officially designated Scenic Byways and other scenic routes, including:
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway Development
In order to get the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway in Pennsylvania developed as efficiently as possible, within Tubman’s birth anniversary year, National Travel Center (1) researched the history and locations along a proposed route to most effectively reflect the progress of Harriet Tubman through Chester County, (2) identified related locations regarding African American, Quaker, and other abolitionists, and the African American experience in the region, (3) prepared the needed documentation for an application to support official designation, (4) developed an inspiring Byway story, (5) coordinated with Department of Transportation officials regarding appropriate ordinances and other requirements to have the Byway designated, (6) compiled the material into an application, complete with images and maps, (7) convened an Advisory Committee to evaluate the stories in the area to be told, (8) and developed a new website to illustrate the Byway story, the history of the Underground Railroad in the area, and ten individual very moving stories to promote a greater understanding of the Underground Railroad in Chester County. The stories illustrate the importance of the location to the enslaved who, upon reaching Pennsylvania, “just over the line,” crossed into a state that began eliminating slavery in 1780, more than 80 years before the Civil War, that offered at least the possibility of freedom.
George Washington Heritage Trail National Scenic Byway
Seeking to rejuvenate the organization and transform the Byway into a tourism offering, the project included (1) development of a new route to reroute the Byway, (2) determination of the appropriate placement of directional signage, (3) management of the development of plans for a new interpretive center, (4) delivering grant oversight, (5) development of a series of individual driving travel packages, 6) development of a new website with unique mapping, and (7) development of marketing materials to promote the Byway to a national audience.
Scenic Byway Marketing and Promotion
Principals of National Travel Center have worked with, on, advised, written about, promoted, and otherwise marketed 443 of the 1,100 state and national Scenic Byways in America.
