That tourist' may be a neighbor

By Staff
Aug. 19, 2001
The "tourist" you see riding the Meridian trolley around town on Thursday may look familiar. He or she may be one of your neighbors, taking a tour of their city for the first time, seeing some sites they haven't seen before.
What a novel idea, building interest in Meridian as a tourism destination from within. The Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau is sponsoring the half-day guided tour of several sites in an attempt to generate renewed interest among the people closest to them us.
The trolley will make stops at Rose Hill Cemetery, Merrehope, the Jimmie Rodgers Museum (which ought to be relocated to Union Station), the Dentzel Carousel at Highland Park, E.F. Young Jr. Manufacturing Co. and the Peavey Museum.
The trolley was full only a few days after the Tourism Bureau announced the city tour. With so much interest, maybe they'll decide to do it again. After all, there is no charge.
While the vast majority of tourism revenue will continue to come from visitors, it never hurts for residents to get a first hand look at some of the major hometown attractions so they can help spread the good word.