(Above) Skeet Willingham greets visitors at the door as wife Ginny King prepares to show their home. (Right) Vivian Walker points out details of her home to Tour of Homes visitors.Organizers say that although weather was perfect and the homes lovely, attendance was down significantly for Saturday's Spring Tour of Homes. (Apr 2007)"Everybody I talked to said they had a wonderful time," co-chairman Vivian Walker said, "and they loved the selection of different homes, but I think the numbers were down some. We had 335 visitors at Holly Ridge, and some of the Candlelight tour homes had 65 to 75. And the weather was perfect, and everybody said they enjoyed the homes and the lunch at the Woman's Club."
Tour co-chairman Bill Steed said that the final count was not complete, but he estimated that some 350 visitors came for the tour, down from more than 700 last year.
Walker said that she was thankful for the homeowners who volunteered to prepare and open their homes for the tour. "It's a lot of work they have to do to be ready, and it's getting harder and harder to locate homes that haven't been on the Tour in three years, and who are willing to be on again."
She said that the Tour was shortened this year because she couldn't get enough homeowners to host the dessert soiree on Friday night, and few wanted to open their homes on Sunday. "It's always a struggle, but we still had a good group of homes."The change in schedule caused some problems, since advertisements for the Tour had been placed months in advance, and they all said that the Tour was set for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as it had been for years.
Merchants said that more than a few visitors arrived Friday looking for the Tour. "I had to apologize to a lot of folks," one said.
Although Tour numbers were down, this week tourism in Washington is making a quick rebound. Tourism Director Ashley Barnett says that visitors to The Masters are now filling hotel rooms and restaurants in Washington.
"There may be one or two rooms available in a bed and breakfast inn or a hotel here, but not many," she said. "The visitor's center has been jammed Monday and Tuesday. People say they found Washington on the internet, and wanted to be in a quaint Southern town away from the crowds in Augusta."
Restaurants have seen the impact, too. "The Washington Jockey Club's been packed, and the Fitzpatrick's restaurant is open every night this week. Everybody says there are lots more people from the Masters in town this year."
Steed said that it would help the Tour to advertise it to the golf fans who come to Augusta the week after the Tour. "It's a perfect match - start your week at the Masters here at the Tour of Homes. We need to see how we can connect the two."
"Folks who go to the Masters are really starting to discover Washington now that we've been advertising more," Barnett said. "They're finding us from our ads in Southern Living, and our TV ads in Atlanta, and from the internet. And it's just starting. Wait til next year."
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