Tourism

Tourism is an important asset to a community as it draws new visitors to the area to spend time and money and enhances the community’s reputation and identity. Tourism can be a tool for economic development, increasing local tax revenues and job opportunities for tourism-based industries. Wake Forest offers many assets that can be leveraged for tourism, including the historic Downtown, the Renaissance Centre, parks and greenways, and the Wake Forest Historical Museum. Heritage tourism can also be promoted based on the Town’s historic districts and structures, such as the Ailey Young House. In addition, the future S-Line passenger rail service also presents major potential to provide an entryway for thousands of visitors each year to travel to and through Wake Forest, improving the economic viability of activity centers and hotels in the area.

Destination 2028

Destination 2028 is a strategic plan led by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau with the goal of attracting 21.7 million visitors to Wake County annually. In this plan, shopping and retail experiences are identified as one of the main reasons people visit Wake County, and Downtown Wake Forest is specifically referenced as a key destination. The County as a whole is experiencing growth in tourism, driven by Raleigh-Durham International Airport, higher education institutions, business and research centers, and other leisure and cultural opportunities. The Town should leverage these resources to ensure Wake Forest capitalizes on this momentum for many years to come. Destination 2028 should be used as a guiding document to understand how coordinated private and public investments in Wake Forest and neighboring areas can complement each other and contribute to a cohesive regional tourism identity.

Arts & Culture

Wake Forest enjoys an active arts community that, with the right support, could help turn the Town into a regional arts destination. Downtown features a cluster of galleries, studios, and art shops along S White Street, including the Renaissance Centre for the Arts. These establishments are within walking distance of each other, making coordinated events or arts-centric neighborhood branding an opportunity. The Factory, located on South Main Street, offers another cultural draw to Wake Forest as both a shopping center and sports and entertainment complex. The Town should supplement these various cultural assets with decorative signage, gateways, public murals, and sculptures, as well as establish recurring and special events to activate parking lots and public spaces.

CASE STUDY ARTS & DESIGN DISTRICT

CARMEL, INDIANA

Carmel, Indiana is a city located just north of Indianapolis whose tourism is bolstered by its own Arts and Design District. The District features a cluster of art galleries, interior designers, showrooms, antique stores, a design center, and specialty retail stores immediately surrounded by residential uses. The District is further activated by recurring festivals focused around art, wine, food, and music. Decorative brick sidewalks and crosswalks, fountains, decorative lighting, and plentiful outdoor seating all help achieve a cohesive, memorable sense of place. Brewpubs, restaurants, and higher density residential buildings help ground the District as a neighborhood that is financially robust at all times of the day and year. The Arts and Design District has helped the City earn the ranking of the best place to live in the United States for two years in a row by data company Niche.

Placemaking

Placemaking helps define a community’s identity and contributes to a unique sense of place that differentiates it from other areas of town and the region. Placemaking combines branding, beautification, and functional infrastructure to create new draws to the community, encouraging formal and informal social interactions. Examples of placemaking efforts by the Town include banner signs, decorative streetlights, planters, and public art on Jones Avenue and S White Street in Downtown. The Town should continue these efforts to incorporate placemaking elements. Public gathering spaces such as plazas and parklets should be used in combination with decorative signage and lighting, seating areas, planters, and other beautification elements to create cohesive and inviting destinations.

Key Recommendations

| Grow the Town’s art community and reputation as a regional arts destination with a Downtown focus.

| Explore the potential of constructing a recreational destination facility with a regional draw. | Develop annual Tourism Economic

Impact Reports to help quantify progress made in Wake Forest’s tourism sector and identify trends, issues, and opportunities that can help Town staff prioritize future investments. | Support the Wake Forest Area Chamber to create and market a local visitor’s center as a public resource hub for the Town’s attractions, events, and businesses for visitors.

| Leverage Wake County’s Room

Occupancy Tax to build, finance, and create new establishments or run events related to tourism, allowing the Town to capitalize on its success in drawing hotel occupants. | Create a community-wide wayfinding plan to improve sense of place and signage that directs visitors and residents to Town destinations.

| Continue to support Wake Forest

Downtown Inc. (a Main Street America accredited program) in meeting the

National Accreditation Standards of

Performance as outlined by the National

Main Street Center.

| Continue to participate in the NC

Main to Main Trail program, a network that connects the State’s Main Street

America communities, and leverage this designation in the Town’s marketing strategy. | Investigate hiring consultants to provide a comprehensive evaluation of Town events and provide recommendations for improved programs. | Explore the creation of a social district, where customers can carry and consume food and drinks purchased from businesses outside in a designated zone.

CASE STUDY RIVER DISTRICT

DANVILLE, VIRGINIA

Danville, Virginia is a city located approximately 40 miles northwest of Greensboro, North Carolina that has done a commendable job branding itself for tourism and development. In 2013, the City released design guidelines for a new River District that covered aspects like historic and new buildings, sidewalk dining, outdoor displays, signage, awnings, streetscaping, open space, and maintenance. In 2015, the City launched a new branding strategy for the River District with a logo and modern color scheme—this is featured on the numerous banners that line the District’s streets and on wayfinding signage that points visitors towards key destinations and routes. The River District is further completed with new sidewalks with brick pavers, decorative lamps, benches, landscaping features, public Wi-Fi, a plaza, bike parking, and a trailhead. The City also offers economic incentives in the form of grants, loans, and fast-track permitting processes, and tax incentives for historic renovations, job creation, niche retailers, upscale restaurants, and unique eateries.