In 1969 a young Richmond ad man searching for the magic slogan that would boost tourism in Virginia came up with a sensible if less-than sensational suggestion: "Virginia is for History Lovers." History? True, his boss thought, but a little boring. Why not just "Virginia is for Lovers"? Now that had a ring to it. A big ring: 30 years and millions of bumper stickers later, tourism is a $13 billion business in Virginia. Now the state is on the verge of a slew of historical commemorations, from the 200th anniversary of Lewis and Clark’s expedition to the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Organizers and officials are betting that the events will be a big draw, especially for the history fans who already make up the largest segment of Virginia’s tourism market. But will newcomers visit the Old Dominion just for history? And will others come to mark events that, in a strict historical sense, didn’t actually occur in Virginia? There are suggestions that the anniversary celebrations may not have the sizzle that backers hope for.

The Wright Brothers' historic flight and the cross-continental exploration by Lewis and Clark are two historical commenorations Virginia is promoting. Newspaper courtesy The Virginian-Pilot, photos courtesy Richmond Times-Dispatch.

The galas begin in January 2003 with a four-year national celebration of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The event will kick off at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home, which may or may not have had much to do with the famous explorers, although it was Jefferson who authorized the expedition to check out that big chunk of land he had purchased from the French. Lewis and Clark also had family homes in Albemarle County. But Charlottesville may be taking things too far. Its city council is considering building a $24 million Lewis and Clark center touted as capable of attracting as many as half a million visitors a year. That number would be very impressive. But it also might be something of a stretch — that would make it as popular as Monticello, one of the top tourist destinations in the state — since about half a million people see the far more famous Monticello each year.

Later in 2003, the state will celebrate the Wright Brothers’ first flight with a three-week aviation industry conference and air circus at the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport. The Aviation World’s Fair will be "an enormous trade show," says Gayle Morgan Vail, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corp., which markets the state beyond its borders. "It’s going to be a fabulous event ... the premier event of the 100th anniversary of the first flight." One problem: Wilbur and Orville’s famous feat actually took place along the sands of the Outer Banks in North Carolina some 90 miles to the southeast. But as with Lewis and Clark, Virginia does have a small claim to the story. When the brothers telegraphed news of their achievement back to their father at home in Dayton, Ohio, so he could advise on publicizing the flight, a telegraph operator in Norfolk leaked the story to The Virginian-Pilot, giving the paper a worldwide scoop on the news. But it got little play elsewhere, and for years the Kitty Hawk flight was generally met with disinterest if not outright disbelief.

Similar sentiments if not worse may greet Jamestown 2007. Reeva Tilley, who chairs the Virginia Council on Indians and is a member of the Rappahannock tribe, says that if state leaders don’t support federal recognition of Virginia’s tribes granting them sovereignty, some might withdraw from the event the way they snubbed Gov. Jim Gilmore’s unveiling of the new, Jamestown-themed Virginia quarter-dollar last year. Tribes may even protest Jamestown 2007, but Tilley says she remains optimistic and points to Indians’ success in getting the state to change the name of the event from "Celebration 2007."

Some African-Americans likewise don’t see Jamestown 2007 as cause for a party. "We support the Indian position that there is nothing to celebrate," says King Salim Khalfani, executive director of the Virginia state conference of the NAACP. That’s because the first Africans to arrive in the American colonies were brought to Jamestown as indentured servants. Khalfani says that like Indians, blacks may protest 2007 events if they feel slighted, but for now there is no organized effort to encourage or discourage participation in the event. "That will be an individual decision," says Rovenia Vaughan, president of the Virginia state conference of the NAACP. Vaughan is a member of the Jamestown 2007 steering committee but has not attended any meetings. Out of protest? No, she’s not upset. "I consider this a secondary thing and am just trying to fit it in my schedule."

Indeed, expectations for Jamestown 2007 seem to be slipping. A pull-out-all-the-stops, world’s-fair type of approach has been dismissed, and a spokeswoman for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the entity coordinating the event, says only 1.1 million visitors are expected in the quadricentennial year. Anniversaries in 1907 and 1957 also attracted about a million visitors each — without the state spending tens of millions of dollars on new facilities and marketing programs. Even so there are signs the state may be pulling back on the bucks it is putting behind the commemoration. Thanks to recent squabbling over the state budget, Ben Dendy, a lobbyist and member of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation board of trustees, says that Jamestown 2007 will have to find other sources of funding: "We recognize that significant funds are going to have to be raised privately, and we’re working on that."

Even uncontroversial commemorations have no guarantee of runaway success. When Mount Vernon marked the 200th anniversary of the death of George Washington in 1999, for example, attendance rose only 6 percent above 1998. Attendance then fell 1 percent in 2000 despite related events throughout the year. That’s indicative of the difficulty in attracting tourists beyond the core history-buff market, says Bill Martin, director of the Valentine Museum/Rich-mond History Center. "Most overnight visitors are not going to come for just history. But they will if it’s part of a package that includes shopping, recreation, and other attractions."

With about 50,000 visitors a year, the Valentine and other history attractions are struggling to reach beyond their base and match the attendance of other tourist draws. In Richmond, for example, the Virginia Historical Society attracts about 60,000 visitors a year and the Museum and White House of the Confederacy attract about 70,000 visitors; by contrast, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts attracts 350,000 — more if it is hosting a blockbuster exhibit — and the Science Museum of Virginia draws 400,000.

While it may lack the broad appeal of Egyptian artifacts and dinosaur exhibits, history and heritage tourism in Virginia overall is nonetheless "big and still growing," says Ken McCleary, professor of hospitality and tourism management at Virginia Tech. In April, for example, Boston pediatrician Bettye Kearse and other descendants of slaves at Montpelier, James Madison’s home, will gather for a reunion event. "I’ve been going down there off and on the past few years," she says. "About two years ago, I was sitting around a table there talking to [Montpelier staff] when the idea for the event was sparked." Now dozens of Montpelier slave descendants are expected, and former Gov. Doug Wilder, a grandson of slaves, will address the gathering.

A survey of ten top tourist draws in the state (see graphic, Page 26) shows that half are historical. McCleary adds that while most history and heritage venues are small, the combined number of visitors to such attractions would easily outweigh those of any other category of attractions. The Virginia Tourism Corp.’s Vail agrees. "History is one of Virginia’s strongest selling points. We really weave that throughout everything we do." She adds that history and heritage tourism increasingly appeals to time-starved families seeking shorter and more enriching outings.

Virginia has history to spare, and more is coming soon —along with potential controversy. After all, the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War arrives in 2011.

Return to Virginia Business - April 2001