Savannah didn't 'find' heritage tourism, they practically invented it.  It was a conscious intentional effort to boost the local economy using historic preservation.  And it was done through citizen initiative, by Historic Savannah Foundation, with little help and support from the city...the government only recently finally recognized that they really were having a powerful effect on the city's overall economy, and began to help promote preservation.

Leopold Adler's presentation at the National Trust meeting was most revealing.

As far as my comments about what to do when visiting, I took my bike to the conference.  I rode like the wind (at least when the wind was at my back) out to the beaches and back (it was great...flat land, put it in gear and crank...averaged 23 mph) and then tooled along the city grid away from the riverfront, into the Victorian neighborhoods.  Then later that night, we went out and saw Lady Chablis.

Now that was local color at its best....
____________________________________

Dan Becker, Exec. Dir., RHDC
Raleigh Historic Districts Commission
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-----Original Message-----
From:   Mary Krugman [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   February 20, 1999 5:29 PM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: Heritage Tourism - without the Heritage - or,let's put the ...

<snip>

I wonder again about cases like St. A & Sav. Maybe 20 years ago they were
backwaters -- no economic base, little industry, no real reason for being.
THEN they found "Heritage Tourism!," which breathed some life and cash into
their towns. Luckily, they discovered it before it was gone. Maybe this is
their only economic base, and they are happy to have it.