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Aiken named one of 12 Distinctive Destinations
2/7/2008 12:21 AM   0 comments on this story E-mail this story to a friend

By APRIL BAILEY Staff writer
With its balance of cosmopolitan flair and 19th century heritage, Aiken has all of the necessary ingredients for a great vacation, according to representatives with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Because of Aiken's heritage tourism appeal, the city has just been named one of the National Trust's Dozen Distinctive Destinations.
As with the name, Aiken is one of only 12 communities in the nation to receive the honor from the National Trust, which is a nonprofit organization founded in 1949. The organization works to save historic areas and revitalize communities.
The National Trust has been selecting 12 communities that work to preserve their town's character each year since 2000.
Along with Aiken, Beaufort is the only other city in South Carolina to receive the honor, which was awarded to the city in 2001.
For the 2008 Distinctive Destination awards, Aiken was among 60 cities across the country from which the National Trust received nominations.
"It's a pretty big nod to say this is a place worth coming to visit," said Carla Cloud, executive director of the Aiken Downtown Development Association. "With the history, the beautiful parkways and gardens, quaint shops and art galleries added to the recreational venues, you can understand why 'unique' is the word most visitors use when describing our charming city."
Calling the award a "huge honor," Cloud said she worked with Coleen Reed, who was recently appointed as a board member to the Aiken Historic Foundation, to submit the application for the award.
"She was very instrumental with us receiving this award," said Cloud.
To be chosen as a "Distinctive Destination," the communities selected had to offer both a dynamic and authentic visitor experience, include a heritage tourism infrastructure, offer interesting architectural and cultural landscapes, provide a model for other towns and cities to preserve their own histories and share the National Trust's commitment to historic preservation and community revitalization.
In the application, Cloud and Reed described many of Aiken's landmark's as well as the some of the City's historic architecture and some of the programs and projects that the City maintains in its efforts to preserve history. The two also listed historic attractions such as the Willcox Inn, Hopelands Gardens, and Banksia and gave a brief history of the location.
Cloud said there will be an official news conference this afternoon that will include local and state representatives during which she plans to announce the award to the public.
The news conference will be held in the Alley on the patio of the Aiken Municipal Building at 2:30 p.m.
She said next month's Downtown After Six event on March 27 will be held in celebration of the award and plans to create limited edition post cards for the City that display the "Distinctive Destination" logo to be sold in downtown shops.
"Aiken has long been a visitor's paradise," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The past and present merge seamlessly to offer all the necessary ingredients for a great vacation."
Contact April Bailey at abailey@aikenstandard.com


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