Tour operators, meeting planners to visit Brunswick and The Golden Isles during second "Catch the Coast" tour

More than 40 tour operators, meeting planners and travel writers will get a closeup look at Brunswick and The Golden Isles during the second "CATCH the Coast" tour, Dec. 7 - 9. The tour, sponsored by the Brunswick Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau, is designed to introduce travel professionals to the area's Culture, Arts, Theatre, Cooking and History – hence the "CATCH" the Coast title.

Organizers of the Brunswick Golden Isles CVB's "CATCH The Coast" tour
expect more than 40 tour operators, meeting planners and travel writers to
attend the tour, which takes place Dec. 7-9. Front: Robyn Crooks. Back row from left:
Abby Ellis, Missy Brandt and Tomee Sellars.

"We conducted our first CATCH the Coast Tour last fall and it proved to be a hit with the participants," said Robyn Crooks, Director of Sales for the Hampton Inn and Suites and Comfort Suites in Brunswick and one of the tour organizers. "Many of those whom we contacted at the time were unable to participate, but wanted to visit the area. We were really pleased at the amount of interest the tour has generated."

Tour participants can look forward to a full itinerary that will include stops in Brunswick and on St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. The group will attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Jekyll Island Convention Center; enjoy light refreshments and a tour at Brunswick Manor; a "mini trade fair" and dinner at Saltwater Cowboy on St. Simons Island; take a cruise aboard the Lady Jane shrimp boat, and make stops at Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation in Brunswick, and St. Simons Lighthouse, the Maritime Museum, Fort Frederica, Christ Church, and the Moore Methodist Museum on St. Simons Island.

The group also will enjoy dinner at Benny's Red Barn and a "hands-on" art activity at Glynn Art Association on St. Simons Island, as well as a reception and play at Art Downtown/Gallery 209 in Brunswick. On Jekyll Island, the group will visit the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, have lunch at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel and take a "Holiday in History" tour of the Jekyll Island Historic District.

"We are really excited about the tour and the many opportunities we will have to show off our area," said tour organizer Abby Ellis, group sales manager for Holiday Inn Express and Best Western Island Inn, both on St. Simons Island. "We are especially grateful to our partners in the tourism industry, who have generously provided their support."

Tour partners include the Holiday Inn Express and Best Western Island Inn, Brunswick Manor, Coastal Georgia Historical Society, Saltwater Cowboy, Art Downtown/Gallery 209, Credle's Adventures, Blackwater Grill, Glynn Art Association, Bennies Red Barn, Jekyll Island Authority, Jekyll Island Club Hotel and Days Inn and Suites, Jekyll Island.

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Here's a video of our first CATCH The Coast tour, in September 2009:



Special thanks to West Marine and Shoreline Marine in Brunswick for their assistance with our "CATCH The Coast" photo and video.