Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 15, 2010
Rock City earns the Shining Examples Award, mystery shop top score
Erica Tuggle
By Erica Tuggle
For nearly 80 years, Rock City has been a beloved tourist attraction for the entire nation, more than earning their recent recognition as the Southeast Tour-
ism Society’s Travel Attraction of the Year.
The Shining Example Awards have been presented annually since 1985 by the STS, an organization dedicated to the promotion and development of tourism in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Over half of these states can be seen from the top of Lover’s Leap at Rock City!
Neville Bhada, the vice president of communications and public relations for STS, says a committee of travel and tourism industry peers named Rock City Gardens to this distinction.
“This panel is seeking traits like creativity, return-on-investment, impact on the community, volunteer programs and innovative or new programs started by the attraction …” he says. “We salute Bill Chapin and his staff on having a wonderful product that draws in visitors year-in and year-out.”
Andrew Kean, the president and chief operating officer of See Rock City, Inc. says, “It is truly an amazing honor for Rock City and our team of partners. To be recognized as the Travel Attraction of the Year means that the experience we offer our guests is unique and rare.”
Through the STS awards, Rock City has also received top recognition for two of their main seasonal events in the early 2000s: the Enchanted Garden of Lights at Rock City and the Enchanted Maze at Blowing Springs Farm. Last year, Rock City also received the top score, alongside Chimney Rock Park, by Southern Highlands attractions mystery shops for their guest service excellence.
“For us, delivering excellent guest service is fundamental to our business and daily mission. Primarily, we all adopted the pursuit of excellent guest service as a common responsibility, realizing that it can be the difference between an average visit for a guest and a visit a guest wants to repeat again and again,” Kean says. “We train, coach, reward and practice, just like any team focused on a common goal.”
The reason for all this high regard is merited by the fact that Rock City is unique, Kean says.
“The natural beauty and marvels of nature set a stage for friends and families to connect in ways that create joyful memories and for people to interact with our natural world,” he says.
The Rock City team works diligently to preserve these natural elements such as the geological formations and the beautiful gardens Rock City is synonymous with, and the staff develops and offers as much innovation in their product as resources allow, he says.
“It’s a delicate balance, but we feel that we’ve learned it and maintaining it keeps our experience fresh and relevant from generation to generation,” Kean says.
It is the combination of this drive, the people behind it and innovation that empowers Rock City to consistently provide a product alongside which a whole town can flourish. During the annual festivals, the entertainment throughout the year and in community partnerships, Rock City strives to be a leader in the industry and region, he says.
There is also a host of events and activities upcoming for Rock City as the holidays approach. The fifth annual Rocktoberfest kicked off this month as a celebration of Rock City’s co-founder’s German heritage. This event is ongoing alongside the Enchanted Maze at Blowing Springs Farm in the Chattanooga Valley. When darkness falls, the Blowing Springs Farm transforms into the Blowing SCREAMS Farm to offer thrilling experiences with the Forest of Fear and the Ghost Ride. After these events subside, the valued tradition during the holiday season will commence with the Enchanted Garden of Lights.
All the while, the simple and beautiful attractions for which Rock City has garnered praise and fame continues to impress visitors as it has done since May 21, 1932, when the attraction first opened to the public. At the Rock City Gardens, visitors can conduct themselves along The Enchanted Trail covering 14 acres and view impressive 200 million year old rock formations. They can stroll through the gardens suited up in fall colors and featuring more than 400 different species of flora.
Then there is always the opportunity to see seven states from 1,700 feet above sea level and get lost in the striking views, of the Chattanooga Valley and Missionary Ridge-Civil War battlefields.
Along the trail, there is a
100-foot waterfall, a 1,000-ton
balanced rock, the Swing-A-
Long Bridge, the Fairyland Ca-
verns and Mother Goose Village.
With all this diversity and beauty in one place, it’s hard not to stop and take notice of the wonderful attraction within our town. Congratulations to Rock City Gardens for being named Travel Attraction of the Year and for all their past accolades.
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