With the smell of fresh paint lingering, the visitor center on Clay Street was opened to the public by the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau on Tuesday as part of the weeklong National Tourism Week celebration.

“It’s like a whole new beginning,” said Mary Anderson, manager of the center who has worked for the tourism development agency for nearly 20 years. “This is just so much more comfortable, relaxing and tourist-friendly.”

The $120,000, three-month-long renovation was the first facelift the 30-year-old building has received, said Bill Seratt, director. Along with structural work completed on the building, walls were knocked out to create a more open atmosphere. New lighting, flooring and siding were installed. The storage area was doubled, flat screen TVs were purchased and a light gray was chosen to replace the former orange-red interior paint. Outside, a traditional whitewash replaced the faded peach paint. The building was also brought into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and a new sign is on order to replace the one inviting passers-by to stop.

“We want visitors to have the best first impression of Vicksburg that they can possibly have, and now we have a facility that can provide that impression,” said Seratt. “It’s like a brand-new building.”

The idea for a welcome center across from the entrance to the Vicksburg National Military Park was an initial aim of the agency back when it was created and operated on a budget of about $25,000 per year. Funded with a 1 percent tax added to sales at restaurants and bars and rental of motel and bed and breakfast rooms, the VCVB now spends about $1 million yearly to develop events and promote tourism.

The remodeling project is one of many endeavors the VCVB has undertaken this year. In April, it tentatively agreed to move its executive offices into the city-owned Levee Street Depot and share office space with the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce and Vicksburg Main Street Program. A new VCVB Web site was created and launched last month. Seratt said the site, at www.visitvicksburg.com, will be refined and improved in the coming weeks, and eventually will cost about $40,000.

“We’re still playing with it, but it’s up there. It’s a whole new look that matches the style of our visitors guide and other advertising we’ve been doing,” he said. “When we get into the first of June we’ll be doing some video production for the Web site and some TV spots, and that will be the major expense.”

The local tourism welcome center works in companion with a state center at the Mississippi River bridges. Both offer refreshments, restrooms, brochures, and are staffed by people who can provide overviews and answer questions. Combined, at least a million travelers a year stop at the centers.

The VCVB has also commissioned three new brochures this year, two of which will be available in the coming weeks. A brochure designed to help teachers plan a field trip to Vicksburg is already available, while a nature guide created in conjunction with Audubon Mississippi and Lower Delta Partnership will be available in abut two weeks, said Seratt. In six weeks, a large brochure focusing on artwork in the Vicksburg National Military Park should be complete.

Created with help from a $25,000 grant from The Delta Initiative, “The Art of Commemoration” will focus on about 150 major works of art inside the military park — which boasts one of the largest collections of public art in the country. The nearly 1,400 busts, bronzes, monuments and tablets in the park and around the city have been estimated to be worth as much as $3 billion.

The guide is being created with the help of Dr. Michael Panhorst of Montgomery, Ala., who received a doctorate in Civil War commemorative art. Because of the sheer amount of art in the park, Seratt said they are in the process of editing down the brochure to about 58 pages. Included in the brochure will be information about the works of art, the artists and symbolism in the monuments.

“It’s about tapping into niche markets,” said Seratt of the new brochures. “We want people to have the information they need to customize their visits and get them to stay a few extra days.” 

The VCVB visitor center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The Mississippi Welcome Center on Washington Street near the Mississippi River bridges will feature guests and special activities the rest of the week in observance of National Tourism Week.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com