New space is more modern and accessible to visitors and the local community.
By Cathy Jett
CONTRIBUTOR
Visitors to Fredericksburg can snap selfies in front of a giant mural of downtown when the Visitor Center opens in its new space in early November on Executive Plaza’s first floor.
Fredericksburg Assistant Director of Tourism M.C. Morris said it was her favorite thing about the new space at 601 Caroline St. as she took City Council members on a preview tour Tuesday.
“This is magical,” she said. “People will take pictures in front of this and it will look like they’re walking downtown. It will be amazing.”
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City Council voted to relocate the city’s Visitor Center from 706 Caroline Street to a larger, more modern and accessible space at the Executive Plaza last December. It awarded a $2.43 million construction contract to the low bidder, Paddox LLC of Leesburg.
Work began in January on the interior renovation. The main area will feature a large desk where visitors can talk to travel counselors, a flat-screen television showing a continuous loop of information about the National Park Service, a mural featuring Fredericksburg’s Sister Cities, and shelving for merchandise, including that of the Fredericksburg Nationals and the University of Mary Washington.
“They will be well represented in the merch world so that people know they are here,” Morris said. “A lot of people come downtown, right here on Caroline Street, and have no idea that UMW is here.”
The new Visitor Center will also have an exhibit room where chairs can be arranged to seat up to 54 people, a large television to show movies, and a track system for hanging art displays.
Other features include a conference room that can be used by such groups as the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority (EDA), a break room, and storage area.
Already installed in front of the new Visitor Center is a small rock-filled area with several bronze river otter sculptures similar to those in the Otter-ly Amazing Public Art Project spearheaded by Fredericksburg VA Main Street.
It will be accessible only from a door inside the Visitor Center. There will be chairs around it and it will be lit at night.
“The idea is to allow people to come out and linger when the weather is good,” Morris said.
Fredericksburg VA Main Street will lease a 200-square-foot office next to the Visitor Center. It will have a separate entrance off Caroline Street.
“It’s a real win-win for both of us—lots of collaboration,” Morris said.
Executive Plaza’s third floor has already been renovated to house the city’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Staff moved from their offices on the second and third floor of the current Visitor Center building last May. The 1,500-square-foot space includes five private offices, four workstations, a conference room, reception area, and lobby. There’s also a break room for the entire floor.
Discovery Contractors of Arlington did the work, which cost $154,022.
The Visitor Center’s current home is a three-story brick building dating to 1824 when it was built as a confectionary and grocery store. It changed hands several times over the years and was eventually purchased by Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Inc. in an effort to preserve and restore the historic structure.
The city bought it from HFFI and opened it in 1976 as the Bicentennial Fredericksburg Visitor Center in commemoration of the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence.
City Council sold the building and its adjoining parking lot to the EDA in December of 2022 for $1.26 million and is leasing it until the new Visitor Center is ready. The sale provided most of the funds needed for the Executive Plaza project, which was recommended by the 2019 DMO Proz tourism study.
The study said that the Visitor Center wasn’t competitive with successful visitor centers around the country, was too small to be effective on busy days, was not ADA compliant, and lacked up-to-date technology. It added that Fredericksburg’s travel counselors would be able to do a better job if they had the space and technology that other visitor centers have.
Jarrell Properties, a local real estate construction and development company, has purchased 706 Caroline Street and the parking lot for $1.337 million.
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