A Florida Welcome Center is a "tourist information house", generally located at the Florida state line. These centers provide incoming visitors with a variety of information on travel, highways, sports, climate, accommodations, cities, outdoor recreation, and attractions. Over the years, nearly 90 million visitors have collected more than 350 million maps and brochures.
In tribute to the citrus industry (which historically has been a major part of Florida's economy), every visitor is offered a free cup of Florida citrus juice (orange or grapefruit).
The Florida Welcome Centers are operated by Visit Florida, the official tourism promotion corporation for the State of Florida. There are five official welcome centers. From west to east, they are I-10 (Pensacola), US 231 (Campbellton), Capitol (Tallahassee), I-75 (Jennings), and I-95 (Yulee).
Florida was one of the first states to establish highway Welcome Centers. The first center opened in November 1949. It was located on U.S. Highway 17 near Yulee. It was such a success that centers followed on US 1 (near Hilliard), US 41 (near Jasper), US 231 (north of Marianna), US 90 (west of Pensacola), and U.S. Route 19 in Tallahassee.
Florida also has a marine welcome center for yachts and boats entering the state. Located in Fernandina Beach, Florida on the Intracoastal Waterway, the Welcome Center was recently re-opened and began service to visiting vessels entering Florida waters beginning November 1, 2009. The Welcome Center is at the City Marina, located at the foot of Centre Street in historic Fernandina Beach. The marina has 30 and 50A electrical service, fuel dock and all facilities for visiting boaters.
References
Florida's Official Welcome Centers - Every year, millions of visitors to the Sunshine State stop by one of Florida's Official Welcome Centers. Strategically placed along major corridors, Florida Welcome Centers provide maps, tourist...
External links
- VISITFLORIDA.ORG (industry website)
