Stuart, Florida—Small town, big fun!

Patty O-Connell, Rachel Snyder and Thondra Lanese
painted the holiday flavor of Downtown Stuart.

Talkin’ Tourism’s hometown of Stuart, Florida was well represented by three outstanding guests this week. With the focus on small town destination tourism and the upcoming holidays, Talkin’ Tourism listeners became very well versed about all the attributes that make Stuart, Florida a model of downtown revitalization success.

Thondra Lanese, project manager for the City of Stuart Community Redevelopment Agency, provided historical background on the Florida Main Street Program, which has been instrumental in Historic Downtown Stuart’s revitalization success. Initiated 23 years ago, the process is still moving forward with great vision. Thondra also noted how this effort has help grow the tourism industry in the community. 

A downtown would not be successful without a group of dedicated merchants. President of the Downtown Business Association, Patty O’Connell, shared how the merchants, along with the Stuart Main Street members, are collaboratively working toward common goals. She was especially proud of the recent article  in Coastal Living Magazine showcasing Stuart a national audience. 

Activities abound in Stuart, especially during the holiday season. Stuart Main Street board member Rachael Snyder ran down all the special holiday events on the calendar, including holiday boat parades, tree lighting festivities, music events and more.

Whether a resident or visitor to the City of Stuart, this episode shared a lot of great information about this thriving waterfront town. Here's the audio file from this (November 25) episode of Talkin' Tourism.

Thanks for listening and special thanks to the Stuart Coffee Company for allowing us to broadcast live from their great new shop.