Appalachian Trail

What I Learned about Charlottesville, Virginia

Published February 15, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Monticello — Jefferson’s home, which appears on the U.S. nickel coin. Photo by Clark Norton

Dear Readers,

While I’m traveling in Antarctica for a few weeks I’ll be reprising some of my most popular posts from the past three years. This one (now slightly updated) originally ran in December of 2013.

On a recent family visit to Charlottesville, Virginia, I found it to be a very livable — and visit-able — city, which I highly recommend for baby boomer travelers.

Mostly I knew it as the home of the University of Virginia and Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, both of which were designed by our third president. Those two sites alone would warrant a visit, but anyone interested in history, outdoor activities and good food would find a welcome respite in Charlottesville.

Now here are ten things I didn’t know about Charlottesville:

Montpelier, home of President James Madison. Photo by Lia Norton

Montpelier, home of… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Cities, cultural travel, Hiking, History, museums | Tagged Appalachian Trail, Ash Lawn-Highland, Charlottesville, Crabtree Falls, James Madison, James Monroe, Monticello, Montpelier, Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive, Spudnuts, Thomas Jefferson, University of Virginia, Virginia | Leave a comment

Ten Things I Didn’t Know About Charlottesville, Virginia

Published December 2, 2013 | By Clark Norton

Monticello — Jefferson’s home, which appears on the U.S. nickel coin. Photo by Clark Norton

I spent last week in Charlottesville, Virginia, visiting family over Thanksgiving, and found it to be a very livable — and visit-able — city, which I highly recommend for baby boomer travelers.

Now here are ten things I didn’t know about Charlottesville:

Montpelier, home of President James Madison. Photo by Lia Norton

* Some of the most coveted and prestigious student residences at the University of Virginia have no bathrooms. These are historic ground-floor single rooms facing the Lawn, the long… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Cities | Tagged Appalachian Trail, Ash Lawn-Highland, Australian aboriginal art, baby boomer travel, baby boomer travelers, baby boomers and tourism, Barbecue Exchange, Charlottesville, Crabtree Falls, Monticello, Montpelier, Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive, Spudnuts, traveling baby boomers, University of Virginia, Virginia | 14 Comments

Ten Things I Didn’t Know About Roanoke, Virginia

Published October 23, 2013 | By Clark Norton

A pastoral scene near Roanoke, Virginia. Photo by Clark Norton

In my previous post, I talked about my trip last week to the Roanoke, Virginia, area, and what I regard are the smart marketing techniques of the Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau by hosting travel writers and photographers from around the U.S. and Canada to experience an area they might otherwise not visit.

The trip was organized by the Florida-based public relations firm Geiger & Associates, who work out every activity down to the minute and somehow manage not to lose any writers — who rank right up there with cats in the “herding difficulty” scale — along the way.

Now I want to detail some things I learned about Roanoke and surroundings — well branded as “Virginia’s Blue Ridge” — that might be of interest to baby boomer travelers.

So in no particular order, here… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Cities, Marketing | Tagged Appalachian Trail, baby boomer marketing strategies, baby boomer travel, baby boomer travel trends, baby boomer travelers, baby boomers, baby boomers and tourism, Blue Ridge Parkway, boomers, Fincastle, Link Museum, marketing baby boomer travel, Roanoke, Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, selling travel to baby boomers, travel marketing, traveling baby boomers, Virginia Museum of Transportation | 5 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.