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Press Release
Smart Destinations partners with Blue Ridge National Heritage Area to Launch
Go Blue Ridge™ Card
Offers Best Value on Attractions along the Blue Ridge Parkway
May 14, 2007 (Western North Carolina) – Smart Destinations in partnership with the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area announces the launch of the Go Blue Ridge™ Card. The Go Blue Ridge Card is a premium attraction pass that offers fully pre-paid access to 29 top attractions along the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina, plus significant discounts on dining and shopping. The Go Blue Ridge Card is the smart choice for travelers who want to see and do everything the Blue Ridge region has to offer at an affordable price.
“The Go Blue Ridge Card allows visitors to create their own tailor made experience by choosing the combination of attractions that suits their own interests and schedule” said Smart Destinations president, Cecilia Dahl. “Whether they want to take a white water rafting trip, explore the Linville Caverns or hop on the Tweetsie Railroad, travelers can do it all with one easy-to-use attraction pass. Our child rates also make the Go Card family-friendly.”
The Go Blue Ridge Card can be purchased in 2, 3 and 5 calendar day increments. Once activated, the card is valid for access to the included attractions for the number of days purchased. The card’s highlights include fully pre-paid admission to Biltmore, Chimney Rock Park, Emerald Village, Rockhouse Vineyards, Lake Lure Tours, Asheville Historic Trolley Tour, the Health Adventure, Colburn Earth Science Museum, Smith-McDowell House Museum, Thomas Wolfe Memorial, Tweetsie Railroad, Linville Caverns, Grandfather Mountain, Banner Elk Winery, Loafers Glory Rafting & Tubing, The Historic Orchard at Altapass storytelling hayride, Mystery Hill, Wildwater Rafting trip, Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) raft trip, Smoky Mountain Jet Boats, Dillsboro Rafting trip, Great Smokey Mountain Fish Camp with Tubing, Oconaluftee Indian Village, Mountainside Theatre: Unto these Hills…A Retelling, Ghost Town in the Sky™ Rose Creek Mine, The Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Wheels Through Time Museum, and Smoky Mountain Trains Museum.
Additional savings are available just by showing the Card. Discounts are available at restaurants, merchants and attractions including Spear’s BBQ and Grill at Linville Falls Lodge, NOC Relia’s Garden Restaurant, the Balsam Mountain Inn restaurant, Brushy Mountain Smokehouse and Creamery, Chimney Rock Park Sky Lounge and the Old Rock Café Restaurant, Grove Arcade ARTS & Heritage Gallery, the Historic Orchard at Altapass, Mast General Store, Banner Elk Winery, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, Smoky Mountain Jet Boats, Horn in the West and Hickory Ridge Living Museum, and Blue Ridge Day Hiker.
The Go Blue Ridge Card comes with a full color guidebook that includes maps of western North Carolina and describes each of the offers in detail to help travelers plan their activities. Visitors can purchase the Go Blue Ridge Card online at www.GoBlueRidgeCard.com, through any of Smart Destinations’ global distribution partners or in person at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, 36 Montford Street, Asheville at (828) 258-6101. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Directions at www.exploreasheville.com.
Blue Ridge is Smart Destinations’ thirteenth destination. Other cities offering Smart Destinations’ passes include Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Maui, Miami, Orlando, Oahu, New York City, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and California’s Wine Country. Attraction partners appreciate not only the Card’s track record, but the ease in Smart Destinations’ advanced paperless technology, with ongoing, detailed reports about usage and automatic, on-time payment, and its wide global distribution networks in more than 25 countries.
Smart Destinations At A Glance:
• Launched Go Boston™ Card in 2003, Go San Francisco™ Card in 2004, followed by 8 additional cities in 2005 and 2006.
• More than 1,000 distribution partners and affiliates in over 25 countries, including Virgin Holidays, American Airlines Vacations, Southwest Vacations, The Mark Travel Corporation, National Leisure Group, and major online tour operators such as Expedia, Travelocity, Viator, Orbitz and more.
• Recipient of more than $4.25 M investment from North Hill Ventures, the venture investment arm of Capital One and Zon Capital Partners, a private venture capital firm.
• Cecilia Dahl, President and founder, is an industry veteran of the wholesale travel business, formerly with Collette Vacations. Kevin McLaughlin, CEO and founder, is a veteran entrepreneur with experience in marketing and product management for high tech products.
Go Blue Ridge Card At A Glance:
• The product is a single, easy-to-carry smartcard used as a ticket for unlimited attraction admissions that eliminates paperwork and coupons.
• Accompanying guidebook lists the included attractions, fun tips and detailed maps, plus information on shops and restaurants that offer exclusive value savings to Card holders.
• 2, 3 and 5-day Cards available
• Key tourist destination points of sale, plus central voucher redemption locations for those traveling on packages.
About Smart Destinations:
Smart Destinations is the premier provider of attraction passes in major U.S. travel destinations.
Smart Destinations offers simplified access to attractions to individuals, couples and families, for one low price. The Guidebook is ready-to-travel and includes fun facts about a destination, access details, and important local numbers. Passes are distributed through major travel services in 25 countries as well as on the Web. Smart Destinations’ passes are the industry’s “trusted companion” for the best a city has to offer at an unbeatable price point.
For more information on program participation, the company and its cards, visit www.GoCardUSA.com and www.ExplorerPass.com or call 800-887-9103.
Pricing for the Go Blue Ridge™ Card
| 2-day Go Blue Ridge Card Adult (13+) |
$79.00 |
Child (3-12) |
$49.00 |
| 3-day Go Blue Ridge Card Adult (13+) |
$109.00 |
Child (3-12) |
$79.00 |
| 5-day Go Blue Ridge Card Adult (13+) |
$159.00 |
Child (3-12) |
$119.00 |
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Inc.
800-887-9103,
email Smart Destinations
85 Merrimac Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02114
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