Martin County Office of Tourism & Marketing Celebrates
National Award with Limited Edition Scavenger Hunt
The U.S. Travel Association recently recognized the Martin County Office of Tourism & Marketing in the 2021 Destination Council Destiny Awards. The team won the top prize in the "Destination and Product Development" category for their Martin County Arts & Culture Trail, created in partnership with the Arts Council of Martin County.
To celebrate the prestigious award recognition, the Office of Tourism & Marketing has partnered with local glass artist Dot Galfond to stage an engaging scavenger hunt along the trail. Galfond was commissioned to create 50 unique glass heart keepsakes (each signed and numbered), which represent the community's love and appreciation for the arts.
The scavenger hunt officially begins on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, and will continue through the end of October, which is recognized as National Arts and Humanities Month. Every week, a new batch of these beautiful heart sculptures will be hidden at different sites listed on the Martin County Arts & Culture Trail. Find a glass heart sculpture and it's yours to keep.
"It is an incredible honor to be recognized for this fun, creative project that brought together our natural environment and the arts to promote the new Arts & Culture Trail," says Nancy Turrell, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Martin County. "The collaboration that fostered this project really shows how working together improves the environment for all. This project was a winner in my eyes long before it was selected for this award!"
The Arts & Culture Trail was originally developed to celebrate Martin County's dynamic collection of arts and cultural attractions and drive excitement ahead of ArtsFest 2021. The free, mobile-exclusive trail was launched in February and highlights more than 30 local points of interest. Participants can still sign up for the trail and are encouraged to follow along to learn more about these significant sites and redeem special discounts at select attractions.
"We originally launched this program by hiding one-of-a-kind glass sea turtles at each stop on the trail, which were created by the extremely talented Dot Galfond," says Nerissa Okiye, Tourism Director of Martin County. "We are thrilled to collaborate with her once again and celebrate this recent award win with a brand-new scavenger hunt. We hope the keepsake component will encourage visitors and residents alike to discover the incredible arts and cultural attractions located throughout Martin County."
