Following a 33% uptick in ticket sales this year, Spring Pilgrimage appears to be rebounding after years of lower attendance.
But some homeowners wonder if that growth is sustainable without some changes to the event’s marketing and its discussion of the interconnectedness between slavery and the homes.
“If we don’t change something, I don’t see the way that we’re conducting Pilgrimage as viable (in the future),” said Jace Ferraez, the owner of Twelve Gables home in Columbus. “And it won’t be around for me, since I’m 36, in 10 years. So, I do think we do have to implement changes.”
Spring Pilgrimage sold about 1,000 tickets this year, which was up from roughly 750 tickets sold during last year’s Pilgrimage, said Frances Glenn, Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau tourism director. Glenn attributed that growth to improved targeted marketing online and more cohesive messaging for the event.
“I think our marketing efforts have really paid off,” Glenn said.
While that increase certainly improved homeowners’ revenue, Ferraez said he’s concerned about how the event resonates with younger people.
Part of the reason behind that composition, he believes, is due to growing national criticism around Southern tourism sites, like plantation homes and historic buildings, showcasing a romanticized portrayal of Antebellum history.
He said one of the clearest examples of that ongoing debate can be found in the “Natchez” documentary, which captures this struggle during the 2022 Spring Pilgrimage season in the historic city on the Mississippi River.
“Younger generations don’t want to be involved in something that may be historically associated with some negative aspects of American life,” Ferraez said. “… I think we have opportunities to do things differently from an actual tourism perspective and an educational perspective with what we’re offering.”
Going forward, Ferraez said increasing marketing efforts surrounding the improvements he and other homeowners have made to address the homes’ history of slavery could build on this year’s growth and fight that stigma. For Ferraez and his home, those improvements included adding a ledger of the enslaved people kept at Twelve Gables to the tour and more clearly outlining the home’s history as a plantation to those attending.
Dick Leike, owner of Riverview and White Arches, disagreed, arguing that with annual attendance on the rise for Pilgrimage, changes to marketing the event aren’t necessary.
“It’s improving,” Leike said. “We are trying to bring in more people, and … we’ll do what we can to let everybody know when it’s available, how to get tickets, all that kind of stuff.”
Efforts to improve
Glenn said the CVB, the Columbus Preservation Society and Historic Home Tours, who organize Spring Pilgrimage, have yet to meet to discuss marketing improvements for next year. But she expects part of the recommendations to address better ways to market homeowners’ own attempts to better represent their homes’ histories.
“We’re going to get together and all sit down and see what our strengths were, (and) where we can improve for next year,” Glenn said.
That being said, Glenn said she expects Pilgrimage to continue to be a viable tourism opportunity.
“I’m not concerned right now because we just saw a 33% increase in our ticket sales,” Glenn said.
To bolster efforts next year, Glenn said there are also plans to get a complete schedule developed earlier to reel in larger tour groups.
“We’ve already had some groups … reach out to us about 2027,” Glenn said. “I do think it’s important that we have this initial meeting, evaluate 2026 and start working on the schedule for 2027.”
Ferraez said more community involvement in the future, specifically with Black historians, historical re-enacters and local business owners, would be a great addition to diversify the event.
“We don’t have as much community involvement, … and so to me, that is a problem,” Ferraez said. “Now is that because (of) some of these issues that we’ve talked about? It very likely could be.”
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