<p>Inside the newly opened Festival Country Indiana visitor center, guests won’t just learn about the unique opportunities Johnson County offers.</p><p>They’ll live them.</p><p>Step into a giant 11-foot-tall apple to find out about orchards, corn mazes and other agritourism experiences. Take a seat in theater chairs to learn about the Historic Artcraft Theatre.</p><p>Sitting in the souped-up go-kart, it’s easy to imagine hugging the curves around the Whiteland Raceway Park.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>“Research shows that people are looking for an experience. Coming into an office isn’t an experience,” said Kenneth Kosky, director of tourism for Festival Country Indiana. “An experience is taking selfies and sharing them on social media. It’s a chance to play and interact and do things, to create memories.</p><p>“Everything is designed to not just tell you the story, but show you.”</p><p>The new visitor center will give people a taste of what to find throughout the county. Learn where to eat, drink and play through interactive displays, activities and games. Capture the start of your journey with a group selfie in the photo booth before working with visitor center staff to find the best activities for your interests.</p><p>Though the tourism center is physically located in downtown Franklin, the hope is that it will serve as a portal for all of the county’s tourist attractions.</p><p>“The idea is for people to come in and interact with these exhibits and have a good time,” Kosky said. “Then, they can be motivated to go out and visit some of these attractions in other communities.”</p><p>The visitor center is ready for guests, though officials have delayed the opening date due to concerns about the coronavirus, or COVID-19 infection. There is no longer a set opening date.</p><p>When that time comes, organizers are excited to share the story of Johnson County with guests from out-of-town, as well as residents who might not realize the breadth of what the county offers, Kosky said.</p><p>“What’s most rewarding is people coming in, expecting possibly a traditional visitor center, and they see all of this stuff. I think they’re going to be really proud that something like this is in our community,” he said.</p><p>Driving past the building at 66 S. Water St., it’s hard to miss the new visitor center. A massive red-and-white blade sign is mounted on the corner of the building, designed by Danny Causey, a local artist and architectural salvage director at Madison Street Salvage.</p><p>A former tenant of the space had been Deer’s Hardware, and the sign is designed to resemble the shop’s former sign, Kosky said.</p><p>Bright red trim outlines all the windows and doors of the visitor center. Rainbow colored vinyl lettering announces that it’s the Festival Country Indiana center.</p><p>Bright planters set out front provide bursts of color even during the wintertime. Wall-washing lighting illuminates the facade at night.</p><p>“They project color onto the building at night, so it appears festive,” Kosky said.</p><p>The building that now houses the visitor center, adjacent to Franklin City Hall, has been used by a rotating group of tenants over the years. The space had been used as storage for nonprofit groups for many years, before it was concerted to a café and leased by Franklin College.</p><p>When the college needed an area for its new physical therapy graduate program, the space was converted into classrooms. After the graduate program moved to a different space on the campus of Johnson Memorial Health, the building remained vacant.</p><p>One of the goals of Festival Country Indiana, the county’s tourism commission, was to create a physical space to promote the county, Kosky said.</p><p>Starting in May of 2019, plans started formulating for creating a visitors center in the Franklin-owned property. Tourism officials started compiling ideas of what the center would include, and narrowed down the best mix of experiences.</p><p>The focus was on dynamic 3-D exhibits, Kosky said.</p><p>People can step behind a gleaming metal radio microphone to play DJ, trying their best radio voice while reading a script about the events going on in the county that weekend. They can push “play” on a variety of songs, from Prince’s “1999” to “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO to “Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw.</p><p>A case spotlighting the county’s many breweries, wineries and drink-related companies engages people by asking them questions about each business. Once they open the adjacent door to find the answer, they also get recommendations of a few products that business sells.</p><p>“You get to know the brewery or winery on a different level, and maybe that motivates you to drive to visit them,” Kosky said.</p><p>Kids can try out a short tube slide, then consult the handy chart painted on the base to see how it compares to slides at water parks in Greenwood, Franklin and Edinburgh.</p><p>Experiences such as the mini-Artcraft Theatre and the Whiteland Raceway Park go-kart put guests into some of the county’s most exciting locations.</p><p>A pair of glass cases will be set up at the front of the visitor center, which will rotate on a monthly basis to showcase attractions or events that aren’t featured in the permanent exhibition, Kosky said.</p><p>A tourism official will be available to answer questions of guests, and brochures and other publications can offer additional information and guidance.</p><p>“This is about the only traditional thing about our visitor center,” Kosky said. “That’s the only old school stuff that we’re doing.”</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="At a glance" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Festival Country Indiana visitor center</p><p>What: A space featuring interactive 3-D exhibits and information about top attractions in the county</p><p>Opening: To be determined</p><p>Where: 66 S. Water St., Franklin</p><p>When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday</p><p>Features</p><p><ul><li>Skydiving selfie opportunity.</li><li>Festival Country Radio booth where you can hit the "on air" light, read a script about what’s going on, then play a favorite song.</li><li>Indoor slide that will get you interested in trying the much larger slides at our water parks.</li><li>Display showing local craft beer, wine and spirits.</li><li>Photo booth where you can pose with your best friend or family.</li><li>A go-cart kids can sit in and see the track at Whiteland Raceway Park.</li><li>A replica of the Artcraft Theater, where people can learn about Festival Country.</li></ul></p><p>Information: festivalcountryindiana.com</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
