Plans afoot to boost Capitol tourism

LANSING – Leaders of Lansing's most iconic landmarks are making strides to draw more visitors to the capital region.

Tourism at the Capitol building and at the Michigan Library & Historical Museum downtown has stalled in recent years.

Visitors to the Capitol have held steady at about 120,000 per year for years, with upticks to 150,000 some years "more of an anomaly," said John Truscott, vice chairman of the State Capitol Commission. At the museum, 87,574 visitors came between fall 2013 and fall 2014, down from more than 92,000 in the 2011-12 season, Director Sandra Clark said in an email to the State Journal.

But both Truscott and Clark said efforts are underway to boost those numbers.

Both have benefited from state investments in maintenance and renovation that have improved their facilities, and both said they partner with groups such as the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau to bring people through their doors and highlight other area attractions. Both the Capitol and the museum participate in the CVB's Be a Tourist in Your Own Town event, for example, and Clark said the museum has hosted the CVB's Certified Tourism Ambassador group.

And even bigger plans are afoot at the statehouse.

Truscott said the Capitol Commission is considering opening the 136-year-old building on Saturdays, which hasn't happened for years because of budget cuts.

"It's a very serious consideration," Truscott said. "That, in the future, may help change our numbers a little bit."

They're also building what they hope will be "the best capitol website in the country" and are becoming more active on social media.

And the commission has plans for a new, $88 million Welcome Center to be constructed on the Capitol's west lawn. A cafeteria, a large committee room, new "education briefing rooms" and enhanced security measures would be part of the new facility. The parking lot on the west lawn would be moved underground and the grounds would be restored to a park. Truscott said a new gift shop is also in the works.

The Welcome Center has been stalled by revenue shortfalls in the state budget, but Truscott said the plans haven't been shelved.

"We still intend to do it at some point," Truscott said. "And we do think that, given some of the educational elements we hope to build into it, it will increase visitors, as well."

Plan your visit

• Visit the Capitol: Guided tours are available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Capitol, at the intersection of Capitol and West Michigan avenues. Call 517-373-2353 or 517-373-2348 or visit council.legislature.mi.gov/Capitol/Tours for more information. Information on self-guided tours can also be downloaded from the website.

• • Visit the Michigan Historical Museum: The Michigan Historical Museum, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for those 65 and older, $2 for kids ages 6 to 17, and free for those 5 or younger. Call 517-373-3559 or visit michigan.gov/museum for more information.