New Tumwater tourism center combines education, destination services

The Tumwater Retail and Tourism Visitors Center held its grand opening on Tuesday, September 3. 

Located at 5304 Littlerock Road, the center will aim to provide hospitality and tourism-related services to tourists and locals. People looking for information about Tumwater may visit the center for maps and brochures and gain access to virtual experiences of the different tourist sites in Tumwater. 

Chris Sieg, director of Career and Technical Education Programs at Tumwater School District (TSD), told the Tumwater City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 3, that the visitor center was developed in partnership with the school district and the Tumwater Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Sieg explained the place as one-part retail and one-part visitor center, but most importantly as a primary site of work-based learning for students in the school district. 

The program director explained that organizations joining the chamber will have to pay a membership fee that helps fund a youth employment program they are calling Tumwater Works. 

The program focuses on providing credit-deficient and low-income high school students with work experience while also allowing them to earn college credit. 

The school district is also supporting student work by displaying and selling student-made products at the center. 

“Everything that we're focused on is work-based learning for students, so bringing industry into the classroom and classroom out into the industry,” Sieg stated. He added, “It's a student-led program in partnership with our community, where students are able to participate, work, and lead.” 

Around 300 to 350 students will have the opportunity to participate in the Tumwater Works program, according to the school district’s estimates. 

Dave Perreira of TSD added that the district is working to develop a program through which students can get certified as destination specialists so that they are equipped to respond to visitors looking for information about Tumwater.