It Pays to Live Here

March 29, 2015

"A Tourist in My Own Town" card comes with benefits

Ah, spring break – when it seems the only place in town doing business is the airport. Still, there are plenty of options for those sticking around the area, including many that come with discounts that might lure you to take a staycation.

One aptly named discount is the "Tourist In My Own Town" card. For $60, you’ll get a card (mailed to your local address) that is good for a discount at more than two dozen businesses. The discounts, typically around 25 percent off a purchase but sometimes up to half-off (Chateau Chantal room rate) are valid during the off-season (around Labor Day to Memorial Day) and usually at off-peak times (Sunday through Tuesday). Robert Adams, franchise director, says Tourist In My Own Town will "reboot" this fall with a new, lower $39.95 annual price.

One customer was able to recoup the price of the card during a stay at Chateau Chantal; other participating businesses include Bistro Fou Fou in downtown Traverse City, Grocer’s Daughter Chocolates in Empire and West Bay Beach, a Holiday Inn Resort.

Several locals-only discounts are tied to employment, such as the Downtown Employee Discount Card, which garners thousands of employees 10 percent off at participating downtown Traverse City businesses.

Colleen Paveglio, marketing director for the Downtown Traverse City Association, said they print 4,000 cards each year and distribute them to more than 60 businesses on a firstcome, first-serve basis.

"We put a notice in our June newsletter," she said. Cards can be picked up after that. Hagerty Insurance routinely picks up 400-500 cards, Paveglio said.

Downtown Traverse City is also partnering with Hagerty on a wellness program that will offer discounts at the Sara Hardy Farmers Market. Hagerty employees will earn tokens as rewards for jobs well done and the tokens can be spent at the farmers market.

Downtown Petoskey offered a Staycation Package for the first time this year, earning an enthusiastic response from both retailers and residents. Deals included room discounts at Stafford’s Perry Hotel complete with "downtown bucks" and goodie bags. Merchants offered knitting workshops, spa treatments, cooking demos and concerts.

Traverse City’s Union Street Station has a Service Industry Night on Sundays, which offers $1 off drinks to workers in the hospitality industry. Munson Mondays offer $5 martinis and a $1 off everything else for employees of the healthcare business.

Other promotions aren’t specifically targeted to locals, but benefit them nonetheless. February’s Traverse City Restaurant Week, featuring three course meals for $25, doesn’t exclude tourists, but "we do it that time of year to target locals," Paveglio said.

During the summer, the Nauti-Cat catamaran posts openings for that evening’s cruise, which might only be mere hours away, on its Facebook page. The last-minute trips are usually free. The Nauti-Cat also has a Service Industry Night cruise at 10 p.m. Mondays; cost is $10 and there are drink specials as well.

One of the most popular activities for staybehinds is the generous slate of free movies at the State Theatre. This year’s "Spring Break Staycation Extravaganza" begins March 27. Each day features a free kids’ film at 10am at the State, then three or four free movies for teens and adults at both the State and the Bijou in the afternoon and evening.

Themes this year, with a sample of the movies, are:

- Friday, March 27: "David Fincher Day" ("The Social Network," "Gone Girl")

- Saturday, March 28: "Sequel Prep Day" ("Mission Impossible," "The Lego Movie")

- Sunday, March 29: "Space Day" ("ET," "Gravity")

- Monday, March 30: "Marvel Day" ("Captain America: The Winter Soldier," "Guardians of the Galaxy")

- Tuesday, March 31: "Great Soundtracks Day" ("Mary Poppins," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?")

- Wednesday, April 1: "Wes Anderson Day" ("Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Grand Budapest Hotel")

- Wednesday, April 2: "Jeff Daniels [a Traverse City Film Festival board member] Presents Action Day" ("Fly Away Home," "Edge of Tomorrow").

A bonus kids’ movie, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone," will be screened for free at the State on Thursday, April 3 at 10am.

All year round, volunteers at Manistee’s Vogue Theater get free appetizers at TJ’s Pub in the Ramsdell Inn – up to five each month by using a punch card distributed by the movie theater director. Movie and theater-goers also reap the rewards at TJ’s, receiving a 10 percent discount when they present their same-day ticket. The Inn also offers $10 off room reservations the night of the show.

Another perk of living here are movie theater memberships, offered by the State/Bijou by the Bay and the Vogue. A basic membership ($50 at the Vogue/$60 at the State) gets you $2 off the ticket price of a regular movie or $1 off a matinee. Upgrade to a premium membership ($100 at the Vogue/$125 at the State) and you get the admission discounts, plus free movies the first Thursday of each month.