A lot has changed in The Summit City the past 25 years.

From riverfront development, to revitalization of The Landing, to Parkview Field, and the addition of Electric Works, the city has undergone quite a makeover.

With all the changes, Visit Fort Wayne wants you to take a day to really absorb all that change with their Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown event, which celebrates its 25th year Sunday, Sept. 8.

On that day, from noon-5 p.m., you can visit 25 attractions with free admission. Well, you will need a “passport,” which you can pick up free at any Fort Wayne Kroger or Old National Bank.

“Or you can download and print your own from our website, visitfortwayne.com/beatourist,” said Kristen Guthrie, vice president of marking and communications for Visit Fort Wayne, in an interview with Whatzup.

Beyond downtown

Once you get your passport, you’ll have your key to explore many of the venues you’ve passed in your vehicle, but never really took the time to check out in depth.

“Wherever you live, you kind of take the things in your own town for granted,” Guthrie said. “But when you’re thinking like a tourist, when you’re visiting a new town, you take time to really explore. We really want to encourage people to do that.”

It’s an idea that has really gained traction, as the event has grown from six attractions its first year to a robust 25.

“It’s awesome to see how Fort Wayne has grown in these 25 years,” Guthrie said. “It’s just a really great celebration of our tourism community. It’s a big deal, and we’re excited to show it off.”

While exploring six downtown attractions might have been a moderately easy thing to do in Year One, that is no longer the case. 

Sure, you still have the courthouse, The History Center, Science Central, Embassy Theatre, First Presbyterian Church, The Landing, The Lincoln Tower, Freemasons Hall, the riverfront, and other downtown spots. But if you’re looking to expand, you can travel to LC Nature Preserve outside Roanoke, take part in the Little River Wetlands Project’s Monarch Festival at Eagle Marsh, or visit Veterans National Memorial Shrine & Museum on O’Day Road.

“They are all spread through Allen County now,” Guthrie said, while giving some advice. “You cannot do all 25, and you should not try to. That would be too much. So, just pick a few. I think people know now every year to pick a few new ones: A few places they’ve never been or maybe haven’t been in a few years.”

Block party to celebrate 25 years

Yes, you may have checked out some the places on the passport before, but with rotating exhibits at many, there’s always something new to see — for everyone.

“There’s architecture, there’s history, there’s stuff for kids, and a lot of nature,” Guthrie said. “We love the variety.”

Along with rotating exhibits, many venues offer special access touring the event.

“At The Embassy, you can do down into the dressing rooms, you can go on the stage,” Guthrie said. “It’s a new perspective on some of these historic structures. It’s the only date of the year that you can take your camera into the courthouse and capture some of those images.”

On top of your passport getting you into all these places, it will also grant you access to a block party outside the Visitors Center at the corner of Harrison Street and West Washington Boulevard.

“We always have the Visitors Center open (during Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown), but this year we wanted to throw a special party,” Guthrie said. “We’re going to close (Harrison Street) in front of the center and have food trucks and all sorts of things for kids and everyone else. People can come on into the Visitors Center and get some Fort Wayne souvenirs and make it one of your stops.”

And those souvenirs will serve as reminders of that time residents took the time to explore their own hometown. Because, heck, in the next 25 years, it might look very different.

“Just look around. Pretend you’re exploring the city,” Guthrie said. “There’s so much that is new and different, that you can really take time and be a tourist in your own town.”