Destination Northern Ontario (DNO) recently launched a series of tourist itineraries for a number of francophone communities in the North, including one showcasing West Nipissing’s murals and community billboards.
The project is a part of the strategy for francophone tourism in Northern Ontario which seeks to develop and strengthen cultural tourism in the area, while building on the recent growth of the cultural tourism industry. The tours are featured on the BaladoDiscoveries platform, and are guided through podcasts visitors can listen to while visiting.
Each itinerary offers about a dozen interest points in nine francophone communities in the North, focusing on history, food, people, and the culture of each. West Nipissing’s itinerary proposes a tour of community billboards in Lavigne, Verner, Cache Bay, Field, and River Valley as well as a selection of Sturgeon Falls’ murals.
Each stop offers information about the creation of the billboard or mural, a snippet of local history as well as some fun facts. For example, the eighth stop presents the historical mural on Main Street in Sturgeon Falls. In the balado, they present information about the artists who created the mural, how Sturgeon Falls came to be named as such, as well as a few more historical tidbits.
