Parents visiting Ball State for freshmen orientation say getting a free tour around downtown Muncie gives them a sense of security, knowing where their children will be when they have a night out on the town.
Downtown Muncie offers guided tours for parents visiting campus Tuesday through Friday to give show them what the area has to offer students.
Steve Sergi said he took the tour to get a feel for where he'ssending his daughter for the next four years.
"We have a freshman coming to Ball State... so why not see what downtown is really like?" he said.
Each tour guide is a local Muncie business owner that has his or her own type of guide style.
The university teamed up with Downtown Development five years ago to help parents and students broaden their knowledge of what there is to do off campus.
"It was Ball State's idea, but as soon as they brought the idea to us we absolutely loved the idea," Cheryl Crowder, program manager of Downtown Muncie, said.
The parents usually get on the MITS bus at 10:30 a.m. and head to the Muncie Civic Theatre for the tour.
They are given the opportunity to wander around town on their own or go with a guide down Main Street to offer information on the history and future plans of most of the buildings.
"They talk about night spots, coffee shops, retail, restaurants, galleries, everything you can think of," Crowder said. "It gives parents a downtown orientation so when they come back for visits in the next four years, they know what there is here in Muncie right from the beginning."
Downtown Development gives tours to between1,500 to 2,000 parents every summer.
With parents learning what spots there are to see in Muncie, Crowder said it is no surprise that business has increased.
"Over the last five years we have seen a big rise in student activities downtown and their familiarity with what we have to offer," she said.
Local businesses also get together to create a bag filled with things such as gifts, information, maps and promotion materials that are handed out to 1,500 parents. The tour also gives away a prize only awarded to one parent per day.
Before the end of the tour, parents are asked if they would like to fill out a postcard to be sent to their house the week before Family Weekend.
The post card not only reminds them that the eventful weekend is coming up, but also gives them a coupon for 20 percent off either a dining or retail purchase.
"We send them the postcards for them to say, ‘Hey, I remember that tour and it was great, maybe I'll want to visit my kids again this fall,'" Crowder said.
Already eager to see their child again when they visit in the Fall Semester, the tour helped Sergi and his wife, Anita, feel a little more confident about sending their child to Ball State.
"I think this town feels good," Sergi said.
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